It was a delight to step out into the sunshine without rain. Upon the damp mown path through South Meadow scores of Keeled Slugs looked to be easy pickings for predators. A metre diameter pool had formed at Saxon Field’s “hay rake” quarry wherein there was an “aquatic” Red Clover! Whilst this made me investigate our gully for the winterbourne, no flow was present today despite the rain gauge reading 36.5mm! However, a mini delta of fine sediment had formed on lighthouse road where water had flown from the learning to walling centres!
At “hay rake quarr” a Kestrel flew past from the Small Copse. Later the Kestrel observed from the overhead wires a dozen Nordic Walkers as they “click clacked” down lighthouse road. Out at sea the larger dark sea bird with a white tail stripe turned out to be a juvenile Gannet.
Across the gully I was surprised to see the a Rabbit had climbed and sat upon bare Old Man’s Beard stems giving it an slight above ground perch surrounded by a leafy cover! The most recent Badger latrine nearest the centre has already been relocated to three metres away from the Ant Hill perhaps due to the latter being scent marked by dogs?
Woolly Thistle flowers were providing nectar for insects including: Cardinal Beetle; Buff Tailed Bumble Bee; unidentified Hoverfly. A Grove Snail was seen upon a dead flower head whilst a Wasp upon its stalk! Again Gatekeepers were the most obvious butterflies upon the wing with scores actively dancing and chasing each other over the sun drenched Bracken. Marbled Whites were seen with one drawing nectar from a Knapweed flower and another basking on the short sward between the gully rock escarpments. Field Mushroom and a fungi growing forth from a cow pat also benefited from the damp! Both Common Contort and Yellow Wort had flowers yet to open. A trio of Ravens flew overhead as I recorded the weather readings.