17th September - Look At Me, I Am Old, But I'm Happy

Another grey and overcast morning, at times it was misty, and there was even some drizzle about.  Through out the week Helen and I have been walking around the village in the evening, these walks were "at pace" as we like to say, and without the camera.  On one walk we came across a pair of Roe Deer in the field off Gradwell, and heard plenty of contact calls from both Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers.  THis morning then when there was a little mist and some drizzle about I thought maybe there might be something about.

We set off up Reads Field,and along the footpath to head down towards Blackberry, and across the field towards Alton Lane.  Other than the melancholic songs of the Robins it was very quiet, not a single warbler call at all.

We crossed Willis Lane, and admired the Highland Cow that was looking very relaxed in the field by the footpath.

It had been a long time since we had walked the path between Willis and Hawthorn Lane.  There had been some changes, and like a lot of the footpaths around the patch today the footpath was fenced in.  I am not sure why this has become the case, but it does away the beauty of the area, you feel now that everything is fenced in and that nobody trusts you.  Before we could walk down through the field but today we were ferried close to the edge of the field.

We came through the gate and walked down Hawthorn Lane.  Some of the trees are already showing signs of autumn, the recent cold spell probably having an impact.

As we turned up Kitwood I noticed a different shape at the top of a dead tree, the shape then called to give away a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

A large flock of Long-tailed Tits were very vocal in the hedge, and I stopped to watch as they flew across the road into the trees.  As well as the tits there were several warblers, the calls led me to believe that they were Chiffchaffs.  The warblers moved quickly through the leaves and were impossible to catch with the camera, and only one Long-tailed Tit posed for me.

At last there were more calls along the hedges, at least one call belonged to a Willow Warbler, but the rest were Chiffchaffs, and they were fly catching, but hiding in the leaves and then darting out to drop back quickly.

The fields alongside Kitwood are all full of ripening maize, the first time I have seen it grown in these fields.  Another difference here was that there was a boundary left to flowers, and in places there was still some summer colour.

We walked on with still the Robins singing on both sides of the road.  At the pond there were two adult and three juvenile Moorhens, the highest number I have seen here, it would appear the adults have had a successful year for a change.

There were also three Mallard, the first time for awhile that there have been more than the pair.  The edge of the pond was littered with feathers which shows that there probably have been more ducks about, and that they are using the pond for their moult.  Hopefully numbers will build up again as we go into October.

There were also two fisherman, one with the longest rod I have ever seen, it reached well over the middle of the pond!

We walked into the wood and took the perimeter path.  Almost immediately we came across some fungi.  The path here is always a good place to look in September.  A dead Silver Birch had several Birch Polypore brackets showing, and looking quite impressive.

A little further on there was another bracket, this time a Beefsteak.Fungus.

Other than these there were not many other species about.  The usual places where I would expect to see some fungi were empty, maybe it is not going to be such a good year for them.

We crossed the field and headed towards Gradwell.  As we walked along the path by the edge of the paddocks a large flock of small birds flew up in front of us.  We stopped to watch them, and could see that they were all Chaffinches.  The mystery though was what they could be feeding on.  All we could find were fallen Crab Apples and Elder berries all on the floor, not what I would expect Chaffinches to flock for.

A pair of Jackdaws were sitting on a chimney breast, and one had an acorn that it was holding with its foot and hammering away at with its bill.

As we came close to home I felt I had to photograph one of the singing Robins.  They are the main feature of the countryside at this time of year.  Their song sounding melancholic, mainly because they are the only bird in song at this time of year.

Back home the garden has been full of Goldfinches and Greenfinches, but unfortunately like last year, they seem to be falling to the disease Trichomonosis once again.  The signs are lots of seed on the floor.  The birds appearing to be very fluffed up, and very easy to approach.  The only way to address it is to bring the feeders in and make sure everything is clean.  The feeders need to be kept away for at least two weeks.  The Goldfinches seemed to be a bit bewildered that there were no feeders about, but it is for their own good.

It is yet another reminder that you have to keep both bird baths and feeders clean.  I have invested in the RSPB easy clean feeders, you just twist them and they come apart, no screws, and a very quick and easy way to ensure you clean them.

The other garden news is that we have not seen our Blackbird since coming back from our holiday.  There have been very few blackbirds about, but our favourite seems to have gone, where we don't know.

And finally, one of the reasons for the reduced coverage over the summer, has been dealing with a major family issue. This weekend we lost another loved one.  He has been a major influence on my life, and was responsible for introducing me to nature and outdoor life, I can remember cold winter days fishing on gravel pits outside Oxford, and us both watching the electric blue of a Kingfisher as it zipped past us. Over the last five years he has not been himself, he missed my mother so much.  Yesterday he left us, peacefully.  it was unexpected, and happened very quickly, but now he is at peace.  I miss both so much