A bright and breezy morning rounds today– quite a change from my last few, with a lovely blue and pink sunrise, with scuffs of high, feathery cirrus sailing steadily across the sky.
Walking up through the woodland, the distinctive triangular scuffs of Badgers found in the woodchip path, where they have been digging in search of roots or insects.
A strong westerly breeze shakes the branches of Holm Oak and Sycamore as I walk down the Timeline, where a pair of Grey Squirrels tumble down through the branches of a large Holm Oak, battling as they go, landing on the path just in front of me, before scurrying off in opposite directions.
On Caravan Terrace, a Bullfinch perches at the top of the cliff-face, his bright pink breast standing out against the bare branches of Blackthorn, as water trickles down the Tufa spring in sparkling ribbons.
Below the bridge, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Wren, Robin and Long-tailed Tits weave their way among the tangle of grubby silver Old Man’s Beard.
In Durlston Bay a feeding flock of 12 Gannets circle just off the Head, breaking from their loops to plunge knife-like into the water with a plume of spray, their white plumage catching the sunshine.
A little further round, a long, straggling line of Guillemots bob in the water, with more on the ledges above them, or flying in and out to sea.
Jackdaws circle the Observation Point, with a pair of Ravens perched on the Mile Markers and a Peregrine Falcon, jetting like an arrow past Tilly Whim.
Magpies swagger around the car parks, with a few Pied Wagtails and Dunnocks feeding on the short turf.