A distinct change in the weather compared with the glorious sun of yesterday, today bringing grey, damp drizzle!
The most numerous birdlife to be seen this morning was the Swallows, once more hundreds wheeling and swooping around the Park, a wonderful sight to enjoy, as I looked out over the landslip they were below me and on the downs I had to look up at their underbellies.
The woodlands brought me some shelter from the dampness and also the squawking of 2 squabbling Jays, these brightly coloured birds both perched on opposite branches of the Japanese Spindle calling noisily, both then hopped off and began foraging amongst the fallen leaves, probably for Holm Oak acorns which seem bountiful this year.
Scampering up the trunk of a Horse Chestnut was a Grey Squirrel, clambering until it disappeared amongst the golden brown leaves.
High in the canopy of Sycamores a small group of Goldcrests was calling, their high pitched cries helping slightly in my ability to find them in the leaves. A Chiffchaff poked its head out from between the stems of the Bamboo and on the ground Blackbirds turned over the leaf mulch.
A short stroll onto the Downland area and 2 Stonechats appeared, popping up from the mass of Blackthorn scrub. The white collar on one much more evident in this dull light than the orange breast as were the white patches on the wings.
A new lichen has been discovered for the National Nature Reserve, this bright orange lichen Teloschistes chrysophthalmus is surprisingly quite easy to identify due to its frilly edges and is found on Blackthorn. Until about 10 years ago it was thought to be extinct but since then a few records have been found, it is currently ‘Red Listed’ as Critically Endangered.