I get straight out of my car, as I put my coat and binoculars on I ponder on how beautiful and sunny the weather is this morning with a cold and crisp feeling, a bit of winter I love! Instantly one notices the flock of Linnets chirping and swaying above me, a Crow calls towards the Learning Centre, and around the car park the sound of a Wren, Robins, Chaffinch and Goldfinches could be heard. I decide to just get on with the Wildlife Diary and head towards the pleasure ground woodland. Passing the road 2x Magpies are spotted, and I walk into a mostly Holm Oak habitat. I stop for a minute looking out at the sea, the Isle of Wight to my left and the Castle to my right as well as the sun which glistens on the English Channel – Definitely a great photo opportunity!
I continue, a retched Grey Squirrel runs out in front of me and climbs up a Holm Oak, I grunt at it wishing for it to be our native Red Squirrel. Then one starts to take the clifftop trail, I walk slower to look at the birds swinging from tree to tree, shrub to shrub – Wren, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Blue tit, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Wood Pigeon, and Goldcrest. I continue to walk, Feral Pigeons fly above me, a whole load of Herring Gulls and possibly other gull species swarm Durlston Bay (Must be something interesting under the sea?).
I pass the globe, where the Tuesday Work Party, Purbeck Partnership, and us rangers are doing such a great job of tiding up the Grasses, Brambles, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Tamarisk and so on. Passing there, the first sight of the Guillemots is visible. As I walk on, I notice a few Guillemots flight out to sea, whilst others seem to want to stay in the cliff cave – maybe to keep warm or familiarise their spring nesting spot? Also spotted was a Black-backed Gull and a Shag.
Past Tilly Whim I stopped again to look at the rocks below the cliffs. Directly in front of me is Dwarf Gorse, and below, seen with “Binos”, are Sea Aster, Thrift and Rock Samphire, as well as the Mosses and Lichens. As I stand, I hear an interesting bird song, I take out my Merlin app – that suggests the sound is from a Water Pipit. Unfortunately, I did not get to see the bird to ID.
After that, I decided to get straight back up to the Learning Centre – “Got a Castle Shop to run this morning!”