A very autumnal start to the day, with some overnight rain making the air feel much fresher, carrying with it the smells of leaf mold, new mown hay and the sea – delicious!
A dense sea of cloud glowers overhead, with the promise of more rain to come, with Swallows and House Martins much lower than in the last few days as they circle in dizzying spirals overhead.
The trickle of birds preparing to head south is developing into a steady stream as the season turns. This morning, a couple of smart black, white and grey Wheatears are buffeted by the wind along the downland ridge, with the calls of Siskin, Redpolls, Meadow Pipits and a Sedge Warbler heard from overhead (mostly by Hamish!).
Woodpigeon, mostly in small groups of 5 or 6 also on the move this morning, with Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers gathering in the hedgerows.
Also out and about this morning, a Dunnock shuffles along the base of a hedgerow, picking through the first of the fallen leaves, a Sparrowhawk veers between two patches of fruit-laden Hawthorn on the downs, with a pair of Woodpigeon mating noisily (if rather late in the year!) in the Large Copse.
Along the Drove, Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinches and Blue and Great Tits are busy among the silvery labyrinth of Old Man’s Beard and the rich crop of Blackthorn, Bramble and Dog Rose berries and fruits.
Still plenty of late summer flowers to enjoy, from sulphur-yellow Fleabane and Ragwort, lemon yellow Wild Parsnip, white Yarrow, imperial purple Knapweed to the tiny flowers of Wild Thyme, Squinancywort, Autumn Gentian and Bastard Toadflax.
Badgers have been gobbling up Blackberries around the Park, leaving behind piles of seed-filled purple droppings, with a pair of Roe Deer seen grazing in a glade on the slopes of Round Down.
Our meadows have now been cut (save for a few areas left as late season habitat), however, the few remaining stems in South Field make it easy to spot the empty silver chrysalises of Six-spot Burnet Moths, which can be found on dozens of stems.