A stunning sunrise this morning, with the sky a purple bruise, streaked with crimson and gold and the walls and tree trunks suffused with a deep pink.
As the sun rose, a few patches of bright blue among a sea of dense grey cloud. Overhead, flock after flock of Woodpigeon clatter by overhead – forming into larger and larger flocks as winter approaches. Although this may seem counterintuitive, it seems that the benefit of having more eyes looking for food outweighs the increased competition.
Also on the wing, many small, colourful flocks or ‘charms’ of Goldfinches, their jangling calls sometimes described as sounding like sleigh-bells.
A Kestrel hangs in the air above the meadows, turning and folding her wings to ‘swim’ through the invisible currents of air, with Peregrine and Raven also out hunting.
In the woodland, Grey Squirrels and Jays are gorging on acorns – occasionally exploding out of the dense green leaves of Holm Oak with a harsh shriek and flash of blue wing feathers.
Also out and about in the woods, a flock of 10 or so Goldcrests working their way through the trees below Caravan Terrace, along with a Treecreeper, near the Aviary Glade, Chaffinches, Blue and Great Tits bustling through the increasingly bare canopy, with a Dunnock pickling through the fallen leaves in the Aviary Glade.
Out on the downs, still a few plants adding touches of colour to the pale bronze of the grassland. Yellow Bristly Ox-tongue and Ragwort are still in bloom, alongside white Wild Carrot and Yarrow. In the sheltered hollow above the Tilly Whim steps, a single purple and yellow Sea Aster flower seen among the green flowers of Ivy.
Here and there, Gorse flowers add a splash of gold, with the Hips of Dog Rose also catching my eye.
Once again, the Guillemots are re-visiting the ledges, though just a few dozen birds in residence today. At sea, Gannet, Shag, Great Black-backed Gull and Oystercatcher passing by, along with a report of a pod of 3 or 4 Bottlenose Dolphins, just before 8am