Upon arrival I was immediately drawn to a strimmer like sound over the meadows. Fortunately, I was prepared to see a drone in the sky being operated by authorised and residential volunteers Simon and Andy. They are wearing yellow high visibility vests, have relevant insurance and clear yellow warning signs. Whilst one is flying and filming the other is using the drone camera to look out for people and wildlife.
Going through the meadows I disturbed at least half a dozen Meadow Browns amongst the flowers. I was surprised at how squelchy the ground was in Saxon Field’s quarry. I was delighted to both hear the sea Skylark hovering over the meadows. The boundary wall between Centenary and Johnston Meadows was alive with young Whitethroats and Chiff Chaffs. I felt glad that we had only cleared pockets of scrub on this wall leaving “staffing” posts for these young birds to travel through. Where we had cleared scrub the inevitable Nettles, Thistles, Bracken, Bristly Ox Tongue, Bittersweet and Goose-grass had colonised. A yellow caterpillar with black spots was upon a Hawksbit if not eaten by young birds the caterpillar will become a Large White. Bramble, which was climbing out through gorse, was showing its developing flowers buds. When I bushed through a scrubbed up path the disturbed vegetation sent up a strong musty scent of a Fox.
I disturbed a Roe Deer buck from the scrub edge in the Common Ware, and briefly saw his short antlers. Plenty of bird sounds revealed the presence of: Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Chiff Chaff, Song Thrush, Black Bird and White Throat. I witnessed a Greater Black Backed Gull fly from the meadows towards the sea. A Kestrel put in a brief appearance over the Wares whilst a Magpie was in the background scrub.
With the sunshine out so were the grasshoppers whose presence was indicated by the sound of their striations.