2 wonderful walks today in different parts of the forest. Beautiful skies at sunrise and as the rain cleared and the sun pushed through the clouds over the horizon I could hear the echo of rutting deer in the distance while the bats took advantage of the clearing skies before the light of the day took hold.
This afternoon a walk to admire the colours of this special time of year, the wind had dropped and the sun low in the sky and dazzling through the trees was warm on my face while I tried to stay on my feet through some slippery, wet mud. The woodland has that damp smell about it now and the acorn sprinkled carpet is embellished with fungi of beautiful colours and shapes. Ponies enjoyed some sun on their backs while grazing through the trees and deer regularly crossed my path very much "on their toes" and letting out a quick bark to make their friends aware of my presence as they are all on high alert right now. I stood and watched the swallows skim the heath to feed and thought I can't even start to imagine the journey they have ahead of them before my attention was turned to see a huge southern hawker dragonfly rattling by at high speed. Love this time of year where the seasons are changing, but those summer visitors are making the most of there short time they have left in our magnificent woodlands here in the New Forest. 🍂