Just to remind you if you were visiting today or tomorrow that Durlston Castle (including café, shop, toilets and gallery) are closed while we do some maintenance. The toilets at the Learning centre are open as of course is the Park!
Weather : Dry, chilly grey with some bright intervals.
Another day when the main feature was the thousands of Wood Pigeons and Stock Doves flying overhead. These birds strangely silent apart from the loud tearing of air as they pass.
Very different, were the flocks of Goldfinches which were tinkling as they flew over, flashes of gold and white noticed as they passed through a shard of sunlight.
Bobbing on the sea, just below the cliffs were a group of 6 Guillemots, 2 of them in splendid new ‘breeding’ plumage, the others still showing the winter ‘non-breeding’ plumage, with dark lines across the eyes and the back of the head but otherwise white faces. On the ledge a few more Guillemots stood erect, facing outwards to show their white bellies.
From behind me came the high-pitched calling of some Goldcrests as they were searching through the leaves of the White Poplar for morsels for breakfast, as I admired these tiny birds I was also able to watch a Firecrest, the stripe across its eye instead of the white ring making the bill appear longer.
A sudden jinking nearby as a dark brown coloured Sparrowhawk dashed along, hugging the curves of the scrub as it went.
Dotted across the short grassy turf of the downs some purple flowers, these the heads of Black Knapweed on very short stalks.
Also scattered, Yarrow flowers, some of the heads white, others nearer pink.
As I walked up from the Castle last night in the dark, I was startled by a Badger appearing almost at my feet, it shot off with a crashing through the leaves!