A charm of Goldfinches flitted across the sky, their gold and white markings being caught by the shaft of sunlight which was beaming through the foreboding grey clouds.
Above the roar of the strong southerly wind their tinkling calls could be heard, before they dropped together into the large patch of Woolly Thistles and Lesser Burdock, where they proceeded to search for seeds amongst the prickles.
A movement from the Wayfaring bush and a Wood Pigeon took off, while watching this large rotund bird, the rain arrived, sweeping across the Park in a swathe of grey!!
From my exposed position I could “admire” the way the colours of the sky changed and the way the rain changed direction from vertical to almost horizontal, at which point I was able to shelter behind a dry-stone wall, where a couple of snails were slithering – two different shapes and styles, from the large, almost round, pale brown Garden Snail to the smaller, flattened, dark brown Wall Snail. So something to keep me interested as I let the worst of the squall pass.
Down at the cliffs 4 Rock Pipits were tumbling and calling, a high-pitched squeak to be heard as they flew. Behind them the waves were crashing into the cliffs causing the blow hole to erupt every few minutes, a cascade of white salty spray drifting upwards and inland.
The ledges also being pummelled as water sprayed over the top, so it was a surprise to see as few Guillemots still occupying their main ledge, in this weather they usually wouldn’t bother to hang about at this time of year.
A few Jackdaws cackling and acrobatically flying along the rock face, while a single Great Black-backed Gull sat on the cliff edge.
A splash of bright orange colour from the berries of Stinking Iris and the yellow of some still flowering Bristley Ox-tongues, added to the morning.
Later Report of a female Pheasant with two smaller chicks