The sound of a flock of Long-tailed Tits caught my attention as I walked across the wet grassy path. In amongst the branches of the lichen covered Hawthorn, a group of these delightful pink, black and white birds were dangling and flitting.
As I watched them move from the Hawthorn into a Horse Chestnut the tail bobbed, it just sometimes seems a bit long for the short almost round body!
The hedges now showing off much of their Autumnal glory, including the large red hips of the Dog Rose, the small black berries of Dogwood and the pink unusually shaped, pink berries of the European Spindle.
Gliding past above the meadows a Kestrel, who then stalled and hovered, perhaps having spotted some movement below amongst the recently cut grass. The Kestrel remained static while I admired through the binoculars, then swooping off, no breakfast for it this time.
Spread between some branches and stems some Spider Webs, the silk covered with glistening water droplets, making their extent quite easy to see.
Clambering across the Blackthorn hedge some Honeysuckle, a couple of the wonderful lemon-pink-cream flowers still blooming.
A few examples of the many late summer wildflowers still to be discovered, including the white umbel shaped Wild Carrot and the white or pink Yarrow. Also keep an eye out for the lilac blue Field Scabious alongside the smaller and darker coloured Small Scabious, plus a single flower of the much less common Devil’s Bit Scabious.
Taking off from the front slopes of the downland a small flock of 5 or so Meadow Pipits, while in Johnston Meadow a Skylark landed allowing me a good look at it.
A couple of bursts of yellow from Rough Hawkbit (the flower tightly closed in the gentle drizzle) and from the open Ragwort and Fleabane.