It’s spitting with rain as I arrive at Durlston this morning, with a few Swifts and Woodpigeon moving silently overhead. Wren, Great Tit and Chiffchaff call out from around the Dell, as I descend to Durlston head. Just as a Blackcap bursts into song, I notice a female Roe Deer watching me from further down the coastal path. Upon getting closer, she gently hops the wall into the thicket of Bracken and Old Man’s Beard.
The banks are ripe with flowering Bramble, Valerian, Buddleia and Hemp-Agrimony though it’s the more subtle Wood Sage flowers which attract a number Common Carder Bees.
The clifftop is quiet with just a few Herring Gulls in flight and a female Peregrine sat atop her rocky outcrop. On the water just five Guillemots rafting together, with the occasional bird in flight. The cliff camera reveals many more of the birds are still sat under the cover of the ledges and awaiting their chicks to fledge.
More raindrops as I continue my walk along the trail in the wake of a couple Marbled White butterflies. A Shag passes low against the water and I enjoy watching the impress aerobics of a few Woodpigeons as they swoop, soar, and dive along the coast. Rock Pipits can be heard squeaking someone over the edge, where the Sea Thrift has died off and turned a brownish-white.
Two Kestrels settle on an outbuilding as I ascend the steep slope to the Lighthouse; one on the east-side window sill and one of the north-facing roof. I slow my approach, and make it to right under the sill before the first bird notices me. Startled, it’s head swoops around and stares daggers at me before taking flight. Turning the corner, the same with the second bird, it’s black beady eyes and moustache standing out in my memory of the split-second encounter.
Amidst a spell of heavier rain, I shelter under an old Apple tree. Goldfinch tinkle around me and occasionally the chirping from a Robin or Blackbird. Next, a Skylark bursts into song above Round Down, and all of the other bird song seems to fades into insignificance as the continuous verses of cheerful tunes fill the air.