A westerly wind blustering across the park, a lovely change to the last few weeks!
The Durlston Parkrun was setting up as I enjoyed a clifftop stroll, accompanied by the sound of growling Guillemots as they occupy the ledges below and were scattered across the rocking sea.
The Guillemots have been sitting on eggs throughout May, so it will only be a few more days until the chicks start to hatch out.
On a sitting out rock just above a Razorbill perched allowing me a superb view of it, the jet black colouration, broken by a perfect white slash, the beak thick and again marked with a white stripe.
A Shag was flapping low above the water, perhaps returning to its chicks on its nest, a pile a sticks and seaweed on a small ledge. The Shags breed a little earlier so the chicks are already fairly large.
A Great-black Blacked Gull and a Herring Gull were both sitting on visible nests, while the Fulmars are tucked into crevices so much more difficult to monitor what they are up to!
The calling piping call of an Oystercatcher attracted my attention, but difficult to find the bird was circling around, however eventually 2 of these stunning black and white waders were spotted, the bright orange bill making them more obvious!
A great guided boat trip along the coast with Coastal Cruises, provided some really good views even more seabirds including Kittiwakes (10 on the cliffs and more on the water just alongside the boat) and of Puffins (2 on the cliffs and 2 on the water), plus a flock of about 10 Oystercatchers on Dancing Ledge.
Around the lighthouse the tapping call of young Stonechats was coming from the tops of the Blackthorn and Bramble scrub, the mostly brown birds popping up, calling and then dropping down again, great to watch. In the background the sound of a Chiffchaff and a Chaffinch, both repeating their songs.
A Meadow Pipit took flight from the downland slope, a Rock Pipit from the cliff top, while sitting once again on the Mile Markers were 3 Ravens, their noisy croaks of sibling squabbling heard above everything else.
A quick look in the moth trap – Treble Lines, Common Marbled Carpet and Setaceous Hebrew Character plus more…