First frost! Winter’s here! I run slightly late to work due to having to de-ice the car, but all is good as I got straight into the wildlife walk. In the car park the sound of a Crow, Chaffinch a Robin is heard, spotted are Linnets braving the cold above me, and a Wood Pigeon perched on Hawthorn with Ivy on it.
I walk down to the castle, surrounded by Holm Oak and Sycamore as well as one Scots Pine, as one enters the car park. I head right down to the sea view past the castle, where one could hear magpies and jackdaws on the way, at the bottom Tamarisk dominates above the cliff where Crows and Jackdaws chill on them. As I look out to sea, Ferel Pigeons swoop over the cliff. I spot a couple of Guillemots chilling on the calm English Channel, on the cliff side I noticed lots of shrub species such as brambles and hawthorn, as well Coastal Indicators such as Rock Samphire growing on the top of the rocks. Passing the Globe heard and seen were Great Tits, Chaffinches, Blue Tits and Goldfinches.
I walk into the Pleasure Ground Woodlands where Holm Oak and Sycamore are dominant, seen were more Robins, Crows and Jackdaws as well as a Long-Tailed Tit. I looked out to sea with my binoculars, here a great clear view of the Isle of Wight, Hurst Spit and Hengistbury Head can be seen, as well as Fawley power station just about spotted in the distance. I continue to walk and decide to head back passing the Woodchipped path that the Tuesday Volunteers did extremely well in yesterday’s cold and rain.
Finally spotted somewhere near the pleasure grounds, an egg of a Red Cage Fungus is spotted, this was seen yesterday however the fungus has not started growing yet, to the left there is one that has started to grow but has seemingly not grown large. All this is possibly because it’s too cold!
Merlin App detected: Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Linnet, Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Kestrel, and Common Goldeneye – I cannot confirm the latter two as did not see or hear them.