Looking across the rough grassland, a glimpse of a tan back, the wind moving the grasses making it difficult to get a good view, but there, virtually hidden was a very young fawn, its mother (Roe Deer) who was standing near bounded off over the wall, leaving the fawn, whose back was dotted in dirty white spots. Please make sure your dogs are kept on the paths and under very close control.
A fairly slim Fox, wandered slowly across the path ahead of me, white tip of the tail disappearing into the scrub, while signs of a Badger active last night and Bats flitting across the sky.
As I strolled towards the cliffs, the flowers of Bird’s-foot Trefoil and Red Clover in the grass alongside, the pale lilac flowers of Stinking Iris now prominent as are the patches of cerise pink Gladiolus, while clambering over the walls the purple flowered Bittersweet and a mass of Honeysuckle – it seems to be a good year for these pink and cream flowers. The rough hooked Wild Madder now also sporting pale creamy-green petals in a star shape.
Down on the water Guillemots scattered galore, a quick count of 230 (along side 3 much blacker Razorbills). The sound of splashing as they washed accompanying their growling. On the cliffs another 200 or so caring for, feeding and guarding their eggs and chicks.
A chuckling Fulmar alerted me to one sitting in a cranny on the rock face, a second Fulmar gliding towards it as it passed, before continuing to circle round.
A couple of Shags in flight and a Herring Gull sitting on a nest provided more interest as did the Grey Seal bobbing for a few moments in the water before diving and disappearing.
On the downland, the sound of Stonechats galore as both adult and young perched on the tops of Gorse stems chatting. Common Whitethroats singing loudly, a Greenfinch took flight from the ground and in the sky 3 Skylarks could have been having a sing-off!
Bright pinkish-red flowers of Wild Thyme blooming alongside Eyebright, with Centaury just starting its summer presence.