Departure Lounge

I decided on another early outing today - with wildlife rather than scenery in mind. It was glorious, with a real bite in the air, which I love! There were many more birds around than I have seen for a long time - notably a large mixed flock of Swallows and House Martins and lots of Meadow Pipits. It made me think that they were assembling ready to fly off to their Winter quarters. There were lots of Goldfinch, Pheasant and Grouse as well, but no Curlew - I wonder if they have already departed. I went to the spot where I have recently seen lots of hares, but saw only one today and that was a fair distance away. The trip out (home just after 9 am for breakfast) invigorated me for the rest of the day. The nip in the air was autumnal, but it's only August and the rest of the day was really warm and sunny. Autumn is still a month or so away, when the leaves turn and the larger fungi really come into their own. Strange how people always seem to be anticipating the next season - with dread or pleasure. Carpe diem!