leafless black thorn with
wispy white beards intertwine
melodic flute song
A sunny but chilly start to the day. The chalk cliffs of old Harry Rocks reflect a fantastic bright white, and a perfectly crisp outline of the Isle of Wight is set out upon the horizon. Flocks of Woodpigeon gather in the trees. I look down over the gully as they begin to take flight, a couple hundred collect together as an aerial display in the sky.
I head out into the meadows towards the rumble of quarry machinery to the west. It’s pretty quiet, though occasionally the scrub awakens with the sound of a Blackbird, or rapid call of a Wren. Two cock Pheasants run across the footpath ahead of me, their bronze feathers shining in the sunlight. They bicker with one another for a short while, before deciding enough is enough, and taking flight in opposite directions. Goldfinch flutter overhead.
The dry stone wall to the north side of Lighthouse field is nearing completion – over 50m has been built from scratch. I enjoy seeing these long stretches take shape, especially when Google Maps updates their satellite imagery and you can appreciate the full length as I’m sure the birds do too.
I continue my walk along the clifftop trail, spying lots of Jackdaws who perch themselves along the cliffedge between the dead Teasel flower heads. I find lots of Badger poo scatted along the path, which lead me to investigate the paw-prints in a puddle of soft-clay. However most of the prints had been left by dogs – evidenced by four toe pads and claws instead of five. The rest were all a bit too smudged to work out.