Sanguine hangs the sky this morn
An omen I surmise
Beware the day that follows the dawn
Stained red with a bloody sunrise
Robins and Blue Tits were chirruping away pleasantly as I entered the Woodlands. The recent thinning works and the autumn leaf fall have opened up the canopy beautifully and I could see much of the striking morning sky as I wandered through. A few Dead Man’s Fingers stretched out towards me as I passed. If I were a superstitious man, I might have started to worry.
Outside the Learning Centre a naked Willow tree shook in the stiff breeze. I passed it by, shivering a little as I strode on to the meadows. Our Hereford Cattle are continuing to do a great job feeding the fungi population, with abundant Egghead Mottlegill and Cheilymenia fimicola to be seen on their egestions. Also present elsewhere in the park are Butter Caps and a few fresh Yellow Fieldcaps in the Castle garden.
Crossing the Meadows I headed past the Upper Gulley to the downlands. Cotoneaster was abundant here with a healthy display of berries, as well as a few Lawn Daises, some stems of Ragwort and a nice yellow patch of Charlock. A Wood Pigeon swooped down towards the sea, shortly followed by the slight but still imposing brown form of a Sparrowhawk. It broke off the pursuit quickly, its would be prey easily evading it. I’ve heard that the average predator has a 1-2% success rate with its hunts, which seems believable. A little way further, I passed a mass of feathers on the ground that appeared to come from a Wood Pigeon. One of the 1% apparently.
The Clifftops revealed an angry ocean with large waves breaking and sending clouds of spray onto shore. The Guillemots were absent, but a few Greater Black Backed Gulls hung in the air high overhead. I also caught the rare sight of a Shag gliding on the strong winds. There’s something you don’t see every day.
I left the shore and headed back through the woods, passing a few Jelly Ear, Candlesnuff Fungus and a possible Wood Mushroom, flourishing despite the steadily dropping temperature.