A whoosh from overhead as some Feral Pigeons tore through the air, banking suddenly to disappear over the cliff edge, just on their exercises this morning.
Flocks of Wood Pigeons moving through the sky as they are on their annual migration. Calling and flying in deep swoops across were some Pied Wagtails, the black and white streaks easily seen in the sunlight this morning.
Bounding across the grass a Rabbit, much less common than they used to be, but great to see as the white tuft bobbed up and down as it travelled into the Bramble scrub.
A sudden eruption as a Green Woodpecker took flight, the yaffling call and green and yellow colours making it easy to identify as well as the undulating flight.
The tinkling call of Goldfinches heard as they dropped in a group into the topmost twigs of a Field Maple tree. As they perched it was a great opportunity to enjoy the variety of colours on this small bird.
Slowly walking up the hill was a Roe Deer, the dirty white powder puff rump showing up against the darker pelage of its body.
Down by the cliffs the Guillemots were again occupying their ledge, a mass of black and white. Through binoculars it was possible to make out the white faces on the Guillemots, the winter plumaged birds probably about half of the ledge, with the other half in their ‘summer’ breeding plumage, or almost in it!
Clumps of yellow flowered Bristly Ox-tongue still in bloom along with the occasional patch of Rough Hawkbit along the meadow edges.
A Stonechat was chatting from the top of a Hawthorn, the black head and orange chest paler than in the breeding season.
Out in field 3 small piles of scrub are awaiting clearance as part of our annual management, the plants are mostly small Gorse, Bramble, Blackthorn, Old Man’s Beard and Dog Rose, all of which needs to be cut to avoid the wonderful grassland habitat being overtaken by a mass thick scrub which has limited biodiversity and wildlife value