A damp morning for the early stroll, with rain coming down and the earth a little slippery and muddy underfoot – what a change from last week!
A skulking through the branches of the sloe laden Blackthorn was a Dunnock, the brown markings on its back and dark grey head, added to the thin beak making for easy identification. The same can not be said for the greenish – yellow warblers spotted soon after, which required careful consideration to distinguish between the Willow Warbler and the Chiffchaff.
From my vantage point, I could see movement in the long grass, and a Roe Deer was lying, the antlers moving the stems as it browsed, looking like it was eating blackberries.
In a divot on the ground, a pile of Badger poo, in which the remnants of Blackberries could be seen, as they could also be spotted in the faeces of Fox. Just shows what a wonderful wildlife bounty this prickly rambling plant is.
A patch of Yarrow, the white flowers tightly clumped together, more so that the white umbel flower of the Wild Carrot which can often be found alongside.
Crawling across the ground the thick woody stems of Restharrow, sporting the pale pink flowers, tinged with white. Accompanying this a patch of the yellow flowers of Lady’s Bedstraw, its thin prong-like leaves much brighter green than the surrounding plants.
I walked across the grass a single Silver-Y moth was disturbed, fluttering a few paces before hiding again amongst the plants.
The feather or heather like Red Bartsia still flowering strongly, its grey-pink one sided flowers to be found along the path edges in many of the fields.
Dashing overhead a Peregrine Falcon, the wings swept back as this grey speed merchant whizzed by.