15th October - And Fly A Diamond Night

The weather has become very mild and unseasonably warm over the last few days, but unfortunately without clear blue skies.  Heavy cloud has draped itself across the south, and at time this has become mist and fog.  The wind has been somewhere between south and south westerly, and to cap all this we are told we will get the remnants of a hurricane early into next week.

So what effect has this had on the wildlife around Four Marks?  Well very little to be true.  The one noticeable feature though is that the leaves are changing and falling quite quickly, this being a little earlier than in recent years.

I decided to walk through Old Down with the objective of looking for fungi.  As I walked along Brislands I could hear, and had brief views of Jays as they foraged in the oak trees.  Coming out into the open as I walked towards Old Down, seep calls above produced four Redwing heading to the west.  The fields were also busy with Meadow Pipits, and I could also make out the sub song of one or two Skylarks.

Mixed in with the Meadow Pipits were Yellowhammer, and a small group settled in the tree alongside the road.

Walking through the woods there were groups of Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests calling from the tops of the trees.  I took the north perimeter track, but it quickly became clear that there was hardly any fungi about other than the bracket fungi on the fallen branches.  There has been a distinct decline in fungi here over the last three years, in fact after the forestry work.  Its disappointing, and difficult to understand why.

I could hear the begging calls of a bird of prey coming from the adjacent field, and stepped out onto the edge of the wood to get a better look.  As I did so I could see the long and lazy wings of a Red Kite lifting up from the field.  It has recently been ploughed and was probably providing some earthworms as an easy snack.  I followed the Kite as it spiraled up from the ground.  This is an immature bird, from this year's brood, and was also probably the owner of the begging calls.

It spiraled, taking it out against a background of the fields

Gaining height.

Then one became three, with two other birds coming from the other direction.

The fields over towards the Watercress Line were being ploughed and drilled, and the kites drifted in that direction to join the many Gulls all looking for an easy meal.

I walked back through the wood, and up the main path which is now overgrown.  Because the farmer has ploughed to the edge of the wood, where the footpath should come out it means walking through the soil.  People have now created another path which comes out close to the stile leading down into the Desmond Paddocks.  As a result the main path is not walked that much and the bramble and nettles have taken over.

Past the Ash trees and leading up to the crossroads, the path opens out a little more.

As I turned towards Swellinghill Pond a Buzzard drifted over the tops of the trees.

At Swellinghill Pond there were now only four Mallard, so this year there does not seem to have been the build up we have seen over the last three years.  The pond was very quiet, a typical autumnal scene.

I walked down the lane, turning towards the school.  As I walked into Gradwell a Red Admiral was feeding on the ivy.  There had been quite a few Red Admirals about today, all on the wing, but this was the first settled one.

As well as the Red Admiral the other notable insect seen today was the Hornet.  In Old Down there were several about, buzzing past showing off the yellow and red colours, and looking quite big.

I continued to hear the raucous calls of Jays above us, why is it such beautiful birds have such an ugly call?  The Jays were not alone in collecting the acorns though.  Walking through the woods you could hear rustling in the leaves, and every so often movement through the branches.  The Grey Squirrels are busy at this time, and as I came along Brislands towards home one took the time to sit on a branch above me.

Despite the heavy cloud the sun was trying, and every so often there would a brief spell of sunshine, but during the afternoon the clouds finally rolled back and there was blue sky.  The Red Admirals were still about, and with the sunshine became attracted to the buddleia flowers in the garden.

There was also a Small Tortoiseshell that didn't stay, but a Large White that did.

As well as the butterflies there were also bees and this White-tailed Bumblebee was also taking advantage of the nectar in the buddleia.

October continues to be yet another strange month.  It is not just here locally that it seems to be quiet, the autumn has not been that productive around Hampshire.  It just seems that all the good stuff is on either side of us, and we are being missed.  Winter is now not that far away, the Tawny Owls are calling in the early morning in Reads Field, and pretty soon the garden will be full of birds on the feeders.