You Shine Out Like a Shaft of Light, When All Around is Dark

The Autumnal changes had begun. Mornings had become that little cooler, with condensation forming over windscreens, webs and vegetation.
It was Sunday at the start of October and unfortunately, I had to prepare some jobs in the workshop in the garden. Not the sort of thing I like to do on a weekend but necessary none the less. I could have a worse place to work, what with the backdrop of the garden in front of me.
In the greenhouse, the snails that were once the blight of our plants proved picturesque on the glass. 

The Carrion Crows have a routine at this time of year. Congregating across the rooftops in numbers and calling to their colleagues all around.

Quite what information they are imparting is open to question. Possible food source directions, social structure forming? Whatever the reason, they are very intelligent creatures and fascinating to observe.

Two young Woodpigeon or 'Squabs' sat together looking pretty nonplussed about the whole affair.

I had been painting the rear of the house above the conservatory and used scaffold boards to stand upon. Our two cats thought this a wonderful platform to watch the world go by.
This is Willow, our Persian and quite the little Princess who is well aware of that fact...

...and Wolfie, the Maine Coon, Lord of the Manor!

Our Cotoneaster has plenty of fruit this year that will feed many Blackbirds and Thrushes.

The hanging Hag Stones are a great home for spiders and Lichen and looked good in the sunrise

...as did the Orb Web Spiders

Willow still sat on the conservatory roof, showing total ambivalence.

I had replenished the bird food. Six fatballs, one suet cake, peanuts and seed. The Starlings don't take long to notice and descend en masse....

They consist of a mix of juveniles with brown heads and the adults that are darker. Local bird numbers are swelled by migratory individuals from the continent. Even some of our breeding birds head further south for the winter. The adults have lost their yellow beaks when breeding and the delta white flecks contrast well against their darker feathers.

Their iridescence shows wonderfully in the sunlight. They sit atop of the trees and chatter incessantly using their throat pouch. They are wonderful mimics too. I have heard them imitate Blackbirds, Buzzards, Swifts, Foxes and even reversing trucks! Plus they have alarm calls that differentiate between predators. So I know when a Sparrowhawk is around as opposed to a Cat. Such clever and engaging birds.

Although they can seem numerous, they have been red listed due to a drop of nearly 70% since the 70's

I had finished my work by lunchtime and had promised Sarah a walk around The Wildgrounds that afternoon as it was a lovely sunny day.
The Wildgrounds is a local nature reserve pitched right in the middle of a housing estate. An inexplicable oasis many people are not aware of. Like a little secret garden they forgot to build on, and thank goodness for that, as it is a true gem.
We park in the small car park and are immediately greeted by several Red Admiral feeding on the flowering Ivy.

Dragonfly are  still to be found too. Here a Common Darter sits warming itself on a post. A regular sight this time of year.

Hoverfly are still numerous also...

The shafts of light stream through the trees...

Sarah spotted some superb Parasol Mushrooms. Very good to eat but we left them where they stood.

We made our way to the lake. Usually very good for Ducks, Coot and Moorhen and the occasional Kingfisher but today was fairly quiet.
The hide we sat in had a good number of mosquitoes though and they fed on me very well.

I was fascinated by the Hoverfly in the shafts of light through the trees and trying to capture them is always a challenge and not always successful !

Having had rain the previous days, it was a good time to see the fruiting bodies of Fungi. There were many Common Earthballs to be seen. Looking like mini planets that Clangers would be happy living on.

Butterflies were still apparent and the trusty Speckled Wood proved a great photo opportunity as ever.

I took Sarah to a favourite spot. The boardwalk to the River Alver. A great place for Kingfisher, Dragonfly, Fish and contemplation....

Common Darter once again taking warmth from the wood....

Although at rest, it would constantly twist it's head around,surveying it's surroundings

Out on the river , a Southern Hawker patrolled looking for prey..

..as we sat in silence and thought....

Leaving this idyllic place I was drawn to the Oak leaves starting their cycle towards terra firma.

As we headed back to the car I could smell that unmistakable scent of Ivy flowers, a mix of sweet and sour that many insects are drawn to. Not just Hoverfly and Butterfly but today we saw many flies, wasps,moths and a favourite of mine,the Hornet, which proved elusive for a picture. A much maligned insect. Less aggressive than any wasp. Feared mainly by it's size but beautiful nonetheless. 

There were more Red Admiral on the Ivy by the car park than when we arrived and I couldn't resist some final parting shots. We will return to this nirvana before the end of October with any luck, as it shuts until March. A real beacon of natural abundance amonst the concrete.

N.B.
The title of this post is an excerpt from the 'Oscar Wilde' sketch by Monty Python