Yesterday I was lucky enough to see a Common Shrew active. The long snouted small mammal was active beside the coast path just west of the observation point. Unlike the seed eating small mammals (Mice & Voles) Shrews are very active- live fast and die young!
Today I was treated to a brief glimpse of two fresh coated Fox cubs. Admittedly I had chosen to visit a corner of Saxon where I had recently seen an adult Fox. The cubs rapidly disappeared into thorny cover not unlike a Rabbit nearby! At least a trio of young Great Tits perched together amongst Blackthorn scrub. On the scrub edge a dried stem of Teasel stood at my height. It was a relief to find Pyramidal Orchids had managed to have penetrated through the ground cover of Old Man’s Beard and Bramble in Saxon.
Amongst Longmeadow Hedgerow, Dogwood held onto a few small white cross flowers. It was a surprised to see cherry sized conkers, with few spikes, upon a Horse Chestnut. Field Maple held “spinning jenny” seed masts awaiting to be set onto the wind. Below these a dense carpet of Horsetails dominated the hedgerow foot.
It was in Johnston Meadow that an impressive carpet of the yellow flowered Dyers Greened was in bloom. To me it resembled a miniature Broom plants. In Hogget’s Mead it was fascinating to watch a pair of Goldfinches plucking seeds from amongst the meadow sward. Of course, there was an excellent stand of Ox Eye Daisies in its namesake meadow and centenary. Of course, Chaffinches, Chiff Chaffs, Skylarks and Whitethroats provided their songs. A Song Thrush had broadcast near the park end of Taskers path. Flying overhead was a solo Swift.
In Smithfield patches of Tor Grass had been cut out of the meadow to check the spread of this invasive species. Similarly, bags decorated the inland slope of downland field 10a where Bracken had been harvested.
It was another day dominated by Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns however, I saw my first Marbled White of the year in the upper gully.