A windy morning whips the trees in to a frenzy as I head out through the meadows. Brambles are starting to put out fresh new leaves bright green in colour, the old leave dark green and purple look beaten up and tired compared to the new ones. The ground even wetter under foot after last nights 14mm of rain I slip and slide my way through to the large copse.
Nettles and Lords and Ladies are popping up across the woodland floor forming a blanket of green. Through into Taskers where I spot some Blackthorn just starting to come into flower, the snowy white flowers just starting to open along the dark brown branches. Wild Parsnip leaves are starting to emerge through the long grass along the edges of the path.
Skylarks can be heard singing over the whistle of the wind, there singsong melody brightening the morning. Apart from the occasional Pigeon and Blackbird, birds are noticeable by there absence probably all sheltering from the biting wind.
By the gate into Oxeye in field 10 Charlock can be seen coming into flower, its tall flowering stem covered in bright yellow flowers, it sways aggressively as its buffeted by the wind. Across the sleepers bridge I wind a reprieve from the relentless wind and hear I also find small birds. Great Tit and Blue Tit are in attendance. The Great Tit coming out to sing on a branch just above my head. I can hear Goldfinch though can’t see where they have tucked themselves away in the scrub.
Back out into the wind and over the top of ten where I spot the basil rosette of an Orchid, I suspect an Early Purple Orchid, though I’m happy to be proven wrong when it flowers. Down on to the light house bridge where again I’m sheltered from the wind. A long Chiffchaff hops around the scrub below the bridge, the small greenish bird with a stripe through its eye occasionally popping out the scrub so I can get a look at it. A Dunnock sings from the top a swath of Old Man’s Beard covered in the seed heads that give it its distinctive name.
At the top of the light house field a lone Cow Slip can be seen in flower, the drooping bell shaped yellow flower standing outa against the surrounding grass.