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Nice Day

After days of dank misty weather it was clear and crisp today, autumnal rather than wintry so I decided that some exercise across the fields was in order. Just for once I remembered to pick up the bins.

There wasn't a lot going on at first apart from a lot of noise from the rooks but on the return leg I was walking along Bottom Lane and looking up towards Cowcroft Wood I could see a small party of deer grazing on the late summer planting of brassicas. The field glasses revealed five roe does. From the Cowcroft and Ladies Wood sides they were well concealed in dead ground but visible in the long view from the valley. They were far enough away not to be disturbed by me especially as the wind was in my face. This is the only the second time that I have been able to study roe deer in daylight and as they were unaware of me I could get views at all angles as they moved.

Further on I left Bottom Lane to walk along the path on the ridge towards Tylers Hill. Apart from another view on the deer I could see groups of small thrushes restlessly moving among the hedgerow trees. The behaviour revealed them as redwings and when I could get the glasses onto an individual I had a good view of the flash of russet feathers that gives them the name.

I decided to support the excellent Hen and Chickens for lunch and coming back was lucky to see a buzzard as well as two kites wheeling over my road. While I was watching two crows appeared and started to mob the buzzard.

In the garden the goldfinches are still the main visitors to the seed feeder although blue tits are becoming more common.


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