With some large patches of blue sky and only a gentle wind it was a lovely morning for our 100th parkrun, with many runners and walkers turning out to enjoy the sights and sounds of Durlston, despite (or perhaps because of) the hills involved in the course. (congratulations and thank you to all the volunteers who make this possible for the runners)
Along the route, soaring around the cliff tops, 5 Fulmars plus one sat in a nook, the white head easily spotted, as were the dark ring of feathers around its eye and the thick tubes on the top of its beak.
On the water a group of black and white birds, made up of 20ish Guillemots and 9 Razorbills - these auks much blacker in colour and sporting a smart white stripe on their beaks, from the coast path above this helps to distinguish them from the chocolate brown Guillemots. No sign of the 1000's seen in the distance yesterday.
Perched on an outcrop two Great Black-backed Gulls, while another of these magnificent looking gulls glided past, the white outer edge of the wings shining in the sunlight.
A piping song caught my attention and hovering and them dropping just along the cliff edge was a Rock Pipit, probably trying to impress another Rock Pipit perched nearby, both then took flight at the same time, so perhaps it worked!
A Robin was singing loudly from the branches of a Tamarisk shrub, the deep orange chest fluffing up as it bellowed.
In the branches of Hawthorn (now virtually bereft of haw berries) was a Chaffinch, as I admired it began a few stuttering notes of song, before stopping again.
Clambering over the walls the shiny leaves of Ivy, the rest of the plant covered in dark grey/black berries, while the Wild Clematis was also rambling over the wall, in amongst the ropes a Dunnock was moving.
Blue Tits were inspecting the nest boxes and the iron bollards, hopefully for nesting sites for the season.