Trotting across the path in the early gloom was a Fox, the sleek orangeish colour catching my eye before the Fox hopped up and over one of the walls.
As I took a walk across the meadows, in the far distance a Peregrine Falcon was zooming across the sky, while a couple of Carrion Crows were floating above me.
With a very gentle breeze, today’s patrol was strangely quiet, with barely any birdsong or even calls to enjoy. However, I did hear two Great Tit in conversation, which enabled me to pinpoint them, one on the top of a large Privet bush, the other amongst the rambling strands of Wild Clematis.
Many of our Hereford cows are going to the removed for the Park in the next few days. The pregnant females going back to the farm to calve in luxury, along with the heifers.
Down towards the cliffs where the sound of seabirds could be heard wafting up from the water.
As I looked, once again I had the irresistible urge to count, and the Razorbill numbers just below me reached another new record of 58 – so had to count again just to be sure!
There were also 100 or so Guillemots also bobbing on the sea, plus the 150 or so squashed onto the main ledge. Both these Auk species are bonding as pairs before the breeding season begin in April.
With the lack of birds and flowers in evidence, I started to look at the Lichen that encrusts some of the branches of Blackthorn, Hawthorn and the stone. The lichen included greyish green tufts of Ramalina farinacea, the green scaly Flavoparmelia caperata and the orange Xanthoria parietina amongst others!
Returning to the Centre, in the Sallow just outside the door a flock of Goldfinches were calling, flashes of yellow spotted from their wings as they moved.