Wildlife spotted on our daily walks...

Back from our holidays, and the walks here were seeming tame in comparison (well, we we're getting glimpses of Mont Blanc with fresh snow-fall!) ...

But today, after the obligatory bunny sighting, there was a kestrel perched on one of the mains water pipe markers, where it crosses one of the fields, a small group of ring-necked parakeets flew noisily overhead, and a heron was a little grumpy at being moved off its frogging activities ahead of us - even though it was hunting on the footpath!

 

A a relatively quiet dog walk today (wildlife-speaking - they were felling trees in one of the woods we walk past, so lots of chainsaw and crashing noises), but we did see a buzzard lazily gaining height over a potato field, and a heron frogging in a hay meadow...

 

Lovely Autumn walks this week, but it is not the first time I have seen this on the path...

No idea maybe a shrew of some sort ?

Lovely field of wild flowers

 

What we found on our walk this morning...
A rather large mushroom (a dainty 42 wellies alongside, for scale)

..interesting bract fungi, with a Weimaraner head (blurred) for scale


Another interesting fungi, about 4" across


And more! About 2" across
'Tis the season!


Look carefully, there are three deer in the top of the grass area, about 4/10 of the way across


"No, to your right, Harley - your 'other' right!"


Morning dew is just stunning!

Frost won't be too long in coming!

...and then the walk went pear-shaped, as we were charged at by an unaccompanied mastiff. There should be laws against it - no, wait, there are!! Yet, my shouts for help (my old dog has back problems, and in the last 10 months has had to re-learn how to walk) were ignored by the approaching dog-walkers coming from the other direction, and it is my problem, apparently. Grrrr!!

Glad to report that there appears to be no fresh damage to the sciatic nerve, but he has not attempted stairs since the incident - he's only just re-learned stairs in the last fortnight.

We shall see....

 

Lovely pictures Sian, but it's such a shame your walk was spoiled by inconsiderable dog owners. I hope your dog hasn't had a set back.

 

Thank you @Sheal. We were having such a lovely walk, until the pounding noise behind us...

So far the lad is looking good, but I haven't tested him on stairs yet. If we are back to carrying him up and downstairs each day, then so be it.

Curious about the different fungi we saw though. I wouldn't risk eating, unless I was sure, but very striking in the autumn morning light!

 

Further to yesterday, I am glad to report that my old lad has managed to go both up and down our stairs. Phew! He's heavy, if I have to carry him!!

 

It's good to hear he's doing okay.

 

Much more pleasant walk today...

Met my neighbour about to come out of her garden with her little dog, but she waited till we had gone past, so we were the first up the track through the woods this morning.

This meant that we flushed one of the buzzards from a tree by the path - boy, they are big when you get close to them! As we came out of the woods, I felt I was being watched - by a roe deer hind, wondering if I'd caught her gleaming rich brown coat in the sunshine. Sorry - she was camera-shy! Then there were two more deer grazing in the barley stubble, and finally, a rabbit waiting for us in a patch of sunshine....

...and all the dogs we encountered were well-behaved, with owners, and mostly on leads. What a difference it makes!!

 

This norning we had four flocks of geese fly over, please see very bad photo below, my phone was in my pocket & by the time I'd got it out & ready they were almost gone!

They were so low I could literally hear the wind in their wings, it was wonderful, shortly after the Heron was stalking the field near the pond, I suspect he wanted some breakfast!
Great start to the day

 

I know the noise you mean, @Beckie76, it makes your heart beat faster, doesn't it?!

 

Yes it really does make your heart beat faster, it's wonderful, I love the noise they make too.
Wildlife is so special .

 

Little Egret and Bullfinch on my walk this morning, the 25 Spoonbills were too far away for a decent pic.

 

Not really "wild"life at all, but the start of my walk was a little tricky, negotiating a class of about 30 5-6 year olds being taken on a nature walk along our normal footpath. The two teachers with them tried to help a little, but it was basically a case of weaving in and out of the very well-behaved little ones (all waving their foraging bags - sooo cute!) with my two rather large dogs held close to me. A few tried a sneaky stroke as they went past - the lad loves any attention, but my girlie gave such a dirty look to one lad, permission to stroke her has to be sought, in advance, in writing. Just a look, mind you, and the lad didn't even notice! What had me grinning from ear to ear was to hear the front teacher ask the children to step to the side to let the lady and her "doggies" through.... I know, it looses a lot in translation. But if someone says "hondtje" to me, I think of a little lap-dog, or a puppy, not a full-sized adult Weimaraner, keen for their morning walk! The Dutch diminutive is, well, diminutive!

Anyway, after successfully negotiating the group (how many adults would have to accompany 30 6yr olds in the UK?!), we headed through the woods, saw our usual two deer - this time feeding in the maze stubble, gathered about 400g of sweet chestnuts, admired lots of fungi (sorry - light was too poor this morning to attempt any photos), and one of my dogs spent a lot of time trying to "persuade" a rabbit to come out of his burrow...or to let her in... Hard to tell! All in all, a lovely walk

 

Seen our first Gold Crest of the year and a flock of Fieldfares then went for a walk across the fields on a foot path that has been blocked for many years which is now open and seen about 150 Bullocks in a few fields