Thick cloud and even a little drizzle this morning – quite refreshing after a humid night.
Despite the dry conditions, a few fungi are starting to appear. A Giant Puffball – rather chewed, but the size of a Rugby ball, seen near a section of new wall in the meadows, with a few Field Mushrooms also starting to appear.
In the hedgerows, Willow Warblers are starting to gather, along with a few Chiffchaffs. Our bird ringing study continued this morning, with ringed Grasshopper Warblers and Reed Warblers among this morning’s ‘haul’. These birds are weighed, sexed and ringed and safely released, and the data shared internationally, helping to build up a picture of migration across Europe.
Elsewhere around the Park, birds are busy feeding on the plentiful supply of seeds, fruits and insects. A family of Long-tailed Tits bustle along the Drove, with a Wren squeaking huffily at me as I walk through the gateway next to him
My highlight this morning, a Redstart among the branches of an Elder in the meadows, with a few Swallows swirling high overhead.
The hedgerows are laden with dark blue Sloes, crimson Blackberries and Honeysuckle berries, Elderberries and strings of glossy Bryony berries. Old Man’s beard scrambles over the scrub and hedges in a yellow-flowered tide, while the intricate purple and yellow flowers of Bittersweet can be seen around their base.
On the short turf, Carline Thistle is in bloom – tiny, ornate and bronze-coloured, it always reminds me of a piece of Art Deco sculpture. Nearby, the tiny white flowers of Fairy Flax can be seen in the shortest turf, along with pink Wild Thyme, candy-striped Restharrow, Ladies Bedstraw and Stemless Thistle.
On the longer turf, tall Wild Carrot and Wild Parsnip sway in the breeze, along with Knapweed, Ragwort and Hemp Agrimony.
A Roe Deer trots across Boy’s Brigade Meadow, bounding away into the scrub as I approach, while Badgers have been digging up the path through the Copse.
Despite the lack of sunshine, a few butterflies on the wing, including Red Admiral, Large White and Gatekeeper.