The sky a blanket of grey as I began my patrol, but the sound and sight of Great Tits, Blue Tits, Robins, Greenfinches and Goldfinches added some colour. These birds all flitting around the still bare Blackthorn and Hawthorn bushes.
On the way towards the lighthouse a Swallow swooped overhead, perhaps delighted to reach land after its return across the Channel.
A movement in amongst the yellow flowers of the Gorse, and a bright brown bird spotted before disappearing again, before emerging again – my first Common Whitethroat of the year, another bird arriving after migrating for the summer from
Africa. As it perched on the twig the white feathers on its neck provide the obvious reason for its name!
Near the Gulley, where many of the Blackthorn bushes are now covered in the mass of delicate white flowers and tiny stamen tipped with yellow pollen, A Stonechat, the black head of the male bobbing as it called.
The twittering of a flock of Linnets from within the piles of Wild Clematis, while at the spring hedgerow flowers of Herb Robert, Green Alkanet and Bluebells are just starting to emerge.
Halfway up one of the field edges, the flat lemon yellow flowers of Primrose was contrasting with the deeper tubular shape of the Cowslips, while nearby False Oxlip showed the combination of the two. Also to be spotted a reddish tinged Cowslip and the pinkish Primulas.
A Raven glided past along the cliff tops, the wings ending with long fingers, a Jackdaw (dwarfed in size) gave it a bit of harassment as it passed by.
On a nook on the limestone 2 Fulmars sat while another 3 glided around, down on the water a constant growling and chuckling as the Guillemots and Razorbills bobbed on the water.
An Oystercatcher flew west, the loud piping call alerting me to the presence of the slender black and white wader.