All the way through April the dry weather was entrenched
Then rain came down upon the park until it was quite drenched
The soil drank in deeply but even then it was not quenched.
No sooner had I stepped outside the Learning Centre than a House Sparrow flew right past my face, landing on a nearby wall. I used to have trouble identifying these little birds, but now the combination of colours and stocky beak seem unmistakable. Blue Tits sang out of Ash trees above and the trills of Robins were also to be heard. As I set out towards Large Copse, I spotted a few Birds Foot Trefoil amongst the grass, as well as a Dunnock singing from atop a dry stone wall.
Common Vetch and Yellow Rattle were scattered across Skipworth Meadow, with Blackcap song emanating from the hedge. Inside Large Copse, the path was soft underfoot and the nettles lining it quite sizable. I’ll have to do something about them soon.
Beyond, Saxon Field still retained a smattering of Cowslips, as well as the odd Early Purple Orchid. The Common Spotted Orchids have yet to come into flower.
Centenary Meadow was shrouded in fog when I arrived. Patches of Charlock grew at its margins and a light rain had begun to fall. Wood Pigeons occasionally loomed out of the mist, before vanishing again. Scary conditions to fly in when there are Raptors about. The distant call of a Green Woodpecker pierced the calm. Fortunately the fog has no effect on your ears.
Crossing over to the Upper Gulley, the fog was just as thick. Now on downland, I couldn’t help but think of the Hound of the Baskervilles. So far, no one has recorded a giant luminous dog in the sightings book, but there’s a first time for everything. Chalk Milkwort was blanketing the ground underfoot, and the gulley itself was alive with birdsong. Scanning it with my binoculars, I noticed a Roe Deer atop one of the slopes, always a pleasant sight.