A wild and windy night last night, gusting up to 60mph, along with some heavy rain, so I started the morning rounds with a walk through the woodland to check for damage.
As the sun climbs into a golden sky, it’s quickly turning into a lovely morning, with a cloudscape changing almost every time I look up from dense grey boulders to of cumulus, to high puffs of cirrus and increasingly large patches of bright blue.
The plaintive ‘mew’ of a passing Oystercatcher rises up from Durlston Bay, with a few Shags flapping by, low to the water. The woodland is filled with an increasingly loud and varied chorus of birdsong, with the sweet notes of Blackbirds, Dunnocks and Song Thrushes cutting through the wind, along with the insistent, punchy songs of Robins and the calls of Blue and Great Tits and Wrens.
Privet is covered with small, glossy black berries, as is Common St. John’s Wort, while the bright orange seeds of Stinking Iris add splashes of colour to the woodland floor.
Around the Aviary Glade, the small green spiky leaves of Snowdrops are pushing their way through the leaf litter, with fresh leaves of Spring Crocus, Herb Robert and Cuckoo Pint also appearing.
Hazels around the glade are in bloom – the female flowers or catkins dance in the breeze, while a close inspection of the twigs will reveal the tiny red female flowers – little spiky tufts.
Turkey Tail Fungus, Many-zoned Polypore, Ear Fungus, Cramp Balls and Witches Butter fungi can all be found on rotten logs or trees.
Around the cliffs, Guillemots pass by, with a skein of Brent Geese and a few Gannets, while closer to the cliffs, Fulmars soar through the breeze and Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls circle the cliff face.
Blue Tits are starting to investigate the nest box outside my window as I write, though likely to be a while before they move in!