Autumn 2009 OctoberThe world is veiled with golden light. Even the dullest or wettest day is tinged with orange, the dawns glow like soft fire-light, the dusks are salmon pink draped with strands of navy blue cloud. The colours of the birds seem brighter through these rose-tinted lenses, jays seem pinker, gold finches sparkle like glitter, green finches are greener as they search for niger and sunflower seeds. The skies twinkle with swirling eddies of martins, wheeling as they wait for that secret moment, the time they have set to fly away to warmer shores.
Spiders string hammocks in the grass to catch the falling stardust. The dews are heavy and the air damp. Churches and schools celebrate harvest festivals, displaying rainbows of fruit and vegetables piled with Bacchanalian generosity on groaning tables.
Leaves are turning to reds, purples, oranges and golds. Each leaf, outlined with changing colour, stands out more sharply among its neighbours. The hedgerows gleam with red berries. Long grasses die back, their seeds scattered. The smell of bonfires scents the air with wood smoke, as gardeners clear the dying branches and leaves to make way for next year’s new growth. The soil takes on the richness of Christmas pudding as rotting fruits are taken down by busy worms. Badgers dig circular holes in lawns as they, in turn, gather the worms. Slugs and snails revel in the luscious moistness, toads and frogs lick their lips as they prepare to dig themselves into the shelter of damp drains, gullies and log piles and small creatures, becoming sleepy, search for cosy corners to snooze the winter away.
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Text and photos by Geraldine Aldridge
October was a bit thin for wildlife but there were a few interesting things going on.
12th Visited the Deer Park, the sweet chestnuts in the middle of the park were dropping there fruit. Open prickly shells revealing shiny brown nuts scattered amongst the fallen leaves.
Over by the large lake the park keepers were disturbing the wildfowl, canada geese and mallard flew in circles over head waiting for them to go.
A solitary seven spot ladybird clambered over dead leaves looking for some where to spend the winter.
I left the park and on the way back stopped off at West Hythe, quiet here but caught sight of jays collecting acorns and a foraging hornet by the canal bank.
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16th Back at West Hythe but before that photographed the berry covered holly in my front garden.
Old man's beard covered bushes along by the path next too the canal. Ripe Can you identify what tree these seeds belong to? seeds hung ready to fall, twirling there way to the ground as far away from the parent tree as the wind will take them and goldfinches foraged in a field looking for seeds.
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18th And at Russel Gardens, had a very good view of a young heron which was standing in an ornamental water feature that had been drained for repair work. It was wading about in the mud looking for food and you can see from these shots it lacks the black eye brows and clear markings of an adult.
I took these shots of a female and male mallard, a common duck but they have very attractive plumage when you stop to look at them.
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27th Lastly a look at a female common darter perched on a fence at West Hythe, I wonder how much longer we shall see these flying.
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