Brownsea Island Scout camp

A cold and cloudy day today, I am preparing for a shock on Sunday evening.

Today I went to Poole harbour and then to Brownsea island. The island is owned by the National Trust and is a sanctuary for the red squirrel and birds.

I wandered around the island, the line of a hymn kept coming to mind "Be still in the presence of the Lord", as so often happens though I couldn't remember the rest.

The autumn colours are so beautiful.
Being still was what was required to see the wildlife. I think I also needed to just sit, listen and be still.

I saw red squirrels, they are surprisingly noisy. The only reason I saw two of them is because I was looking for the bird that made the strange noise.
I watched one run up a tree to the top branches and then jump or just walk to the top branches of the tree next door. It transferred across 4 or 5 trees, then climbed down and ran away.

I also saw a deer, it seemed quite unconcerned about the people watching it.
I heard lots of birds but only saw a few.

I went down to the scout camp, this is where Lord Baden Powell held the first scout camp.
Scouts from all over the world still camp there.

The boat I planned on taking back to Poole either left early or didn't turn up, I wasn't sure so I sat in the freezing cold for half an hour to make sure I didn't miss the next. We went on a tour of the harbour before returning to the quay. The kids on board had obviously had enough as it was hard to hear the commentary over their noise.

I went into Wareham before coming back to the the B&B.

Photos
Dorset countryside
Border force boat -Poole is a busy harbour
Brownsea island
Heath on Brownsea island
Deer
SquirrelRead more