Autumn Leaves and Gulls

The wind has been blowing wildly for days, the garden trees are all but bare with less than a handful of yellowed leaves clinging tenaciously to a few odd branches. The pear tree stands forlornly empty now, bereft of all leaves and with one lone pear hanging from a top most branch, swinging back and forth in the wind, stubbornly clinging on and refusing to let go.

I ventured out briefly and scuffed my wellington clad feet through the layers of autumn leaves on the lawn. They were dry on the top but wet underneath and I was dismayed to find only bare earth underneath them, and no grass left on the lawn. Already the thick covering of mainly magnolia leaves have done their deadliest and as always at this time of year I wonder if the lawn will recover. Surprisingly it usually does.

The jay was interesting this morning, he ignored the food put out for the birds and squirrels and instead spent his time flying from bush to bush, always evergreen ones and once perched he would spend his time bending this way and that, with craned neck and outstretched head peering in all directions into the dark recesses of the shrubs.

What was his business? Is he a youngster and confused by the warmth of October just passed and is looking for nests with eggs or nestlings? Maybe though he is looking for food hidden by the squirrels, but I doubt it as they usually hide it in full view if it is hidden in trees, and usually choose the silver birch or flowering cherry trees.

Once food is on the lawn huge flocks of gulls sweep over at head height, 'till one braver than the rest - usually a youngster-dares to drop down and then is followed by the others. Interestingly, I have noticed the food is always spotted by a solitary gull flying over, he will then fly swiftly away and within a minute a huge flock will arrive, and then the behaviour is as above.