A lovely spring-time display surrounds the picnic benches at the top of Long Meadow. Sunny yellow Buttercups are scattered throughout the patches of Daisies. Look closer and you’ll spot the pink Clover flowers and Ribwort Plantain. Towering above, the fluffy pompoms of Dandelion seed heads which await a windy day. Atop the grass I found some large Mussel shells, possibly dropped here by a passing seabird.
Stepping through the woods, the Sun’s light is revealed beaming down upon the coast path from the East. Here, an explosion of growth across an area more recently cleared of scrub: Sprouting Willowherb competes against the sticky sprawling branches of Goosegrass. Bracken shoots begin to unfurl their leaves above the pretty pink Herb Robert.
The continuous tweeting of a Chiffchaff rings out above the gentle cooing of a Pigeon. Further into the woodland, Great Tit and Wren also chime into the medley of bird song. At the bridge, my ears become attune to the low hum of insects; I spot a few Honeybees and a Red-tailed Bumblebee buzzing amongst the undergrowth of Nettle. Some beautiful Pink Wood Sorrel has bloomed next to the Dell.
Sea Thrift has started to flower along the clifftops, and below them, numerous Guillemots float on the water’s surface. Without much wind, you can listen to every splash – the pitter patter as they preen their feathers, and the louder crashes as they flap their wings.
Directly below the cliff edge, and through the rising stench of guano, you can hear the loud trills of even more birds huddled on their breeding ledges. The birds here are now tending to their eggs, keeping them warm and stable on the rocky ledge. At less than a week old, some of the eggs have already succumbed to predation, probably by a Raven or Greater Black-backed Gull. You can see their broken eggshells on the cliff camera at the Castle.