A wonderful late April morning at Durlston, as I took my patrol across the downland, where Early Spider Orchids are popping up everywhere, these pale green spikes have wonderful furry brown heads, some however are now fading away to green.
Chalk Milkwort is proving a blue sheen coming up through the turf, with splashes of yellow Horseshoe Vetch coming up.
The round heads of Salad Burnet, some now covered in dangly yellow flowers. On close inspection the first few flowers of Eyebright are also emerging.
As I looked at the ground, the sight of lots of small almost round shapes of the Lesser Bloody-nosed Beetle could be seen, as well as a much larger Greater Bloody-nosed Beetle, both of these are a deep purply blue/black colour
Suddenly moving along the gully a stunning Bullfinch, the bright pink chest catching the sunlight, the white rump disappearing into the Blackthorn scrub.
The ‘chatting’ sound of the Stonechat, came from the rambling Old Man’s Beard, while from behind me came the laughing call of a Green Woodpecker.
A Common Whitethroat called scratchily from the top of a Hawthorn, the white splash of white on the neck of this brown bodied migrant warbler, fluffed up as it sung.
Flocks of Linnets and Goldfinches taking off from around me, twittering and tikling, then one Linnets spotted carrying a long piece of grass, hopefully an indication of nest building.
A Swallow swooped past as I returned to the building, where House Sparrows were twittering and Great Tit was inspecting the Bollard.
A Swift was seen in Swanage last night.