A wonderfully wet day yesterday with 31.8mm of rain falling – more than the rest of the month in total!
A few puddles to negotiate as I took a stroll across the farmland meadows, where battling against the buffeting south-east wind a Kestrel was hovering. The quivering wings and body enabling this males head to remain still as it searched for a vole, or beetle or other creature for breakfast.
Emerging with a twitter from the green grass was a Meadow Pipit, followed by a few more, all disappearing at speed up and over the wall with the wind behind them.
A patch of Bristley Ox-tongue still flowering as was some Autumn Hawkbit – both yellow, and the white heads of Wild Carrot emerging above the field. From a distance another white blob of what I assumed to be Wild Carrot, was actually a group of white headed fungi! These were probably the Yellow Stainer – not one to be eaten!
The loud squawking and clacking of a Magpie caught my attention, it was perched on the top of a Hawthorn as a large black bushy tailed Cat walked past (only a fat domestic cat – nothing more!).
Along the cliffs the sea was covered in large white crests, as the wind whipped up the rolling water. Skimming low over the waves was a string of glorious white Gannets, their long wings gleaming as they flew west, first one then another and another – 7 in all. Every now and then one would rise higher, then bank showing me both black wings tips, and the close in ones their yellow heads.
Half way up the cliffs, the main ledge was occupied by a good number of Guillemots, a few arriving and other leaving, their black and white bodies whirring as they went out to sea. On close view the white heads of these winter plumaged birds could be seen.
Returning back up the diagonal path a Pheasant startled me as it erupted from the verge, the dappled markings of this female making it difficult to see in the rough grass!