Outside the Learning Centre the small group of young Magpies that have been hanging round the area since flying there nest earlier in the week, call out for their parents from around the picnic bench. It’s a beautiful warm morning with a slight fresh breeze, I nice reprieve from this week’s windy changeable weather.
Heading towards the cliff top path, two Meadow Brown Butterflies flitter past as I pass through the top of long meadow. down the steep fill where Hemp Agrimony is sprouting out of the castle wall, topped with bright pink fluffy flower heads while a couple are bright white. Branches of a Mock Orange sag towards the path with the last remaining blossom flowers decorating its branches.
Over the caravan terrace bridge where a rustling in the leaves pulls my attention to a Wall Lizard just emerging to sun bath on the wall. On the terrace Stinking Iris flowers are going over and the flowers being replaced with a swelling rugby ball shaped seed pod. In the verges bright yellow Buttercup, dark pink Herb Robert and bright blue Germander Speedwell are poking out of the green grass like little gems.
Continuing down the hill the song from a Song Thrush in a Sycamore accompanies me along with a Chiffchaff hidden somewhere out of sight. Along to the glass observation point where the usual fair can be seen, Guillemots floating on the churning water below while above Fulmars preform their graceful swoops in and out of the cliff. A long Great Black Backed Gull is tucked up tight on a ledge while another passes over head.
At the turning to the diagonal path a male Stonechat stands proud and sings from a Gorse bush, while an answering female with something wriggling its beak calls back. Above the male a Blackcap emerges calling its softer call just about heard over the louder Stonechat. Up the hill where I hear my first crickets of the year from somewhere in the gras, the noise only just there now, but promising to be a constant low drone as the summer continues.