There lies an earthworm on the way
To a bird it’s fallen prey
But even with one third eaten away
It can live to dig another day
A nice mix of cumulus and hefty stratocumulus clouds this morning, with regular bursts of sunshine in between. One of the new apprentices named Rosie and I headed out towards the woodlands, taking in the duet of a pair of Robins as we crossed the car park. The constant overhead procession of Swifts continued unabated as we headed down past Long Meadow, the familiar sight of the Water Tower in the distance. Rosehips and Honeysuckle berries were decorating the hedgerow, with Knapweed and Red Clover scattered across the meadow itself.
The woodland path was not as fungi rich as on my last visit, with a few patches of Turkey Tail, a few Horse Hoof Fungus and the same resplendent Witches Butter on display. Chattering Grey Squirrels leapt through the Sycamore trees above. I managed to embarrass myself by misidentifying their conversation as a Great Tit alarm call. Go ahead and look down on me, I deserve it.
Further into the woods we stumbled across two thirds of an Earthworm lying in the middle of the path, presumably the remains of a half-finished dinner. The plucky creature was still alive, and it’s true that Earthworms can regenerate. Under laboratory conditions some species have even demonstrated the old wives’ tale true and grown into two new worms when cut in half. I hope this one can pull off something similar.
With the clacking of Stonechats and rattles of Magpies behind us, we headed towards the castle, the demonic shriek of a Jay taking me by surprise from the boughs above. From the observation points along the way, we spotted a group of half a dozen somethings floating on the water, but the distance and glare from the sun made it hard to get a good look. As we got closer, they revealed themselves to be Greater Black Backed Gulls.
The Castle itself hosted a fine array of Peacocks, Red Admirals and Small White butterflies on its abundant Buddleia. We turned back to complete our journey at the Learning Centre, where last night Katie had the good fortune to spy a Nightjar. Paul can do a very convincing imitation of its call and is very happy to do so on request.