South Field had its cut hay lying and drying in the sun, thus remaining flowers were at the scrub edge and uncut “Ant Hill” havens. Fleabane was one of the most obvious flowers to easily be seen whilst overhead Swallows and House Martins flew east.
At the Quarr in Saxon I had my first encounter with subtle spikes of Autumn Ladies Tresses. At first glance these could have been dismissed as grasses being grey green in colour. Close up they resembled asparagus shoots but held white / pink flowers. Other colonies were seen on the desire line between the gully mouth and lighthouse. However, it was Lighthouse Green that showed over one hundred spikes.
Back in Saxon the blue flowers of a Tufted Vetch spikes were amongst Gorse which held yellow flowers, whilst the adjacent Hemp Agrimony showed pink. It was a surprise the find a score of Sea Campion flowers at the base of the seaward Lighthouse boundary wall. This very wall has a deliberate four-inch square hole which, this morning, a Jackdaw unsuccessfully attempted to land! Off shore it was an Oystercatcher that I first heard then saw flying eastward over the sea. At the gully mouth I managed to find one complete Thrift flower head and a few others showing petals amongst the predominantly dead heads. Sea Aster and Golden Samphire decorated the sides of the coast path. A solo fisherman headed west in vessel FY851 which was originally registered in Fowey, Cornwall. Resting from fish exploits were two Shag perched on the ledge nearest to the sea below the Guillemot cave.
Not surprisingly the Badger latrine evidenced that Blackberries had been on the menu recently! Above Lighthouse Road Quarr a Gatekeeper was seen in flight. On the coastal roadside the clump of Common Toadflax held onto a few flowers.
Whilst I had heard a bird commotion in the gully Hamish confirmed it had been the actions of a Sparrow Hawk that had disturbed a Magpie and Jackdaws. He also reported having seen, Wryneck, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher.