It’s a morning of bird sounds today, maybe spring is starting to get on it’s way? Or is this a false spring? From the beginning, just in the car park, Song Thrush, Wren, Wood Pigeon, Robins, Goldfinches, a Blackbird, Crows, Jackdaws and Herring Gulls can all be heard around me. I walk beside a path surrounded by Blackthorn and Sycamore towards lighthouse path – here the ground flora full of Ground Ivy and Stinking Iris, as well as the odd Harts-tongue Fern.
Reaching the Lighthouse path and heading right towards the lighthouse, a Rook and Blue Tit are both heard and spotted. Also seen are Lords and Ladies and Cleavers starting to grow ready for spring, yet still evidence of died back Wood Dock are present. As I walk past Brambles, a couple of Greenfinches make themselves heard in amongst it, as a Crow is seen chilling on top of one of the mile towers.
At the bottom, I stand at the Gully Bridge for around 10 or so minutes – a stream runs down the gully now like it’s been raining a lot recently! Here the bird songs and sightings are many. I could identify: Song Thrush, White Wagtail, Long-tailed Tits, Robins, Chaffinches, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Crow, Rook, a male Blackbird, Goldcrest, Raven, Dunnock, Firecrest, Wood Pigeon, Magpie, as well as the wonderful spring/summer like sound of a Skylark – the ground nesting bird that breeds in our stunning meadows!
Between Tilly Whim and the Observation Point many more bird species were spotted of cause. A Shag was seen headed east below the cliffs, the first small group of seabirds on the English Channel comprised of Razorbills, and one Guillemot. The main bigger group of seabirds below the Guillemot cave on the water comprised of Guillemots, with one lone Razorbill from what I could see. From the Observation Point I stopped for a minute: at least seven Fulmars are gliding in and out of the cliffs, many Jackdaws, and two Herring Gulls on the side of the cliff.
That's not all, on the timeline just outside the castle there are two Red-cage Fungus: one towards it’s end and the other looking like it’s about to come out.