It’s another fair morning with the sun out and a slight north easterly wind making it feel cooler than of late. One thing that is obvious now is how parched the grasses are everywhere! From the car park heading to the diagonal path a Wood Pigeon can be heard and a Field Maple is walked past.
On to the diagonal path, Robins and Magpies can be heard singing and calling within the Sycamore, Ash and Holm Oak. Bracken, Stinking Iris and Harts-tongue Fern are spotted on ground level, as Brambles are seen starting to take over the path. Out of the woodland habitat is the open view of the English Channel, with the European Gorse and Blackthorn providing a scrubby habitat. Here a solitary bee is spotted on Bristly Oxtongue, Wild Carrot is dotted around, what I believe is a Common Carder Bumblebee on Greater Knapweed, Field Bindweed, Restharrow, Teasel, and Ragwort which is great for the Cinnabar moth. Butterflies spotted here Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, and Marbled White.
Below Tilly Whim, Golden Samphire and Rock Samphire are starting to bloom, but the Guillemots and Razorbills are all gone with the Guillemot chicks fledge - making the clifftop trail rather quiet! Herring Gulls are seen above; Shag is seen on the cliff edge as a Cormorant is spotted flying west. Lulworth Skippers are also observed walking along the bath.
Past the observation point and towards the stunningly beautiful Durlston Bay the North easterly wind cools the air down – I was looking out for the Peregrine Falcons but no luck this morning, a Song Thrush is singing away, another Lulworth Skipper is spotted, as well as a Common Field Grasshopper.