28th Oct - A pleasant walk around the woodlands in some warm unseasonal sunshine, not much to see bird wise, a few Common Jackdaws , Magpie and few overflying Wood Pigeons, a distant Woodpecker could be heard calling and that about it, the woodlands are looking more autumnal now with more leaves on the floor, Braken changing colour now and Fungi starting to appear, still finding it difficult to identify, except for the obvious.
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| Hornbeam at Ashenbank |
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| Lycoperdon pyriforme, commonly known as the pear-shaped puffball or stump puffball |
27th Oct - The old chestnut tree near Two Ponds held three species of corvids this morning, Rooks, Carrion Crows and Jackdaws which flew in from the pastures around Cobham Hall, a Ring Necked Parakeet flew noisily over the woodland but not seen. A Nuthatch was calling from high up in the trees but I could not locate it, Wood Pigeon and Blue tits seen along the trails.
22nd Oct - Another bright sunny morning with a distinct chill to the air, not much to be seen birdwise today, a few Robins flushed from the undergrowth, no sign of any Carder Bee today on the scabiosa flowers. Although the leaves are starting to fall there is no real autumnal colour to the woodland, the trees still look very green with just the odd tree here and there starting to change colour.
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| Autumnal bramble leaves showing some colour |
20th Oct - I suspect this will be the last time I can walk this year without the need of my trusty old fleece, the sun was shining but temperatures quite cool in the shade. I was greeted this morning by the "drumming" of a Great Spotted Woodpecker seen in the old dead Sweet Chestnut tree near Two ponds, a Wood Pigeon sat near bemused by the antics of the Woodpecker as it moved around the dead branches. A few Blackbirds were seen rushing through the undergrowth, a pair of Great Tits and a Chaffinch, Robin were the only other birds seen in the woodlands, the glades produced a Carrion Crow and two Magpies.
In the Hedgerow there were still a few late flowering Scabiosa flowers, two Carder Bees were seen searching for nectar, one looked like it was suffering from the low temperatures, this one was quite lively.
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| Carder Bee |
Not much else to be seen in the insect world, apart from a few ladybirds.
13th Oct- Grey Wagtail flushed from two ponds was a surprise this morning, as was five Ring Necked Parakeets flying over the Bronze age monument in the woodland, Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling but not seen, Blackbirds, Robin, Magpie, Wood Pigeon all seen this morning.
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| Ray of Sunshine, winters coming ! |
11th Oct- Some lovely autumnal weather at the moment, temperatures quite low in the early morning, but warms up when the sun shines through. I can't find much to photograph at the moment, a case of "Photographers block" maybe. A few more bird sightings now, Green Woodpecker flushed from the edge of the woodland, a few Carrion crows in the meadows, Wood Pigeon and Magpie and Jay, lots of Blackbirds around the woodland, there numbers being boosted by some incoming migrants, a few Robin, and a Nuthatch heard calling from somewhere in the tree tops.
6th Oct - The first few days of October have seen the temperatures dropping, the woodland appears to be in a state of limbo, it's beginning to feel like Autumn, leaves are starting to drop, prickly sweet chestnut shells are littering the woodland floor, bird sightings are still quite sparse, the odd Jackdaw and Wood Pigeon seen flying over the woodland, the raucous calls of the Jay are becoming more prominent, as Autumn draws on, more migrant Jays usally appear in the Woodland causing even more disturbance to the locals, Dragonflies and Butterflies have disappeared, although a couple of Red Admirals were seen around the garden ivy the other day. No fungi to be seen at the moment either.
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