This morning I am drawn under the cool cover of the woodland canopy, along a path bounded by Wood Dock and Teasel. The Sun has risen high above a calm shimmering sea which reflects a brilliant azure blue – very tempting for a dip!
With not an ounce of wind to be felt, my ears become attune to all the sounds around me: from the obvious yaffle of a Green Woodpecker, to the more subtle Chiffchaff tweets and Pigeons Coos, to the very faint rustle of something scurrying through the Ivy and crisp Holm Oak leaves.
Horsetails appear to have sprung up everywhere overnight, and an abundance of Ragwort and Fleabane can be found between the trees – not a usual woodland occurrence but having spread with seeds dispersed from the adjacent meadow. In the more open glades, towering swathes of Hemp Agrimony, Willowherb, and Burdock stand taller than me. Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown butterflies dance between the pink flowers.
I wander down towards the clifftop with a blue Emperor Dragonfly whizzing past overhead. On my route I find a Grey Squirrel scampering off with a whole Bristly Ox-tongue plant in its mouth, complete with it’s Dandelion-like yellow flower. A gift for a date perhaps?
As I approach the Observation Point, the loud trills of the remaining Guillemots carry right the way along the cliffs. The Fulmars are silent as they fly to and from the cliffs, whereas the Jackdaws can’t help but let out the occasional squeak. The water is calm, barely making a splash as it gently sloshes against the rocks. You can see right through the water and where the cliffs descend into the depths.