It’s always a pleasure to see (and hear!) so many Guillemots rafting together below the clifftop. The wind picked up a little overnight, with Easterlies meaning our Friday night boat trip was cancelled. So today the birds bob up and down over a slight swell and kick their legs to stay grouped together. Further along, a separate raft of 16 Razorbill identified by their blacker plumage and broad bills.
From the Observation Point, I watch the Herrng Gulls patrol back and forth, Fulmar in steady circular flights, and Shag passing low against the water. A single Greater Black-backed Gull appears, dwarfing the other birds and a stark contrast between its different colour feathers. Woodpigeon float around in the air above, whilst Jackdaw strut along the cliff edge. They also gather in the Tamarisk which is covered in fluffy pale pink flowers.
The hum of insects grows as I follow the trail towards the Lighthouse. The turf becomes increasingly speckled with flowers; trumped-shaped Bindweed, cheery yellow Mouse-ear Hawkweed, the white umbelliferous Carrot and patches of brilliant purple Wild Thyme. As I pass Tilly whim, deep cronks heard from a Raven atop the lower Mile Marker post. Here, an excellent showing of the yellow Kidney Vetch though starting to go to seed.
Look closer to see plenty of tiny Eyebright, Common Centaury, and Hop Trefoil all adding to the mosaic of different colours and flowers. Further up the slope, dense clusters of yellow Lady’s Bedstraw, the leaves of which are the foodplant for Bloody-nosed Beetles. More occasionally, the conical-shaped Pyramidal Orchid.
With the thermometer reading already hitting 20 degrees by 9am, an abundance of butterflies already flutter about the grasslands: Small Skipper and Meadow Brown explore a patch of Common Restharrow - looking pretty in pink. A Marbled White passes through; wings intricately chequered black and white. Agrimony has appeared all around and Thistle leaves are growing day by day.