Yesterday evening I was accompanied by my own moonlight shadow for part of my walk home. This morning a dog walker warned me “you can barely stand up out there”. He failed to mention the wind taking your breath away. Indeed, the wind was most keenly felt upon Durlston’s coast ridge. Before Durlston I passes bouncing Sika Deer whilst it was a Carrion Crow that flew up from the skeletal remains of an Elder beside the western boundary at Durlston. Only a pair of Greater Black Back Gulls were seen passing westward over the coastal slopes. I believe it was a flock of Linnets that raced by.
Observing the rolling waves and their angle to the shoreline I suspected, and was proven correct, that it was a Blow Hole Day. At the gully mouth a solid vertical spout of sea spray had been blasted through the rock crevice. Sew spray then drifted inland. I caught sight of a Kestrel as it appeared at the Lighthouse rock exposure before heading up the gully. With the boom of a cannon blast another wave hit the rock face, this time sending sea spray up to Tilly Whim wave cut platform. A trio of Herring Gulls headed west, then eight Feral Doves ascended from the sea cliffs which appeared to be otherwise unoccupied. Although I wanted to explore the gully more the wind and grey clouds persuaded me to go up the diagonal path.
Upon entering castle wood silent and suddenly, a Hen Pheasant leapt up off the ground before quietly scampering away into cover. Only the lower shelter branches of Sycamore clung onto their leaves. At the timeline a Grey Squirrel ascended vertical up a straight Elm trunk. Magpies were above the Dell bridge whilst I would find another preening in the Black Pine below Rest & Admire. Also sheltering amongst the undercliff tree cover were Wood Pigeon. I could see Old Harry, but nothing beyond, whilst Peveril Ledges were covered in white froth. I noted a wind-blown Willow that had fallen over the wall from Long Meadow. However, its branch tip reached just short of the Play Trail’s Hammock, thus causing no harm.