Daily Nature Log ✍️

An Autumn Stroll Around Felbrigg Hall

   Margaret settled in comfortably at the Squire’s Pantry with a warm pot of tea, leaving me to head out into the quiet chill of the estate. The thermometer read a gentle 18°C with barely a breeze to stir the air. I started past the impressive 17th-century mansion, pausing to snap a few photos of the hall and the pantry exterior before plunging into the estate’s wooded grounds.

   Nature was putting on quite a show today. A curious fungal growth caught my eye on a trunk, which Google Lens suggested was a wrinkled crust mushroom. High overhead, a noisy mixed assembly of corvids were cawing and flitting between branches, while down on the paths I passed plenty of dogs enjoying their afternoon outings, including a particularly handsome flat-coated retriever.

     Autumn’s arrival is plain to see now. The canopy is turning fast—shifting from summer greens into brilliant ambers, yellows, and deep browns. Massive beech trees were carpeted below with beech mast and fading ferns, while a sweet chestnut tree stood over a dense layer of empty burrs, clear proof of the busy local squirrel population at work. Further along, a collection of grand English oaks gathered by the path, including one stunning specimen leaning directly over a deep, still pond.

    Not all of today’s woodland stories had a cheerful ending; beneath the trees, a telltale pile of scattered grey wood pigeon feathers pointed to a predator’s recent lunch. Moving through Felbrigg Great Wood past aged sycamores and plane trees, the undergrowth grew almost impassable alongside the trail. On my way back, I passed a young woman walking a black Labrador, spotted a large tractor and trailer parked up near the track, and paused to take a couple of photographs of the usual flock of sheep grazing peacefully in the nearby pasture.
    Nearing the end of the circuit, four jackdaws were busy pecking about on the grass outside the tea room. I rejoined Margaret and couldn’t resist taking a quick photograph of her sitting proudly beside an impressive potted olive tree outside. A grand autumn walk all round!

Daily Walk Statistics
Location: Felbrigg Hall & Felbrigg Great Wood
Distance: 2.24 miles
Duration: 51 minutes
Weather: 18°C (Feels like 18°C), gentle wind
Google Fit Heart Points: 7
Key Wildlife Sightings: Corvids, Wood Pigeons, Grey Squirrels, Jackdaws, Sheep
Flora & Fungi Observed: Wrinkled Crust Mushroom, English Oaks, Beeches, Sweet Chestnut, Sycamores, Plane Trees, Olive Tree (in container)

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.