Residential volunteer Mel joined me this morning. We emerged to a blue sky streaked with vapour trails. A light dew was underfoot in places, with a waning gibbous moon overhead. The “tzee” of Greenfinches and calls of Robin and Blue Tit came from the garden. One Magpie and a pair of Goldfinches flew past.
Near the Small Copse we observed a hovering Kestrel. We passed through the Goat Plot and were pleased to see our “real” goat plot extension fence line cleared. Beside the diagonal path we spotted the leaves of Primrose beside Gorse.
Somethings set thirty Jackdaws into the air near the observation point. Both banded tiny Banded & Conical Snails were up a stem of Sea Aster. One Feral Dove perched upon the fallen “Look Around and Read…”. Some fifty Guillemots were rafted upon the sea, eleven of the birds rested on the sloping boulder meaning a full cave. It was difficult to study the birds upon the sea, Mel commented “It makes me feel seasick just looking at them”. A rock close to the sea had a dozen Guillemots and a pair of Razor Bills. Two Fulmars “bounced” off the sea cliffs.
The calls confirmed that it was a duo of Raven that passed by. Sadly, it was not a jelly fish floating in the sea instead an abandoned valentines balloon. Mel spotted a bird of prey on the cliff face near the gully mouth. It was dark brown with two tail bands. We took it to haven been a Merlin. Mel touched and admired the tight rounded cushion like tussock of a Thrift clump. It looked like a Sparrowhawk that emerged from tree cover below the Lighthouse. Four pairs of Jackdaws perched upon anvil point light. Yesterday, we both saw our first Stinking Iris flower of the year in the woodlands. Today it was only white Viburnum flowers for us.