As I begun my early patrol, the plaque commemorating the designation as Durlston as a “Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust” site caught my eye, just one of the many thousands of legacies of the Queen’s reign.
Overhead Swallows swooping and gliding, their numbers growing as they gather before heading southwards.
Quite a few small birds flitting about today, the problem for me, is that having provided lots of patches of scrub as habitat, the birds use this making getting good views extremely difficult!
I did however eventually get a superb view of a Grasshopper Warbler, this LBJ (little brown job) revealing itself slowly, first it poked out a head allowing me to see a faint pale ring around its eye, it then fluttered at speed to another branch, the streaked back was visible and then as it turned, the rounded tail added to the clues. This the first of 3 spotted across the meadows.
Landing in the tops of a Hawthorn was a Chaffinch, a flash of blue on the wings, the bush tinged with red from the overing of haw berries.
Along the hedge a sudden flit of movement and a red tail disappeared indicating that I had just seen a Redstart, unfortunately that was the only view of that bird.
On the downs the white rump of a Wheatear was great to see as it moved from across the limestone turf, one of my favourite birds to see, always so smart, upright and only being here in early Spring and early autumn something to look forward to!
Elsewhere a Chiffchaff, Bullfinches and a Blackcap while overhead a couple of Yellow Wagtails.
Browsing on the Brambles was a Roe Deer, the chestnut pelage paler than earlier in the year, but this male sporting two small antler prongs.
Across the ground a Greater Bloody-nosed Beetle trundled, moving in what looks to me in a clockwork manner.