The woodland canopy is now filled with spring leaves dancing below a clear blue sky. Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Goldfinch and Greenfinch all chime into a morning chorus of bird song.
A thicket of ground flora grows in sunny glades beneath the trees; Honeysuckle and Wild Madder intertwine through Bramble and Goosegrass. Buzzing around them, I spot Bee-fly, Honeybee, and Carder Bee.
I head down past the Castle and admire the pockets of Pink Sorrel growing against the dry stone walls. A close inspection of the leaves reveal lots of nymph-sized Dark Bush-Crickets.
Towards the Great Globe, the yellow flowered Charlock has grown to great heights either side of the path. White foam can be seen amongst some of the tips where Spittlebugs have made home. Below, a pretty display of blue flowers have blossomed across the Green Alkanet.
Jackdaws burst from the Tamarisk as I reach the Observation Point. Looking down, Herring Gulls, Fulmars, and Guillemots busy themselves in flight above the waters. A small fishing boat gently rolls past without a splash of white water, whilst checking the pot buoys along the coast.
Peering down through the cheery blooms of Sea Thrift and Campion, yet more Guillemots and Razorbills perch on a rock at the base of the cliffs and float in long rafts out to sea. An ominous flock of three Raven stand together towards Tilly Whim.
More Sea Thrift lines the path into the gully where I see a Meadow Pipit dive into the bank, probably to a nest amongst the long grass. As I ascend the steep slope, a Skylark bursts into song, and Stonechats ‘chak’ to one another between the patches of scrub. Horseshoe Vetch, Buttercups, and Chalk Milkwort have created a mosaic of colour across the downland.
Two blows on a Dandelion clock tells me that I really must have lost track of time, so I head back to the office via a quick check on the Cows in Saxon.