A lovely crisp day where I live on a hill, translated into a misty and foggy lake area this morning. It was just starting to clear as I got to the carpark:

 One of the local robins made a beeline for me as soon as I got there but soon lost interest when it realised I had forgotten the mealworms again:

There was a lot of noisy splashing in the smaller lake area which I first thought was either one of the big fish or a mallard. A little grebe was dabbling around the edge of the lake making a lot of noise and didn't seem too wary of me - they usually take fright at the slightest movement:

Three cormorant were in the large oak tree drying their feathers:

 They favour this tree in the winter, as do the crows:

The lake was otherwise quiet today - the Canada Geese were grazing in the next field and there were only a scattering of coot, mallard, great crested grebe and tufted duck. There have been quite a few scaup around the area recently but I couldn't make one out here today.

The lake area has been very quiet lately so I haven't been doing a blog for the last few weeks. Today was the same - a sunny but cold day with very little around. Two buzzards were playing above, joined by a red kite who came to see what the noise was about.

A little grebe was lurking in the reeds - five were seen together last week. No Canada or Greylag Geese, only one tufted duck and very few gulls and grebes. On the far side of the bank a heron was fishing along with a grebe in its winter plumage:

The wasps nest has been destroyed by something - the remnants of it on the ground underneath the oak tree:

The robin is becoming tamer as the cold sets in. He had just found a worm but may need me to bring some mealworms if the weather sets in:

In the carpark a grey wagtail was scuttling around, a very good camouflage in the autumn leaves:

 A kestrel flew overhead and all of the smaller birds panicked.

Autumn has definately arrived with a large flock of siskins zooming around the lake area. It's a very lively bird that twitters loudly as it flies and loves feeding on alder trees. It can be seen all year round but is usually around in the winter when birds from Europe arrive.

A little grebe was dabbling in the reeds today but was easily spooked. It was joined by a male tufted duck:

 Four pheasants were also around the lake, three males and a female but again were very flighty.

The crows had been busy with the mussels again:

There was an oak apple gall underneath the large old oak tree:

This is an old one - an oak apple gall wasp causes this, where the female wasp lays her eggs in the leaf bud. You can just see some tiny holes which are where the larvae have eaten their way out.

There were quite a few fungi around today. The common inkcap:

And the shaggy inkcap:

I think this next one is jelly rot:

and lots of little ones on mossy logs which may well be common bonnet:

A very busy crow was throwing freshwater mussels onto stones when I visited last week. It was behaving as the gulls do by the sea, picking the mussel up, flying high and then dropping it onto a stony surface with the hope of it smashing. It gave up in the end and flew off to find something easier.

The robin in the small wood was as friendly as ever, and is getting very close. When the weather gets colder, I will bring some mealworms and see how near it will get.

Lichen is growing in abundance on a tree at the edge of the lake:

They don't harm the tree at all and there were quite a few patches on this mature tree.

The mute swan was by itself today looking lovely with it's reflection:

and was joined by just 2 swallows skimming for midges and water. There were a lot of reed buntings in the scrub by the Thames and a calling willow warbler, chiffchaff and a garden warbler. An Egyptian goose was playing king of the castle on a log:

Autumn is coming quickly with the hawthorn berries a gorgeous red colour:

and the hops turning as well:

I've been looking out for fungi on my visits but not much luck as yet. A huge bracket was on a tree between the carpark and the Thames:

This may well be a Southern bracket which is a perennial fungus and parasitic.

It was mayhem at the lake this morning, with over 150 Canada Geese flying in from the east and dive bombing the resident mallards, mute swan and two visiting gadwall:

The geese then spent the next hour washing noisily and squabbling amongst themselves. This set the coot off fighting and not to be outdone, the mallard started picking a fight with the gadwall:

The mute swan was above all of this bickering and carried on preening before getting fed up and slowly glided away to the other side:

The next lot of visitors were the usual swallows, joined by a flock of house martins. These don't tend to visit the lake very often when I'm there, although they nest in the cottages just down the track. They had a quick drink for five minutes and were off.

There were quite a few robin around today, some singing in the gentle sub-song. I've heard them the last few weeks in my garden too, just a jumble of notes in a subdued manner. It's almost as if they are singing to themselves and a bit embarressed about it, but this song is the juveniles learning to sing.

A very friendly and curious robin followed me around the woodland, hopping closer and closer:

The wasp nest is still active and seems to have grown a little more:

There were still a couple of chiffchaff around, plus a large party of long-tailed tits and a nuthatch calling. Jays were under the large oak tree and in the woodland were a mass of little fungi:

The swallows were flying very high up this morning and didn't come down to drink while I was there. There was still the usual crowd of greylags with a few Canada geese and some Egyptians, along with the mute swan couple - no sign of their cygnets today although they are well grown now.

The wasp nest has grown even more:

and is still just as active. I saw no bees today and only this hoverfly on a teasel:

Not too sure what this one is, but perhaps a syrphus species which are among the commonest flower-visitng hoverflies:

There was lots of preening going on today - great crested grebe:

A heron on the far bank of the Thames:

and a black-headed gull:

who was joined by a few more today. There haven't been many around in the summer but they will come in hordes in a few months time:

The hops are growing well, mostly in the hawthorn bushes but have also sprung up in new areas. I read recently that they can grow in areas where there is spilt beer which is a bit of an urban myth unless roots were mixed in:

Pond skaters were around in their hundreds today enjoying the sun:

and a wood pigeon kept an eye on me as I walked through the woods:

There were fewer warblers around today - the graden warblers had moved up to another area of wood today, plus a chiffchaff and a couple of willow warblers. I also heard a nuthatch which I don't hear often around this part and a large flock of long-tailed tits were busy in the trees with some blue tits and a couple of great tits.

A huge wasps nest has been made underneath one of the bird boxes by the side of the lake, in the old oak tree. I saw one last year taken over by tree bumblebees. I often see the wasps on the wooden bridge sawing up the wood for the nest, it's surprsing how noisy the gnawing sound is. Here is the nest today with the wasps being very active:

And a close up of the nest itself:

Even though wasps aren't my greatest friends, I know from having one just outside my kitchen door that they don't bother you at all. This nest won't be used again next year, it will be abandoned in the early autumn and the wasp colony will vacate it.

There was one lonely Canada Goose with over one hundred greylags this morning:

and a heron peering over from the other side:

Lots of flowers are now coming into seed and fruit. This yellow flag iris:

Hawthorn:

Elderflower berries:

And the lovely berries of the deadly nightshade. This is more commonly called bittersweet nightshade now:

The himalayan balsam has really spread around the far side of the lake this year. It's very invasive and smothers other plants, but they do remind me of Audrey2:

There were very few hoverflies and butterflies this morning despite it being fine with no wind. A few bumblebees were around including this one with huge pollen baskets. The bee will brush the pollen into the sac until they bulge over: