A decision of which way to go – not time to walk everywhere, should I go and check on the Cows grazing in the meadows and make sure the gates are shut, to the woods to drop off a wheelbarrow or the cliffs to rescue the (plastic) skeleton left over from our pirates trail!!
Choosing the cliffs, via the Lighthouse, a fresh southwest wind blowing into me a great decision, with the sea a sparkling blue, white water churning on its top. Just a Shag skimming low to the water, its long black neck and slightly yellow colouring around its beak helped with its identification. Conveniently a Cormorant flew towards the East, much higher in the sky which enabled a good comparison to be made of these superficially similar birds.
Three of our large blackish beetles spotted today the Greater Bloody-nosed Beetle (probably our commonest spotted big beetle) plus the Dor Beetle which has a more rotund look, while the third was the Lesser Stag Beetle with little pincers on its head.
The flowers are still looking lovely on the downland, and where the grass is short a covering of Squinancywort, Eyebright, Dwarf Thistle and Wild Carrot.
Plus the delicate pink stars of Centaury and the brilliant yellow of Yellowwort, its stems and leaves a more greyish green, take a closer look and spot the way the leaves are wrapped all around the stem – most unusual.
As I searched in vain for the delicate pale blue of a Harebell, I spotted instead the spiralling white flowers of our last Orchid of the year – the Autumn Ladies Tresses.
More flowers to look for include Greater Knapweed, Field Scabious, Black Knapweed and Small Scabious.
Out of the wind a few butterflies seen including a Grayling, its wings as usual closed up. Also a Common Blue, some Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers – but perhaps a bit early in the day for the Chalkhill Blue.
Picking up the skeleton I wandered back up the hill, where a Wood Pigeon was swaying on the top of the Hawthorn.