Tadpoles

Friends informed me yesterday that they have tadpoles in their pond. Probably frogs.

Lesser spotted woodpecker

For only my third sighting ever, I saw a lesser spotted woodpecker this morning. It flew from the wood, across the field and landed on a small silver birch. By the time I had got across the field it had moved on. It was a wet dreary morning and certainly brought a brighter note to my walk. The field it flew across sees up to five a green woodpeckers every morning, the family group that bred in the wood last spring.

Dragonflies at Wedge Wood

I was in my wood yesterday collecting logs to store up for the oncoming winter, when, whilst partaking of some lunch I was dive bombed by a dragonfly. It was not an intentional attack of course, but the insect came quite close at high speed. As it flew up and down the woodland rise, it was briefly joined by another. The continuing mild weather means that there are still plenty of small flying insects around to feed these giants, but it still came as a surprise to find them around in mid-October.

There is a very good chestnut harvest this year and the ones I have found at the top of the wood are of a commercial size which has come a a very pleasant surprise.

Spring Flowers in October

The other day, on the rabbit field, I came upon a patch of beautiful white pansies. Not what I would expect to find at this time of year. Having said that, there are still some white campions in flower and the mini oxeye daisies on the horse field proliferate still.
I thought I had seen the last of the warm weather, but today broke fine and sunny and although it was breezy, a coat need not be worn. There are still some house martins around and the winter migrants seem a long way off arriving.

Melanistic Pheasant

A totally black pheasant is probably not that unusual given the wide variation in the plumage colours of this bird. The one I saw the other day was completely black other than its red ears. It blended very well against the background of conifer trees and I suspect that it has a greater chance of surviving than its more colourful brethren.

Last day of summer?

On what was probably the last day of warm weather (two days ago); I came across a flock of fifty or sixty house martins on the wires above the fields below the Downs.  Meanwhile, from the midst of the field, a skylark sang. Then as I approached the village, a chiffchaff sang its full song.
I may not be seeing or hearing any of these again for some months.