I could feel a damp wintery chill in the air this morning as I set out at 7am. But with bright sunshine and clear skies, it quickly burnt off to a dry warm day.
A sure sign of an early morning; the slow docile tunes of a Blackbird greeted me upon my arrival at the park. Setting off down Long Meadow, I spot one below a Horse Chestnut. The tree’s branches now adorned in lofty palmate leaves and topped by their large candelabras of white and pink flowers.
Two Chaffinch sing to one another from ether side of the meadow. Each of them waiting patiently o hear the other’s call, before repeating it back in response. The yaffle of a Green Woodpecker cuts in from the adjacent meadow, breaking up the melodic tunes.
The woodland’s daffodils have now gone over but been replaced by a host of different spring flowers. Ramsons, Cuckoo Pint, Three-cornered Leek, and some spectacular swathes of Bluebell: Mostly the Spanish/Hybrid variety which can be identified by its splayed-out petals which do not droops as much as our native English Bluebell.
The calls of Carrion Crows ring out from the Aviary Glade, and the continuous tweeting of Chiffchaffs can be heard all around.
At the Observation Point, I enjoy watching the Fulmars loop to and from the cliffs. Their wings outstretched, steady, they gain lift on the rising air currents with their feet flailing behind. Lots of Guillemots float on the water as they take a break from their partners on the cliff ledge.