As another day of sunshine and blue skies dawned with a pinkish glow in the east, A female Kestrel glided, then stopped and hovered, a glorious sight as it quivered and fluttered, the tail and wings doing the work while her head remained perfectly still – just amazing to watch.
Down to the cliffs where the seabirds were out in force. On the water 6 Razorbills, looking very dapper in their jet black coats with thin white lines on both wings and bills.
Alongside them about one hundred Guillemots, a more chocolatey brown colouration with pointed beaks, these bobbing about, some tumbling and flapping to wash. A sudden massive pattering of wings tips and webbed feet on the water and most of these birds took flight as a fishing boat dropped a pot nearby, a quick circling swirl and they settled back on the water again.
On the ledges many Guillemot eggs have now been laid, look at the live screen (in the Castle Visitor Centre or video on our website to see them).
The patches of pink Thrift are getting bigger as is the carpets of Horseshoe Vetch and Kidney Vetch, these yellow plants are the food for the caterpillars of the stunning Adonis Blue and the silvery Small Blue butterflies, both of which were spotted in flight today. While basking on a dry-stone wall was a Wall Brown.
The ’chatting’ of a Stonechat was coming from the top of a Gorse bush, covered in brilliant yellow flowers, the smell of coconut wafting through the air, as was the strange looking St Marks Fly, its legs dangling beneath.
The sound of a Skylark was drifting from the bird, somewhere high in the sky above me, as I listened another two Skylarks could also be heard, as another took off from amongst the Bulbous Buttercups, Sainfoin and grasses in the meadow.
A fluttering and a Spotted Flycatcher was landing on the branch of one of the many blossom covered Hawthorns, the slight speckling on its chest obvious as it perched for a moment before taking off again. As it did a pair of Bullfinches provided a bright burst of pink, black, white and grey.