What a change from yesterday, with the sun shining brightly just above the horizon, a gorgeous golden glow spreading across Durlston.
A bright chestnut Kestrel flew into sight, swooping above Durlston Bay, unusually calling noisily as it went.
With this improvement in the weather came a mass of small birds, flocks and flocks as they passed overhead, having probably hunkered down somewhere for the last couple of days.
In the tops of the Ash tree a flock of Goldfinches, the markings easily seen as the sun caught the feathers – golds, red, whites, browns and black. As I watched, a second flock landed, this time of Linnets, and they too perched on the bare twigs, their pink chests adding to the colour swatches.
The high pitched calls of a Goldcrest came from somewhere above, eventually spotted in amongst the yellow leaves of the Hazel, a tiny brown bird with a white ring around the eye, but the flash of yellow hardly seen on its head.
Across and over Durlston Head a flurry of Swallows, great views as they came really close. While high in the sky the groups of migrants continued to pass including Siskin, Chaffinches, Redpoll a few Brambling and more Linnets and Goldfinches.
The different flight pattern and the long tails of the Pied Wagtails fairly easy to spot as they looped across the sky in amongst the rest.
A chuckling type call from the top of an Elm attracted my attention, looking up a Great Spotted Woodpecker was standing upright on the stem, its red ‘trousers’ showing really well, a very showy bird with its distinctive black and white feathering.
The deep throated call of a Raven, added to the cackling of the Jackdaws and caw of the Crows as I walked back past the Castle.
Once again the Guillemots were on the ledge, like most mornings at this time of year, they will probably only stay a couple of hours before going back out to sea.