It was a wonderful morning, it felt great to be out on the walk from East Head to Ellen Nore and back

along the lane. The bright sunlight has banished the grey times we’ve recently experienced lighting up the sea, sand and countryside in bold colours. The tide was still out but even the mud seemed to glisten and come alive.

Walking along the path towards Snow Hill it was striking to see so many Brent Geese both on the marsh and flying about. Skein after Skein circled in formation or came in to join those feeding on the mud, flaring their wings before dropping down.  In total there were several hundred in sight spread out along the inlet but no further than Ellne Nore, all very social.

The ponds to the east of the path were quiet by comparison, just a couple of wigeon whistling to themselves. However looking carefully at the small islands about fifteen Lapwing came into view. They were almost silent, looking rather like large ringed plovers until one stuck its head up to reveal the characteristic tuft on the back of its head. Welcome back!

The trees were changing colour at different speeds, some hardly changing whilst others had but empty husks of a leaves. The beech trees had lost most colour becoming a bright yellow, Sycamore had turned a lovely warm but light red; Oaks were resisting the seasons progression, for now at least.

In the hedgerow there were several of these attractive mushrooms that had started to trust out of the grass. It’s not easy to see what they are until they’re more advanced but some much more interesting than the field mushrooms that are the only other ones about at present in any quantity.