I stepped out of the front door this morning into a freezing fog, reducing visibility to just a few metres, making my fingers painfully cold within a few minutes! So, a real surprise and pleasure to find the top of the hill bathed in sunshine and just a hint of frost on the ground!
On Caravan Terrace, a pair of Woodpigeons waddle across the short grass, taking flight with a clatter of wings as I approached. As the sun warms the scrub below, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Long-tailed Tits, Robins and Wrens emerge from the gleaming tangle of Old Man’s Beard to feed.
A Goldcrest weaves among the high branches of a Sycamore above the Dell, as a Raven flaps by, her harsh ‘cronk’ carrying through the still air.
Once again, the cliffs are bustling with activity, as breeding season draws closer. Dozens of Guillemots bob on the waves, preening their partners affectionately and growling softly to each other as they renew their bonds after a winter apart out at sea. Again, lots of Razorbills among the group – their blacker backs and chunky, white-striped bill making them easy to distinguish.
Fulmars glide in smooth circles around the cliff-face, with a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls flapping along companionably side by side.
A Peregrine Falcon streaks out from it’s perch on the cliffs, heading out in a wide circle above a gleaming sea, with a Rock Pipit darting around the clifftop near Tilly Whim.
On the milepost slope, yellow Gorse flowers look magnificent in the brilliant sunshine, with a Song Thrush in full song (“That’s the wise Thrush/He sings each song twice over…”) perched on top of a wind-pruned Blackthorn.
Just outside the window as I write, a House Sparrow is checking out the nest box on the wall of the Learning Centre, checking the outside from various angles, before popping it’s head inside to look at the interior (apparently a second-viewing of this property, as Katie spotted both the male and female checking it out yesterday!)