1987 July to December
July 5th
For the past three days there has been gorgeous warm
sunshine and today and yesterday I went for a swim in the lodge.
Yesterday I saw a blue damselfly, smaller than a dragonfly but
similar shape, hovering over the water. It was bright blue and
shone in the sunlight. I saw another one today but this one
seemed to have no particular colour. As I approached the water
today a flock of Lapwings got up.
July 6th
On Longworth Road and Belmont Road the Wild Roses are
flowering as well as the Blackberry bushes. The Elders are
covered in their creamy lace blossom, and in the streams Hedge
Bedstraw is flowering, as is Heath Bedstraw on the hillsides.
July 7th
I sat on the bridge and happened to glance down and there
to my delight in a mossy damp corner below the Horse Chestnut
was a small clump of
Montia Sibirica
flowering. I call them “American Alien”, because I read that
they first came from America. The pink flowers can quite easily
be mistaken at first glance for a bunch of Herb Robert, but the
lily-like leaves soon prove this to be wrong (Pink Purslane).
July 8th
It has been warm today but with cool blustery breezes.
White clover is flowering everywhere. It has a lovely perfume.
Yesterday while I lay in the back garden a large green frog
hopped past me. I love frogs. I think they are full of
character. Up and down the streams Foxgloves are flowering.
July 13th
It has been a lovely day with warm sunshine. On the pond
swam a female duck with nine ducklings. Three were bigger than
the rest, which only looked a day old – so maybe there were two
broods. In the Hay Meadow at the edges of the long grass, Yellow
Meadow Vetchling is flowering and the pink Ragged Robin. I also
found a Marsh Woundwort out, though most are still in bud. Along
the roadside near the reservoir Rosebay Willow Herb is out,
lovely tall, pink spikes.
July 14th
It has rained today but it is very humid and warm. I saw
the Mallard again but she only had five ducklings with her. On
the road just outside the gate I saw a tiny froglet, one of this
year's; I chased it into the grass for safety. In the Willows
Den a lot of Marsh Thistles are out, and the Meadowsweet is
flowering.
This
week I have seen a lot of Woodpigeons in Radcliffe’s Hay Meadow.
At Longworth Lane, Egerton I found several baby toads on the
road. Their eyes are very large in proportion to the rest of
their bodies, and they are smaller than froglets.
June 19th
This morning I saw a Heron on the
reservoir at quarter past
six, and as I walked across the road past the bus terminus I saw
a small group of Chaffinches. Also I saw a small olive green
bird, a rare sight, that I believe to have been a Willow
Warbler. In the Willows Den, Tufted Vetch is flowering.
July 21st
On the pavement I found some Stalked Scurvy Grass
flowering. There were lots of oval seed pods on the plant, long
stalks and very few leaves. On the Lane fence today I saw a
small group of Twite. They kept flying on and off the rails in a
sort of unison. Twite sometimes have red feathers but they
always move too quickly for me to see them.
August 4th
The Canada Geese now number a flock of at least 100 and
sometimes I would imagine as many as 130. Up the back I saw a
small brown frog. About a week ago I saw a larger greener one
near the fence onto the moor. I was surprised to find a frog so
high up.
August 13th
On August 9th I first noticed the Creeping
Thistle flowering everywhere and today as the sun shone from a
blue sky I smelt their scent on the breeze. I saw three Large
White Butterflies on Sunday; I’ve hardly seen any Butterflies
this year – probably because we have had such awful weather. At
the back of the woodshed, Scentless Mayweed is flowering, as
well as along the pavement. On the overgrown grass side of the
road past the embankment many yellow Meadow Vetchling flowers
are out, amongst those of Bird's Foot Trefoil and in places the
dark red "nettle leaved" Wood Woundwort.
Yesterday on the front garden flags I found a tiny snail shell
about 4 mm across. I’ve found these snails before: they are the
only sort you get on the farm, and they don’t grow any bigger.
Snails need calcium for their shells so maybe the lack of it in
our local soils limits their size and type.
August 19th
Went a walk up the Back Field this evening with Stephan.
He said “Hey what’s that,” it was a lump of muck. Then we saw a
magnificent beetle. It was like a Dor Beetle with feelers, and
had a shiny blue glaze to its back legs. The feelers were quite
large, about an inch long and nearly a penny sized body.
August 29th
At about quarter to
eleven tonight as I walked to the bus stop, I saw a pair of
Toads on the pavement near the Yacht Club entrance. They stalked
along like medieval wrestlers their legs lifting their bodies
quite well off the floor. I picked them both up and put them in
the grass, as they may have been squashed on the road.
Today
when I got up from sunbathing in Radcliffe’s field I found a
small newt in the grass. It was an olive-brown colour with big
paddle like feet and large shiny eyes, with an orange stripe
down its back.
September 8th
I went a walk in Pump House Wood today. There was some
tiny bright orange fungi on the decaying branches: it looks like
the antlers of deer. There were also some large yellow-brown
capped fungi with white stalks and gills that I’ve seen in
previous years; and some bell-shaped grey fungi with black gills
and thin stems growing out of a cow clap.
September 28th
I saw a Kestrel today on the wires by the bus terminus. I
think it was a male. It has been a beautiful weekend. On Sunday
I went round Wayoh for a walk with David. He bought me a box of
Terry’s All Gold, besides the six red roses he bought the first
time we went out together. I finished with Enrico today but I
still want to be his friend.
October 2nd
I saw a wonderful sight in Radcliffe’s Hay Meadow today.
Feeding on the Thistle seeds was a flock of twenty Goldfinches.
I think the word for a flock of Goldfinches is a ‘charm’. Each
had their bright-yellow wing bar and black and white tails, and
all the males had bright red heads.
October 12th
On the lane today I found a tiny newt. It was like a
minute smooth lizard, but newts are amphibians and I thought it
was beautiful with its little eyes, long tail, ‘paddle feet,’
and an orange line down its back. Curled round, it would have
fit onto a 10p. I found a dead one on the pavement a few days
ago. It seems late in the year for such youngsters to be about.
October 13th
In the Willows Den I saw a pair of Mistle Thrushes. Their
call sounded like an alarm clock being wound up. I saw the
Egyptian Goose again in the Lane Field today. I have seen quite
a lot of it lately.
October 15th
On the lodge today I saw two male Tufted Ducks, one female
and three male Pochard, besides a few Mallard and three Coots. I
also saw half a dozen Carrion Crows up and down the fields. In
Radcliffe’s Hay Meadow there was a pair of Partridges, and Dusty
caught one. She didn’t strike blood and I released it as soon as
I could get it off her. It hopped away but didn’t fly. My
brother says it should be alright. It had slate-blue feathers in
its plumage, which is how I recognised it as a Common Partridge.
October 19th
It has been a lousy day with heavy rainfall but I did
manage to go a nice walk in the evening. In the Lane Field when
I came home I saw the Egyptian Goose again, and I saw a Kestrel
flying. Up the Back Field later a Snipe got up. It seemed to
have a white belly as I saw a flash of white. Also I saw a pair
of Grouse fly away.
October 24th
A beautiful day with a heavy frost in the morning and a
clear blue sky with bright sunshine in the afternoon. I went for
a two hour walk to the pile of stones at the end of the moor. I
saw half a dozen Red Grouse on my walk.
On the wall in the Pump House there is
one spot of thick silvery grey lichen. I think it is
Parmelia Satatilis.
November 18th
This evening as I walked home, I saw a pair of Magpies in
the Farm Field. It must have been on my mind that much that
during the night I dreamt about loads of Magpies.
November 20th
Today on the way to work I saw a pair of Teal on the pond, and
two pairs of Mallard.