The woodland this morning was so dark that you had to immerse yourself in the sound of the morning bird song. With sounds of Blackbird, Sparrow, Blue-tit and many more, the woods were alive with activity and a gentle tweet and chirp-chip of small birds. The stream was still with a gentle ripple and a lovely reflection of the above Sycamore trees. A teetering of rain dripped through the now empty branches of Elm and Sycamore.
Herring Gulls called out from the distant sea as I checked some of Christmas Trail. The trail is on until the 3rd of January and you can pick up your trail pack from the Castle. Song Thrushes sang out and the Pinnate leaves of the Bamboo moved not a millimetre in the still woodland.
A single horizontal strip of red broke through the distant cloud. An English Oak tree had a few dried dark brown leaves left and an Ash tree was empty showing off its volcano shaped black buds piercing through the end of it’s branches. I followed a Blackbird up Long Meadow as it dived in and out of the hedge-line.
In large copse two Grey Squirrels cascaded down from the Corsican Pine. Winter Heliotrope covered the floor of small copse its flowers showing and the smell of almond wafting through the air.
In contrast to the woodlands the Hay Meadows were quiet, with a light cold breeze rolling across the open grassland. The Hereford Cattle were happy munching away and as I walked the boundary from the adjacent field bunches of Ivy waved as the cattle munched their way through it. In the upper gully bright red Berries on the Cottoneaster were so vivid in colour against the fresh green grass.
A Raven made a constant crock from the top of the mile markers, soon joined by a Jackdaw the size difference between these to was amazing side by side. On the Diagonal path a flurry of activity showed Blue-tits, Great-tits, Wren, Stonechat and Goldcrest all moved about the Gorse bushes.