From the dew-soaked hedge......

....creeps a crawly caterpillar,
        When the dawn begins to crack,
             Its all part of my Autumn almanac...
                                             Autumn Almanac, Ray Davies/The Kinks

0600 - 0845 clear, 30% cloud later, cool, hot later, SW breeze, occasionally gusting F2-3

....and here we go off in to Autumn.....in natures own opinion at least.....I wonder what I have missed this past two weeks or so, having been away to France (report to follow).....

A flock of Martins - 15 House and 20 Sand  - were announcing their intentions of eating for the journey....a solitary Swift joined them.....more evidence was displayed by the 257 Greylag Geese and 119 Canada Geese eventually gathering on one pit.  One Green and one Common Sandpiper with several immature birds among the 63 Black Headed Gulls....

....seems there has been a reasonable amount of rain......

Woodpigeon, Robin, Chaffinch, 3 Kestrel, Blackbird, 4 Mistle Thrush (chasing Kestrel), Feral Pigeon, Magpie, Wren, Green Woodpecker, Crow, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, 2 Sparrowhawk, Blue Tit, Long Tail Tit, Dunnock, 1 Buzzard, Reed Bunting, 1 Hobby, Starling, 3 Stock Dove, Jay, Meadow Pipit.

Warblers:

2 Blackcap
4 Whitethroat
5 Chiffchaff
2 Lesser Whitethroat

On the pits:

59 Mallard, 53 Coot, 12 Great Crested Grebe, 8 Little Grebe, 1 Herring Gull, 3 Mandarin Duck, 2 Heron, 17 Mute Swan

................its good to be back home to some reliable birding.....and the inevitable reliable dog owner stood whistling in a field, hands on hips....five solid minutes and no dog because it hasnt been trained...silence....then more whistling...eventually it stopped....what an idiot!

Talking of which....

....scraped clear and bare...a bit of ditch 'management' (?)....no idea when this happened on the edge of this field but I would say around the height of the insect breeding time....July and in to August....