Walk Leader Fred Taylor
7 guests – all female!!
2 from Maidenhead, 2 from Checkendon, 2 from Reading ,1 from Pangbourne.
Weather: Sunny and warm, with heavy dew and a light breeze.
Trees are now turning to Autumn shades – the Guelder Roses are vivid reds at the top of Pheasant Park. The Walnuts, Horse Chestnuts, Sweet Chestnuts and Beech Mast are nearly all off the trees. Leaves are falling all around.
A few Field Mushrooms are still showing in parkland. A few other fungi were seen but not in great numbers.
One Roe deer was grazing in the newly created woodland pasture area.
A family of Mistle Thrushes and other thrushes, probably Redwings, were in the tops of the parkland trees. Large numbers of corvids in the Park were feeding on cow-pats. These included Rooks, Jackdaws and Crows. Also Jays and Magpies were noisily active in the wooded areas.
One grey squirrel in the Sweet Chestnut trees at the top end of the park was noted. Not a single butterfly or moth put its head out.