I did my monthly bird count on the 28th. This confirmed that Grey Herons are now more numerous on the lake, perhaps because they are nesting on the island.
Leaf fall had begun, with most Lime trees mainly bare, Oak less so, Ash and Elm just beginning and the Weeping Willows had yet to shed any leaves. Ivy was in flower, providing valuable nectar for insects at a time when most other flowering was over. Some Elms were falling over in Horse Close Wood, perhaps the third die off since the virulent strain of Dutch Elm Disease took all the tall trees in the 70s.
The "Wildflower" plots around the Great Field had been mown off, so sacrificing a scattering of late flowers.
A new fence had been erected over the Brook where it flowed from the AELTC land into the Public Park. This will make it harder for the youngsters who would use the land around the lake outfall to have a quiet time undisturbed by other park users.
The ex-golf course had been mown, making it more difficult to see the quality of the grassland.
