My first bit of wildlife this morning was the sight of a Roe Deer peering at me from the grass, the sun highlighting the bright gingery colour of her fur, as I looked more closely alongside her was a small fawn, still with a pale white stripe along its back and some fading dots on it back. What a start to the day.
Last night the rain came down 15.9mm of it, making the ground greasy as I walked, especially where the paths have mud as their surface. The meadows again looking marvellous, a swathe of blue from the Pale Flax, green from the array of grasses and white from the Ox-eye Daisies.
A few butterflies basking in the early sun, with the Small Heath (pale brown and grey) on the ground and flitting amongst the Cocksfoot and Quaking Grass some Small Blues (which are closer to silver and brown than blue but are very small).
A superb view of a Common Blue as it perched on the foodplant of its caterpillars – the yellow Bird’s-foot Trefoil.
Fluttering in the field a Meadow Brown, as I watched I was drawn to the white umbel of the Corky-fruited Water Dropwort, the hard ridged stem and flattish top quite distinctive.
A gorgeous Bullfinch perched in the Dog Rose, the white flowers framing the bright pink chest, nearby a Common Whitethroat was singing its scratchy tune while a Lesser Whitethroat was spotted skulking low in the Blackthorn bush.
A number of fledgling birds about now, with young Robins, Stonechats, Blue Tits, Great Tits all seen, along with what looked like young Skylarks.
A patch of yellow Dyer’s Greenweed beginning to cover the bottom of Johnston Meadow, while along the hedgerows Hogweed and Bracken have overtaken the Cow Parsley.
A Painted Lady landed on the newly opened Lesser Knapweed, a lovely contrast of orange against purple colouring.
Back to look at the newly hatched Guillemot chicks, watchable through our website Webcam | Durlston Country Park