Shafts of sunlight emerging between the thickening layer of grey cloud, the beams highlighting the wonderful colours of the trees in the woods, the Horse Chestnut a golden brown, as are some of the Beeches, others such as Sycamore, London Plane and Hazel are intermediate with green and brown and yellow patches.
Staring up at the branches, the relatively heavy movement of a Grey Squirrel caught my attention as the branches bent under its weight as it sprung from the Ash to the English Oak, a wobble of its tail as it landed.
This activity disturbed a small flock of Tits, with Great and Blue Tits taking flight for the nearby Holm Oak. As I continued to watch the antics high in the canopy a Goldcrest popped out from behind the leaves, a flash of gold as I saw the top of its head. A good few moments enjoyed as the Goldcrests flitted through above me.
In the Yew a Chiffchaff while a Robin perched on the branch of a Holly, which is already laden with bright red berries!
On the ground tiny specks of white, which on close inspection, where the tips of the Candle-snuff fungus, the top of which is white the rest black. This peering at the ground brought a Russula fungus to my attention, a dull reddish-pink cap and thick off white stem – not yet identified the precise species from the family of many similar ones (to me anyhow)!
Back out across the meadows, which were thick with a wet dew, a scattering of late flowering plants included the delicate pale lilac of a Pale Flax – the petals closed up as it waited for a sunny spell.
In amongst the grasses a pink Red Clover flower, the yellow of Bird’s-foot Trefoil and the white of Wild Carrot.
Nearby the Autumn Hawkbit and the Rough Hawkbit both showing as are a few small patches of Field Scabious and Greater Knapweed.
The flower of Common Toadflax, is easy to recognise with the two colours of yellow above the thin leaf spikes.
Last night the sound of Tawny Owls hooting could be heard, whilst Badgers were out and about feeding on Blackberries, the evidence left in their large latrines!
As I emptied the meadow dog bins on my way back to the Centre, a male Roe Deer stood and watched me pass, his dark antlers forked at the top.