A quite glorious early morning to be walking out at Durlston, a fresh south-west wind whizzing up the channel churning the sea, producing white crests on the waves.
Around the cliffs the seabirds were active, the Guillemots, a whirring blurr of wings as they approached the rock face, followed by the sticking out of their large webbed feet before landing in amongst the packed ledge.
From above the rough downland slopes the thin call of a Meadow Pipit attracted my attention, this bird then floated back to the ground, as it landed, it allowed me a good view of its beautiful markings.
Form just above the tops of the old quarrs, two Skylarks were singing, competing perhaps for territory or partners. Another 6 Skylarks were seen as I strolled along the paths in the meadows, so hopefully this will be a successful year for these ground nesting birds.
Through the fields the hedgerows were alive with birdlife – the grey-headed Dunnock providing a weak song, Chaffinches a stronger ‘slow, then rapid’ tune and the Great Tit calling ‘teacher-teacher-teach’.
As this Great Tit perched, the sun caught its yellow body, a flash of black underneath the bright yellow. The Blackthorn it was perched on has just come into bloom, the delicate pinkish white flowers covering this one bush only. Give it a few days and the hedges will be draped in a white curtain of these flowers.
On the hillside two Roe Deer were laying down, both of them with small antlers still covered in a covering of velvet.
Lots of puddles and muddy areas after the last couple of days of rain, making the meadows slippery underfoot. A good few footprints having been left by Badgers, Foxes, Roe Deer and variety of birds – as well of course people and dogs.