It felt very autumnal this morning with a bounty of bright red fruit hanging into the avenue-like section of Lighthouse Road; with clusters of crimson Haws, rosy Rosehips, and immature Blackberries. A single black berry remained on an Elder bush possibly stripped clean by a group of Long-Tailed Tits rustling their way through the hedgerow. One by one they all took flight to cross the path in front of me.
A couple of Swallows passed over me as the lighthouse came into view, curiously heading back towards the Learning Centre. I tried to tell them that Africa was in the opposite direction, but they carried on regardless. Perhaps they went back to the pond at the Hide for a final drink, before crossing the channel.
The meadows have now turned yellow and brown, ripe for harvest, as most of the flowers have set to seed. Exceptions include a few florets of Wild Carrot, towers of Ragwort, and the occasional purple Knapweed.
A beautifully restored dry stone wall in Johnstone seems fit for a prize in a landscaping competition rather than tucked away in the meadows! The stones appear almost new, having been turned during reconstruction to reveal unweathered sides as if fresh from the quarry, whilst their perfect square edges enough to make any dry stone waller swoon…
A Robin’s song could be heard above the Gully, much more tuneful than the cawing of a nearby Crow and the interruptions from a couple of Magpies screeching away at one another. As I descend over Round Down, a Green Woodpecker calls out and I turn to catch a glimpse of it’s bright green//yellow back swooping into a Sycamore Tree.
I wondered around Lighthouse Green for a while in search of an Autumn Ladies Tresses Orchid to no avail – why are they so hard to spot?! I did stumble upon a Fox Moth Caterpillar happily crawling across the grass. Although potentially for not much longer, as a search party of Jackdaws seemed to be making ground towards it as I left!