Sunday, October 14, 2012
Combe - Saturday
There were no longed-for ring ouzels on our walk today, so here's a picture of some of the hailstones that fell (and remained frozen for some time) just to show how tough we are!
We kept crossing and recrossing a pheasant shoot; they probably cursed us but it has to be said that they politely thanked us each time we stepped to the side of the track.
By the time we climbed to the road on Combe Hill the sun was out and it was a gorgeous autumn afternoon. A reed bunting was seen in scrub.
Three stonechats were along the main track on Walbury Hill, although I could only manage to get two into one shot.
At the end of our walk, Greger was agreeable to my setting off again past the gibbet and taking the footpath down to the road through the sheep field while he had a coffee and a read of the paper. The two stonechats we'd seen in the morning were still below the gibbet, so I think I saw five altogether today.
About nine ravens were riding the air near the gibbet, and one came over as if to check me out before returning to the game.
I was beginning to wish I hadn't started. I lost the path and found the going extremely difficult on steep, tussocky slopes; the grass was also quite wet. At one point all the sheep started to run towards me bleating; maybe they thought I was bringing food. And apart from the ravens, all I saw was a meadow pipit. Once on the road I phoned Greger who drove down to pick me up; he thought it was all very funny.
// posted by Christine @ 10:21 AM 
