With another beautiful morning falling across the park, I half hope for a change in weather just to change up the start of my diary. Heading towards the meadows I pass a plump mottled brown Dunnock hopping along the wildlife garden fence. Path in skip worth is lined with Blackthorn covered in snowy white blossom and Wayfaring Trees beginning to burst into life. The dark black silhouette of a Raven soars over head and out of sight over the large copse.
The pale yellow of Cowslips in flower speckles Taskers meadow as I look out towards Old Harry’s Rock this morning, a light fog blurring the outline of the white rock. Ten or so meters before the gate into Saxon I spot the cylindrical smooth green leaves of Adders Tongue Fern as it pops out of the short turf. The green spike in the middle of the leaf giving it its distinctive name.
A quick stop in Hay Rake Quar to see that in the last couple of days lots more Early Spider Orchids have emerged and started to flower. There light green stems and brown flower heads making them easy to spot once you have your eye in. An Early Purple Orchid is just starting to unfurl its bright purple flower, by tomorrow I expect it will be in full bloom.
Leaving the Quar I spot a Kestrel perched atop an Ash Tree, while admiring the bird through my binoculars the screeching call of another alerts me to another one a lot closer also perched atop an Ash Tree. The first takes off soaring across the meadow while the second stays behind to rest some more.
Two White Throats flit there way between one patch of Blackthorn to another only stopping long enough for me to get my binoculars up, before moving on again, making it a real challenge to identify them.