Setting out on my walk I was greeted by the fun cheery tunes of a Bullfinch. Taking as light steps as possible, I crept closer and closer, but was unable to spot the bird amongst the Blackthorn, and thrn became distracted by the rustling of a Dunnock, and chatter of a Wren.
I could still hear the Bullfinch by the time I reached the Cows by the Small Copse. Most of them were up and about grazing, with a few inquisitive Magpies in tow. A few of them were laid down on the ground, watching me with unease as I passed them, and clearly not ready to start the day – I know that feeling!
Out towards the downs I passed a noisy Great Tit, chirping away in the scrub. As I continued, it’s churrs became a lot more distant and the park became very quiet. In the shelter of the Gully, the drab bare branches Hawthorn clad with Old Man’s Beard appear almost stagnant in time; paused for the intemperate Winter and waiting for Spring.
I make my round to Tilly Whim, crossing the Lighthouse Field below a flight of Jackdaws. A single Shag dips and dives not far from the waters edge. The wind has picked up here on the exposed coast, and the water slops messily around the base of the cliffs.
A packed ledge of Guillemots can be heard before they come into view. Over 50 of the auks also raft together on the water; a mix of Guillemots and Razorbills with some white-throated juveniles amongst them. Fulmars and Herring Gulls circle above.
Three of the new trees in the Dell adorn blossoms of pink flowers – These winter flowering Cherry trees alongside three Crab-apple trees are the first of the new additions to be planted here, with more flowering shrubs going in later this week.