The golden light comes in the morning
Rich and gentle, soft and warming
Shining over this beautiful land
The golden light is pure and grand
And all agree that it feels right
To walk beneath the golden light
A cold, clear morning with a rich golden sunrise today. My favourite. The sky was laced with high cirroform clouds, with a few fluffy cumulus partially covering the sun. The bird ringing crew were out again today, with captures including Redwings, Blackcaps and a lovely Firecrest. It was nice to get another close up look at this beautiful bird under more fortuitous circumstances.
I decided to take a walk down the lighthouse road today, and strolled along binoculars in hand on the lookout for avian life. I heard the clear two note call of a Chiffchaff to my left, and spotted four Jackdaws perched on one of the mile markers. So far, so good. The scrub either side of lighthouse road was alive with fluttering birds, but none would stay still long enough for me to draw a bead on them, with the exception of a few Robins who are real exhibitionists if you ask me.
I decided to spend a little longer than usual observing, and was rewarded by a better set of sightings. A garishly coloured Jay flapped in and out of view, as well as a few Great Tits. A Swallow darted overhead, and the loud “chatting” of some Stonechats went on in the background. Dead stems of Burdock and Wild Carrot lined the path, which reminded me that I have some vegetables in my fridge that need eating.
The lighthouse itself was bathed in a delightful soft golden light from the sunrise, and was looking as good as I had ever seen it. I had the pleasure of walking up a gold illuminated lighthouse slope, an experience I highly recommend. There was an abundance of Common Puffballs on the path, as well as Brown Mottlegills and Egghead Mottlegills.
On my return to the Learning Centre I passed flowering Knapweed and Teasels, and startled a Song Thrush, which flapped off just slow enough for me to identify it. I spotted a Goldfinch sitting atop a Sycamore and paused a moment, listening to its song. Suddenly, my ears were attuned to the sound and I became aware that I was surrounded by Goldfinches, and I spied dozens of them flying in all directions, and perching in the trees and bushes. A little extra knowledge can be a wonderful thing.