I cycled up to Highdown early this morning to find a concerned couple crouching over a very unwell Hedgehog. I made the arrangements over the phone between the RSPCA and the vet for the animal to be taken in and the couple very kindly drove it in to Worthing. I doubt it stood much of a chance - it had either been run over or mauled by a dog - but it was the best we could do.
My first two Tree Pipits of the autumn buzzed high overhead, unseen in the clear skies, while on the ground there were just singles of Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. 45 Swallows were made up by a couple of main groups, one of which was clouding around a Sparrowhawk. The wooded area held a brood of Goldcrests, a couple of Treecreepers and a Nuthatch, while the grassland was charmed by around 60 Goldfinches, with smaller numbers of Linnets and Greenfinches thrown in. A young Buzzard cried in the distance and an adult was noted, while a Kestrel and a Canada Goose were among other birds heard.
I visited Widewater later on, hoping the Mandarins reported yesterday would still be present but I could not find them. A Little Egret, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and the pair of Mute Swans with their one juvenile were present.
