The mute swan family of two solicitous parents and seven young went missing for much of the month, but all nine stately birds eventually reappeared safely. The parakeet is still around, though usually on the Wincheap side of the river, so its raucous squawks are considerably less penetrating!
Considering its wetland status, the Marshes aren’t visited by herons that frequently, and one flying over this month was my first record since April. If, like me, you don’t relish the thought of winter, then certain signs of the times are met with mixed feelings: five tufted duck and a couple of coot had returned to Tonford lake by the end of the month, a sure indication that colder weather will soon be treading on autumn’s toes
There is currently a staggering display of hawthorn berries and rose hips on the Marshes and in the wider countryside, though contrary to rural myth, this does not portend a harsh winter. Back in the Second World War children were paid a pittance to collect hips, which are rich in vitamin C, and therefore made a valuable addition to the nation’s rationed diet. Turning them into something edible is a fiddly job, though, as the interior is filled with a fluff of strands like fibreglass.