A golden glow through the woodland where the trees are warmed with morning sunlight. The Elm leaves have turned a fantastic bright yellow which contrasts against the evergreen Holm Oak and muddy path below. The low rumble of the seashore is carried up to the coast path, where it is interposed by singing Wren and churring Great Tit.
Walking down past the dell it’s quiet but with lots of movement amongst the hedges: A Firecrest hopping through the Ivy, Chaffinch and Robin in the Ash, and a Goldcrest amongst the Bramble. Atop the scrub, a Squirrel stretches out to gather the crimson-red Rosehips, whilst another hops along the coping stones with an Acorn in its mouth. Good numbers of Goldfinch flock between the trees, charming me with their soft melodic tunes.
A flash of greenish-yellow feathers and I’m following a Blue Tit towards the old quarried ledge of Caravan Terrace. Here, a steady flow of water dripping down the rock face as it runs off from the slopes above: The pitter-patter soothing to my ears. Look closely and you’ll see the rocks are caked in a layer of tufa - minerals which deposit out of the water similar to how a stalactite would form. In places it has encased what was once stems of Ivy and calcified them into rock.
Around the headland, I keep an eye out for the Gannets which have often been spotted here this past week, but today not one. Instead, a couple Shags hugging the after as they pass and the usual Jackdaws flocking around the Tamarisk. From the Observation Point I can see the female Peregrine sat atop her usual perch. She’s unphased as I meander the clifftop path above, probably just 15-20m away. Guillemots gather on their ledge.
The bird-ringers report a quiet morning; Blackbirds, Song Thrush, and re-captured Firecrest from Autumn last year. As I pop in; a Jay in the Hawthorn, and a Woodlark overhead.