As I looked out across the gently swaying grasses, a tan coloured shape was moving slowly through the stems of the Tall Fescue, Rye Grass, Smooth Meadow Grass, Yorkshire Fog and Crested Dog’s Tail.
A female Roe Deer, her head becoming visible above the shorter grasses, her ears twitching. As I watched another movement came from behind and a young fawn came into view, followed a little later by a second fawn.
Across the downland the white head of Wild Carrot is in abundance, in the centre of the flower a dark red centre. Starting to flower also the yellow Wild Parsnip, while carpeting the ground is the tiny pink Wild Thyme. All of these the ancestors of the food we know eat.
Growing with dark feathery leaves is Yarrow, mostly topped with white flowers, but some have pink flowers, while the petals of the ground covering Restharrow are both pink and white.
From ahead of me a tapping sound could be heard as a Song Thrush was banging a Garden Snail shell on the ground to break it open, to allow the bird to reach the soft gastropod inside, after a few taps the Thrush flew off with its prize for breakfast.
A group of 8 juvenile and adult, Common Whitethroats were flitting around the bare earth and into the rambling clambering mass of flower covered Old Man’s Beard.
As I watched in the background four Cormorants flew eastwards, their size and shape easily recognised, while from the cliffs came the call of a Peregrine Falcon.
Sleeping in the moth trap a good selection of the night flying insects, including the pink and green Elephant Hawk-moth, the almost triangular Scalloped Oak and Garden Tiger, as well as Large Yellow Underwing, a Drinker and the wonderfully named Setaceous Hebrew Character.
Yesterday we had our Glowworm walk and were delighted to see some of these magical female beetles in the grass, providing a bright green light. After finishing the walk a quick survey counted 18.