What a glorious morning, as the sun struggled to make its way between the breaks in the cloud, producing shafts of orange across the Country Park.
A tinkling flock of Goldfinches descended on masse into the leafless twigs of an Ash tree, the bareness of the tree making it easy to see these red, white, yellow, black and beige finches – a wonderful sight and sound.
Below amongst the Wild Roses, which were covered in bright red oval hips, a Wren sung loudly, blasting its sound into the wind.
I was drawn towards the cliffs again, where the grey seas were churning and tumbling, white crests of the waves, some smashing into the cliff-face
As I admired a train of Gannets was gliding on past, spectacular white bodies and wings – tipped with black – skimming along above the water.
A few other seabirds moving, but for me they were either too far way, too small or above my id skills to know what they were! Hopefully one of the seawatchers will provide an update.
Closer in, Shags were careering eastwards, blown by the wind, while a more powerful Raven headed in the opposite direction.
After yesterday 31.8mm of rain the ground is a little muddy, but also damp, so good for molluscs to slime their way about. A large brown Arion Ater slug, Garden Snails, Trapdoor Snail, Apple Snail and the Spire Snail all spotted.
While more unusually a small pale beige slug was covering the prostrate body of a Dark Bush-cricket – was it consuming it?
Hovering above the gully a Kestrel was spotted, the chestnut brown back catching one of the shafts of sunlight, while a Sparrowhawk jinked just above the scrub edge and a Peregrine Falcon speeded over the meadows.
A few flowers still just in bloom, including Brown Knapweed, a Teasel, Ploughman’s Spikenard and Gorse.