A wild and windy morning, with overnight gusts of 56 mph (and a steady 20+ mph for the early rounds.
Even larger Holm Oaks sway and dance in the wind with leaves tumbling down like confetti and dancing and spinning along the paths. Grey Squirrels cling to the branches – abandoning their squabbling over territory to concentrate on hanging on!
From Durlston Head westwards, the sea rages against the cliffs – Burt’s carved stone quotation at the Observation Point: “An iron coast and angry waves/You seem to hear them rise and fall/And roar, rock-thwarted in their caves/Beneath a windy wall” seems very appropriate today! Huge breakers smash into Tilly Whim, sending plumes of spray high into the air and making the blow-hole boom and hiss.
Out at sea, a few Guillemots flicker past, though the ledges are empty this morning, with even Fulmars – one of the most skilled of aeronauts deciding to stay on the cliffs this morning.
Some dense patches of white-flowered Early Scurvy Grass are blooming on the short, clifftop turf – the plant contains high levels of Vitamin C, so was eaten by sailors on making landfall after a long voyage to prevent Scurvy.
On the downs, signs of spring are becoming more evident by the day, with a scattering of pale blue Hairy Violets. The first of the Early Spider Orchids are just a day or two away from flowering – their buds just starting to open, with darker blue Dog Violets in flower in the woods and scrub.
On Caravan Terrace, Primroses are in bloom on the short turf, with blue-flowered Green Alkanet flowering nearby.
Near the Learning Centre, a Kestrel veers in wide arc, dragged by the wind, while a White Poplar flails wildly in the wind, flashing the silvery undersides of it’s leaves, which give it it’s name.