Around the top edges of the dark clouds, a beautiful bright orangish rim, with shafts of sunlight aiming off across the sky, somewhere below the sun was ready to emerge.
At the bottom of these clouds a dark sheath of rain pouring down – fortunately for me this was taking place out to sea!
Back at the cliffs, Guillemots were on the ledges. Today only about 50, most of which were facing outwards showing off their brilliant white fronts, all in an upright line as they stood erect.
On the water another group of Guillemots were bobbing, while a few were speeding through the air, a whirr of wings as they passed, they suddenly dropping into the sea with a tumbling splash.
On the water a Shag was bobbing, the sleek black bird, sporting its small crest. As I watched a disturbance occurred, as a Great Black Gull descended from above to land in the water space that the Shag had been occupying – as the Gull landed the Shag dived below the surface, the Great Black-backed Gull then picked up some floating debris from the water.
A patch of Gorse, providing a brilliant yellow splash of colour to the otherwise green backdrop, the sunshine adding more vibrancy. Landing on the top of one of the spiky prongs was a Dunnock, showing its dark grey head and stripey body.
As I wandered up through Lighthouse Field, on the ground a few Field Blewitt fungi, all looking pale brown and slimy, while some wobbly Jelly Ear fungus was growing on the Elder bush.
Five species of the crow – corvid family – in evidence today, with the largest, the Raven, alerting me to its presence as it called a ‘pronk’ or croak sound as it went overhead, the shaggy throat and long wings making it easy to recognise.
Later a Carrion Crown landed in the Sycamore alongside two black and white Magpies, while a flock of cackling Jackdaws swooped and tumbled around the trees, finally alighting on the twigs of an Oak. The list was completed by the emergence of a Jay, flying across the open space until landing in a Hawthorn.