The early morning dawned grey, with dramatic clouds over the sea providing a foreboding feel, but through this the occasional shaft of sunlight squeezed causing some fascinating light conditions.
One of these shafts highlighted the russet brown coat of a Fox as it stood almost as if it was basking in a spotlight! This Fox has a long tail, slightly kinked where the fur changes to white.
The hedgerows now covered in Blackberries, many not very juicy or ripe but providing a splash of colour alongside the bright red Hawthorn berries. Perched enjoying the feast was as Blackbird, while slipping through the prickle covered branches were some Lesser Whitethroats, their grey and grey colouration quite distinctive today.
Out on the farmland, where the hay bales are still awaiting removal, the Swallows were swooping low and then up and over the rolls, a wonderful chance to watch and admire these long-tailed birds before they return to Africa.
In amongst the Hereford Cattle was a single Rook, which was calling loudly with an unusual squawk, I had to check twice that the noise was actually coming from the Rook!
Showing up through the downland turf is the latest autumn plant speciality, the Autumn Ladies Tresses, a quick look counted over 20 in a small area of the Lighthouse Green, many more of these slightly greyish-green twisted orchids will appear over the next few days.
A few of the other flowers to find include Small and Field Scabious, Devil’s Bit Scabious, Eyebright, Squinancywort and Carline Thistle. In the fields the Rough Hawkbit is growing again after the hay cut, alongside Autumn Hawkbit, both of these are yellow as is the Fleabane and the Hoary Ragwort.
Along the clifftop the sound of a Rock Pipit was noted, another lifted from a patch of long grass, the grey colouration contrasting with the flashed of gold and red that came from the Goldfinch flock that took off at the same time.
The sound of a Green Woodpecker and the mewing of a Buzzard added to the bird noises for the morning. Along the coast path, during a short sunny spell the Meadow, Stripe-winged, Field and Common Green Grasshoppers all started to chirp, as they sat amongst the dead grasses.