Ramblings, photos and thoughts from the village of Bepton, West Sussex – plus Midhurst, The South Downs, Chichester and surrounding areas.
Here’s a photo from early morning on 1st September 2018… one of those perfect Autumn mornings when the mist settles under the Downs, the trees are turning and there’s a nip in the air.
Got to love Autumn… view this image at full size on Flickr.
Happy September!
25 feet tall and built with great care an precision… I came across it behind the village of Lavant in West Sussex after the field had been combined and cleared. The next day it had gone.
We were contacted by reader of the Bepton Down blog who asked about a helicopter crash when he was a schoolboy. “Does anyone remember the helicopter that crashed on Bepton Down in the mid 1960s? I was a boarder at Midhurst Grammar School at the time and went to see the crashed remains up there on the hillside a couple of days after it happened.”
Richard Stephenson would like to know if anyone can remember any more details about this tragic accident? Please get in touch if you have any memories or information about the crash so we can pass them on to Richard and share with others. At the front of my mind are the two crew lost their lives that day – it would be good to remember these men as part of the history of Bepton Down.
The recent dry spell of weather is causing all sorts of problems for our local wildlife. Take this poor hare. He should be hidden below waist-high crops, but all the fields are dry and brown. Nothing seems to be growing and the drought is making life hard for our Badgers too.
It’s only the 21st June and look at this – a Hummingbird Hawkmoth scooting around the garden!
Marsh Tits and Willow Tits are almost impossible to distinguish by sight alone – their call is the main way to tell them apart. But how can you differentiate them if they’re not making any noise? Here’s a great example – photographed through my office window!
I know most people like cute kittens, but I’d say the little face on this Long Tailed Tit is right up there on the cutenessometer! Continue reading “So cute!”
Bullfinches have a fearsome reputation amongst fruit growers. A pair (and Bullfinches always operate in pairs) can wreck a commercial orchard in just a few days. As gorgeous as they are – some folk consider them to be a pest!
Continue reading “Bullfinches are stripping my Cherry Tree!”
It’s been a busy year for Fieldfares. We’ve had flocks of 30-50 birds, chack-chacking around the hedgerows and squabbling over fruit in our neighbour’s crab apple tree.
Now here’s an odd question. Are Monkey Puzzles an invasive species colonising the English countryside? Do they self seed or do they need someone to plant them to become established?
