Midsummer coffee morning

It was another new venue for the latest coffee morning, this time at Stanton House near Highworth.   Coffee was served in the light and airy conservatory with its  tranquil view over the grounds.   It was pleasing to welcome relatively new members alongside the more regular participants and all chatted  happily together.  A small group  stretched their legs and  walked around the adjacent lake, delighting in seeing a family of swans with their 8 offspring. Puzzling however was an animal, black in colour, tailless, not small in size, which noisily rushed across the path in front of us.  Any ideas?