As I headed to the cliffs, past the newly flowering dull pink clumps of Hemp Agrimony, the water ahead was flat and calm, markedly different to yesterday’s white choppy seas.
As I stopped at the bottom of the gully by Tilly Whim to look at a Lulworth Skipper butterfly, a puffing noise, a bit like a scuba diver, made me turn, to look out to sea, and there the dark grey dorsal fins of a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins were visible, fairly close in.
At least 7 of these superb mammals, their fins rising and falling as they made their way slowly along the coast to the east, then a couple of tail slaps of the water before they all disappeared. After a few minutes the Bottlenose Dolphins reappeared further out, having changed direction – a few more breaths and fin sightings and then nothing!
A great sighting, as I looked again a number of rafts of Guillemots could be seen bobbing on the water, and 3 Razorbills.
Back on the cliffs a family of Shags stood, the youngsters much paler than the greenish tinged adults. The cackling of Jackdaws, mixed with the higher pitched calls of the Rock Pipit and the growling of the remaining Guillemots – see the live camera to the watch the chicks before they have all gone!
Clambering over the scrub the Old Man’s Beard, a mass of bright green leaves and newly opening pale lemon coloured flowers, while the pinky-cream flowers of Honeysuckle adds to the colourscape.
The croak of a Raven, which was perched on the metal mile marker, and the tinkling song of a charm of Goldfinches made me look upwards, where I could also make out the scimitar shaped black wings of the Swift, its screaming call adding to the morning noises.
The large white dome of Wild Carrot attracting six orange Soldier Beetles, while the Bristly Ox-tongue has a few solitary Bees in amongst the yellow flowers.
A wonderful display of yellow Lady's Bedstraw alongside pinky-purple Wild Thyme, with the dots of Eyebright, Squinancywort and Centaury.