A really spectacular sky this morning, with a mass of pink-tinged ‘candy floss’ cloud to the south, while above the sea, a ‘skyscape’ of huge, smooth, grey clouds are pierced with patches of intense blue, with shafts of sunshine lancing through to glitter on a steely sea.
Once again, Guillemots are crowded onto the ledge as they rest up after a few weeks battling the weather out at sea, with a few ‘whirring’ in and out as they feed.
In the distance, a skein of bulk-bodied Brent Geese pass by, while closer to the cliffs, a Fulmar wheels in elegant arcs.
Also on the wing, Great Black-backed Gulls and Shags, with a Rock Pipit scuttling along the Tor Grass covered clifftop.
A surprising verdant patch of turf near the Lighthouse is covered with a mosaic of different greens, through dominated by Thrift, forming dense cushions of fine green leaves, with mosses and lichens adding different colours and textures.
A Raven circles above Caravan Terrace, while below him, a pink-breasted Bullfinch weaves among the Blackthorn above the cliff. A patch of Cotoneaster looks magnificent in the low, red sunshine, with its crimson berries and orange leaves standing out from the browns and bronzes around it.
Several piles of Badger poo spotted around the downs – filled with large stones of Sloes, as they fill up on fruit.
Near the Learning Centre, a Jay is busy burying Holm Oak acorns at the edge of a patch of scrub – forgetful Jays are responsible for a significant proportion of germinating oaks, which they tend to ‘plant’ in ‘wood pasture’ type landscapes, where thorny scrub and Bramble provide natural guards for growing trees.
The Dell has had it’s winter ‘haircut’ and Robins, Dunnocks and a Blackbird are picking through the arisings, with the piercing calls of a Goldcrest heard from the canopy nearby.