Happy Christmas from all the Rangers at Durlston
Flitting across the path ahead of me a Robin its red breast flashing as it moved, this Robin then hopped into dark green prickly leaves of the Holly.
Perched in the midst of a Yew tree was a Blackbird, its dark beak hidden on the gloomy morning.
A House Sparrow was clambering through the Bramble, then stopped and turned as I walked past, a good view of its brown head spot.
Having slipped and slided across the wet meadows, I headed to the woods, where the easterly wind was making the twigs bash against each other, a constant cracking sound.
Looking high up into the branches the large messy nests of the Rooks could be seen in the Sycamore.
The understory of the woods, is covered with Stinking Iris leaves, alongside the wider Hart’s Tongue Fern and some wonderful Soft Shield Ferns. The large roundish leaves of Winter Heliotrope cover a section of the ground, with just a single flowering spike.
On the coastal strip of the woods the chilly easterly wind was blowing through, while down on the landslip an Ash tree looked as if it was adorned with blossom !! it was in fact the white wispy heads of Old Man’s Beard (or Wild Clematis).
The Winter Cherry has a slight covering of pale pinky-white blossom while the Viburnum has white flowers alongside its dark green leaves.
Along the cliff the Guillemots are once again on the ledges, with a few speeding in and out, a blurr of wings as they fly. On the water a group of young Herring Gulls feeding on – or at least investigating some floating debris.