Since last writing the diary I have finally been able to spot a White-tailed Eagle at Swye Head which was a spectacular sight to behold, so keep your eyes peeled when walking around Durlston and around Purbeck/Poole Harbour area!
I head down through the lighthouse path and passing Wild Privet, Hawthorn in bloom, Holm Oaks, Stinking Iris, Dandelions, Ivy, as well as sapling Blackthorn and Sycamore. A wren is heard singing away as I walk past the Walling Centre. Past the gate I bump into an Ex-Head Ranger, who reported seeing Bottlenose Dolphins around Tilly Whim area, unfortunately I did not get to see them today.
Walking down the lighthouse path I spot Birds-foot Trefoil, Ox-eye Daisies and some cuckoo spit is seen on what I believe is Common Toadflax (cuckoo spit is created by Frog Hoppers for their larvae). Heard was a Pheasant, Meadow Pipit, Skylarks, as well as a Yellowhammer with a song that sounds like: “a little bit of bread and no cheese”. Also spotted was Horse-shoe Vetch, Meadow Buttercup, Black-backed Gull, Whitethroat, Stonechat, many Herring Gulls heading west, and 2x Linnets.
Down in the gully below a bridge a Wren, Chiffchaff, Blue Tit, Great Tit, and Dunnock are spotted and heard amongst the Sycamore, Hawthorn, Elder and other trees and scrub species, further away a Jackdaw is seen above, and a Meadow Pipit, Skylarks and Blackbird are heard.
Walking onwards, I notice Milkwort amongst the Horse-shoe Vetch, Thrift is starting to be seen as one walks by and past the lighthouse front wall. Foxgloves are becoming more common as the May time flowers are becoming more plentiful, another Meadow Pipit can be heard near some Tamarisk, and Sea Beet, Sea Campion, Rock Samphire and Wild Carrot are seen around the Tilly Whim gully. Herring Gulls, Jackdaws, a Wall Brown butterfly, Guillemots, Ravens, and a Fulmar are spotted as I rush back from the bottom of the gully to the Learning Centre via the Diagonal Path and the small copse.