Yesterday evening was the first Seabird Boat Trip of the year and my first ever one as a Durlston Ranger. It was an amazing 2 hours where we got to see the Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Black-backed Gulls, Cormorants and Shags from the sea, also spotted out at sea was Gannets both left and right of us, as well as cliff nesting Swifts and a couple of Peregrine Falcons. Further west, just past Dancing Ledge, was 4x Puffins! 3x were seen in flight, 2 of them decided to stick around on the sea for everyone on the boat to see, whilst one of the Puffins stayed up on the cliffs occasionally hiding inside and coming out to look again! The next Boat Tour is 23 May!
On to this morning’s sightings, I decide to take a walk down to Tilly Whim via the Diagonal path. Through the Copse of Holm Oak, Sycamore and Ash a Great Tit and Wren are heard, in the more open part of the Diagonal path the wind is rather fresh than of late (glad I wore a coat!), here Dunnocks, and Robins can be heard within the European Gorse. A Buff-tailed Bumblebee can be seen pollinating one of the gorse yellow flowers – which look rather tired, within the Gorse I notice a flower with purple petals and a pointy yellow stigma – I took my ‘obsidentify’ to it – Bittersweet the plant is called. I head down past Tilly Whim caves whilst doing so I glimpse a Peregrine Falcon, although it did not make its presence seen for too long – maybe nesting in the cliffs? Of cause down here, seen was the Guillemots and Razorbills, as well as the Fulmars, a Cormorant, 2x Oystercatchers screaming east, Herring Gulls, Feral Pigeons, Wood Pigeons, Jackdaws and Crows.
I walk back on myself and down into lighthouse field gully, here I spot the Thrift in bloom, a Fulmar flying left of me down the cliffs amongst the Jackdaws and a Lesser black-backed Gull, other plants such as the salty tolerant Sea Beat and Rock samphire, as well as Birds-foot Trefoil and Kidney Vetch are spotted.
I walk up a steep hill towards the lighthouse, here I spotted Foxgloves, a Meadow Pipit, and heard a pheasant. Along the lighthouse wall spotted was Birds-foot Trefoil, Horse-shoe Vetch, Creeping Buttercup, Milkwort, Common Rock-rose, and Lady’s Bedstraw amongst other wildflowers growing.
On the way up to the Learning Centre seen and heard was a Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Male and female Blackbird, Wren, Blue Tit, Skylark, and Whitethroat, all amongst the still blooming Hawthorn. Furthermore, when it came to doing the weather recording, 1 Swift was spotted above me – It’s so nice to finally see these amazing birds that have migrated all the way from Southern Africa to get here to breed!