A glorious spring morning, with clear skies and brilliant sunshine glittering on the sea and illuminating the woodland in shades of soft green.
Near the Aviaries, the ground is carpeted with constellations of golden Lesser Celandine, while overhead a Treecreeper scuttles up the stem of a Sycamore and a Raven calls from among the top branches of a Monterey Cypress.
Along Long Meadow, Hawthorn and Elder are covered in fresh green leaf buds, while Japanese Spindle is still covered in pink and orange berries. A Queen Buff-tailed Bumble Bee drones lazily along the verge, looking for nest sites, with a glossy black Bloody-nose Beetle plodding mechanically through the grass.
A Roe Deer, his antlers still covered in soft ‘velvet’ grazes near the Learning Centre, while on the bare ground along a path, fledgling Yellow Meadow Ant hills are popping up.
In the scrub at the top of the Lighthouse Field, Blackthorn is starting to burst it’s buds in a spray of white flowers, as a Greenfinch ‘schwees’ from deep within the bushes.
The rhythmic notes of Great Tits are a constant accompaniment to the morning rounds, with the flowing, musical notes of Skylarks cascading over the meadows with Song Thrush, Blackbird and Blackcap and the ‘chuckle’ of a Green Woodpecker also heard.
Hairy Violets dapple the downs, like tiny purple gems scattered among the grass, with Whitlow Grass, Hairy Bittercress and Daisies dotted around. In the hedgerows, white flowered Stitchwort is starting to bloom, while fresh green Cleavers is starting to scramble up the hedges.
Along the cliffs, Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars, Shags and Cormorants are all on the wing.