The last diary walks for July 2025, and although not the driest July on record for Durlston we have only seen 38% of July’s average rainfall, so evident from how dry the ground is and how brown much of the grasses are around Dorset. As I get my shoes on with overcast skies above me in the car park, spotted were Field Scabious, a Wren and a Magpie.
I head down to the Pleasure Ground Woodlands I take I look out at Durlston Bay and the English Channel with my binoculars, here I see the DFDS Ferry possibly headed for the Channel Islands or France, with Great Willowherb in front of me as well as Hoary Ragwort which is so widely frequent on my walk around the clifftop trail. I also notice what I believe is an Emperor Dragonfly (large in size with fair size abdomen) flying around – strange I thought as not very ‘freshwater’y’ here. Heard above was a Jackdaw, Crow, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Great Tit and a Wren in the Timeline.
I walk round the castle, with a Crow on top and a Herring Gull passing by as I walk down to the Viewpoint. At the Viewpoint I stand and look out thinking Durlston is not the same without the Guillemots and Razorbills, not even the Jackdaws are wanting to chill, but then as I put my eye in I see the usual Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, then the odd Fulmar makes an appearance as well as a Shag and a Rock Pipet.
Down on the cliff vegetation such as Rock Samphire and Thrift of cause are still there, and to the right of me in the Holm Oaks and Tamarisk a Wren is singing away.
Continuing the Clifftop Trail, it gets quite busy, passing a White Poplar tree I notice a Jersey Tiger Moth fluttering in front of me then stopping on Tamarisk for me to take a picture. Then I noticed what looked to be a Greater Black-backed Gull with some prey underneath it. However, I later notice it isn’t prey, it had a damaged tail, as I then notice a Peregrine Falcon going for it (bear in mind the Gull is much bigger), as both struggle to battle it out, another Peregrine comes in to help the other out – after about 2 mins the spectacle continues out of view passed the Castle, not looking like it is the Gulls day however!