Happy New Year! My first Daily Diary of the year, and after a red sunrise this morning I decided to get straight on with it as I get out my car. In the upper car park, I hear a Robin, Chaffinch, Great Tit, and a Blue Tit, 3x Crows are spotted gliding above me and a male Blackbird scurries in front of me as I walk towards the small copse.
I head into the small copse passing leafless Ash and Sycamore, some with Ivy on them, many a Holm Oak was also passed, as well as a ground layer of Ground Ivy, Stinking Iris, Hart’s Tongue Fern, and other ferns. As I go onto the diagonal path I hear and see 2x Wood Pigeons rustling in scrub. Still on the diagonal path but on the scrubbier open view of the English Channel where European Gorse, Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Old Mans Beard can be found one spots a couple of cargo ships out at sea massive they are. At the end of the diagonal path, one passes Tamarisk.
I then decide to go past Tilly Whim to see if I could spot any Guillemots, this morning was definitely a good time to see them! As well as many a Shag, Greater Black-Backed Gull, and a couple of Fulmars. As I stand there admiring with and without my binoculars, a Peregrine Falcon seemingly comes out of the cliffs gliding and looking, until flying off towards the Castle and then back inland.
I enter the lighthouse field and continue walking for a while noticing that the sea seemed slightly turbulent today considering the calmness of the last two days. I get to the bridge on the lighthouse path, I see a Wood Pigeon chilling on top of the stone wall and under I hear: Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Long-Tailed Tit, Firecrest, Goldfinch, and a Raven.
As I walk further on before the walling centre see again the Peregrine Falcon, first it chases of a Crow and a Gull, then it decides to swoop down towards the cliffs and sea at stealth before coming back up again and having another go at swooping down.
Whilst I wanted to stay, at this point it was time to go and check the weather!