Sussex
Scrapbook ~ Wildlife walks throughout the year
Saturday 16th November 2013
Petworth Park
7 miles
"OK Gill, what do you
want to see today?"
" ! "
" ! "
"...?"
"Gill"
"Oi, wake up! I asked you what you want to see today?"
"Um, woods...autumn..um...leaves, deer etc... zzz!"
"Righty ho, easy job, a blap down to Petworth on the
bike and a good ol' furtle
about the
deer park. What do you say?"
"zzzzz..."
Clear bright and dry. What a great ride
down. It even woke Gill up.
The park is so much bigger than it seems
on the map. It's like a downland tardis.
Wood Cauliflower (Sparassis crispa). An amazing looking thing and it
had a strange un-fungi like smell too.
More like rubber.
The Fallow Deer were in rut and you could
hear their grunting calls from all directions.
Stags were parallel walking, swearing, shouting and generally winding each other up.
They were also rounding up the females into harems.
Every now and then it all kicks off and the stags really go for it.
.JPG)
Something must have disturbed a bird of prey right next to the path as the
breast of this Wood Pigeon was only half-eaten.
We thought we'd
heard a Peregrine earlier.
We saw Kestrel, Goldfinch, Raven, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers as well as
a Red Admiral.
.JPG)
A rare photographic image of the author in resplendent rutting headdress!
Liberty Cap (Psilocybe semilanceata) but we only saw the one.
OK Gill - rustling leaves, rutting deer, fungi, bonfires and a clear, cold day
with a dark red sunset.
Is that Autumny enough for you?
Dogs are welcome in Petworth Park and they have
a
helpful leaflet for owners.
Take the time to read
the
countryside code for yourself and please stick to it at all times.