We are often lucky with the weather on Monday afternoons but today was nothing short of miraculous, as we enjoyed a two-hour window of dry weather during a day of otherwise pretty much unrelenting rain. And that wasn’t all – we were just a few yards out of the car park when a Smooth Snake was spotted at the edge of the path! Unfortunately it didn’t hang around for everyone to get to see it and try as we did not another reptile was seen all afternoon.
In fact the gorgeous views were the most memorable part of the walk with the purple heather colouring up the landscape in all directions. Three species of heather were seen, as well as innumerable Earth Balls, but no other fungi.
© Kay Mantrip/Nature Portfolio
A few birds were about; we heard Siskins repeatedly but only glimpsed one, a Great-spotted Woodpecker gave us a distant view as did an even more distant Buzzard.
The day’s list…
Birds
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Wood Pigeon
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Mistle Thrush
Robin
Wren
Chiffchaff (heard)
Willow Warbler (heard)
Coal Tit (heard)
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit (heard)
Siskin
Chaffinch
Reptiles
Smooth Snake
Insects
Meadow Brown
Gatekeeper
Speckled Wood
Southern Hawker
Plants
Corsican Pine
Cross-leaved Heath
Bell Heather
Common Heather
Dwarf Gorse
Haresfoot Clover
Bog Asphodel
Bog Myrtle
White Beak-sedge
Cotton-grass
Common Reed
Fungi
Earth Ball
© Kay Mantrip/Nature Portfolio
Next week’s walk is to Dorsetshire Gap, see https://www.dorsetwalks.com
