An Autumnal morning! It was a challenging walk in along the upper coast path, but at least the up to 50 mph winds blew me inland. I avoided treading upon chipolata sized Black Slugs but slipped upon limestone polished by the soles of many walking boots. My regular commuter walk shares a section of the Spyway / Verney Farm Glow-worm survey transect which I have had to already walk in winter darkness! From the ground a Hen Pheasant ascend only to be swept inland, whilst a Kestrel flew close to the ground.
Arriving at Durlston I headed inland for shelter, rather than taking the normally scenic ridge route. Just before exiting a glade through the scrub, I saw a butterfly, possible a Gatekeeper, disappear into Bramble. Hereford cattle took shelter in the lea ward side of the wind amongst the thorny edge. Entering Huggett’s Mead tall Wild Bay Willow Herb held flowers. A plant which has its wind sown seeds distributed along railway lines and roadside thanks to the draft of passing vehicles.
We are used to the Durlston combination of hedgerow and drystone wall as field boundaries, some land manager might consider as belt & braces of inefficient use of the land. Honeysuckle held fruit and flowers amongst the Blackthorn. A Buff Tailed Bumble Bee visited Bramble flowers, whilst pink & white Field Bind Weed flowers hung from Bracken. Ivy would latter produce its berries as the last such native food source for wildlife.
It took me a while to work out which two birds of prey were active over lighthouse field in the wind. I had become accustomed to passing a pair of Peregrines but here there seemed to be some interaction as if one bird was trying to send away the other. With time I could discern their being two Kestrels, perhaps an adult was trying to encourage a juvenile to find its own territory. Off Anvil Point there looked to be rain, whilst a Greater Black Backed Gull did a “U-turn” on its coastline flight. Wild Parsnip showed seed pods as some Ragwort was colonised by Aphids. Beside the road Apples dangled, Wild Madder held empty fruit stalks, then a Privet bush, that bent over the road, had shed many white petals onto the tarmac.