Taking my route along the play activity trail, the sound of Jays was cascading from the Holm Oaks as I thoroughly enjoyed using the swing and balance ladder and beams!
The flashes of blue from the feathers on Jay wings catching my eye as I peered upwards, the pale buff pink body blending surprisingly well with the branches of the trees above me.
The croaking of Ravens also heard as was the calling of Carrion Crows as they stood about in the tops of the Macrocarpa tree.
Across Durlston Bay, which was bathed in sunlight, the ripples catching the sunlight making it look silver rather than the bright blue of the sky. As I gazed a flock of Herring Gulls flew past crying loudly, as they finished the screeching call of a Sparrowhawk took to the air, while a second bird took flight with a flap-flap-glide action before disappearing from view.
Flitting in the dappled light of the woods, around the dark green leaves of the privet was a pale blue Holly Blue butterfly, but as I later wandered into the meadow, a flutter of Meadow Browns erupted from the grasses and ground where they had been basking or snoozing.
Alongside these was a bright golden coloured Clouded Yellow, which looks almost green when it closes its wings, plus a Painted Lady, then as I once again reached a section of trees a Speckled Wood appeared.
The calling of some Rooks from the Sycamores added to the corvid list, as did the brightly marked black and white Magpies – which on close inspection are really quite stunning with blues and greens rather than black! To complete our crow family a cackling group of Jackdaws landed amongst the Black Pines.
Growing from a dead log a superb example of a Dryads Saddle fungus.
Crawling across the Ladies Bedstraw was a Greater Bloody-nosed Beetle, a wonderful looking beetle. As I looked closely a movement enabled me to see a Grey Bush-cricket, to go with the Oak Bush-cricket spotted earlier on the hide.