Mist rising

After a rainy start, the afternoon gradually cleared. By the time I went out for a walk the sun was already low in the sky - I really don't seem to have caught up with the clocks going back this year!

As it was late I opted for a walk round Ferry Meadows, which also had the advantage of surfaced paths. It's a while since I've visited and it seemed rather quieter than I would have expected in terms of bird numbers, though I eventually found lots of Black-headed Gulls, Shoveler, Wigeon and Mallard on Lynch Lake. 

I was pleased to see that the grassland between Lynch and Overton Lakes had benefited from the drought. There were thousands of young plants of Knotted Clover, and a huge number of leaf rosettes of Viper's-bugloss - originally introduced in a wildflower mix but now very much at home in the sandy soil. 

It was almost dark as I headed back to the car and I'd forgotten quite how much I enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of walking at dusk. Groups of corvids and gulls were flying over to roost, while the smaller birds gently chattered in the scrubby areas. After the earlier rain, mist rose over the valley giving it an ethereal appearance and reminding me of a similar walk ten years ago, when we had just said goodbye to our much loved dog, Gemma.