As the saying goes “red sky in morning, Shepherds warning” or should it be “Ranger’s warning”. Though a bad omen, the red sky lighting up the horizon over the sea was a spectacular sight to be greeted with this morning. Though it didn’t last long and the rain it predicted came in and was a constant companion on my walk.
Walking through the meadows to go see the cows, trying don’t eat mud on the slippy clay paths, the chatter of birds can be heard all around the though they keep themselves concealed in the scrub. A bedraggled looking Robin makes an appearance sitting atop a Blackthorn to sing.
A Kestrel zooms past in a blur of wings, while another hovers, body perfectly, still over saxon field. The chattering of Goldfinch catches my attention as they pass over head in a cloud of tiny wings. They duck and dive over the field before coming to settle on the far side of a path of scrub out of sight.
Through the drove, bright orange berries of Stinking Iris brighten up the dull wet morning. Bright red Rose hips appear shiny covered in rainwater, they stick out the top of large clumps of Old Mans Beard. Arriving at the field the cows are currently residing in, they all appear to be happy to munch away on grass, quietly enjoying their breakfast and happily all appear to be in the correct field.
A large flock of Jackdaws move as one as they duck and dive of the gully, bursting back up in an eruption of wings and squawking. As one the flock moves across the landscape the occasional one getting left behind before hurrying to catch up.
A lone Raven is chased over the top of the gully by a flock of 5 Carion Crows, they dive bomb the raven and harass it, before it comes to land in a Holm Oak with another Raven.