The ground unusually was covered in the thick damp dew, the water droplets twinkling in the sunlight. Skimming low over the top of the meadow, groups of Swallows, the sunshine highlighting their deep blue backs.
Perched amongst the leaves of a fairly large Field Maple tree was a Redstart, a glorious flash of red as it flicked its tail up and down, and then again as it took off and headed towards the bare almost silvery branches of and Elder.
A burst of song made me turn to see some Skylarks fluttering across the field, three followed by another three. In the distance the sound of a Chiffchaff singing – the monotonous chiff-chaff-chaff-chaff-chiff call ringing out. Ahead of me in the red berry covered Hawthorn was a group of 5 or so Chiffchaffs looking to be picking tiny bits of insects off the leaves.
A sudden emergence of a Whinchat popping up to perch on the uppermost twig of a Blackthorn, the pale eye stripe differentiating it from the Stonechat which conveniently also perched nearby.
As I watched a flock of Wood Pigeons and looked out across towards Swanage, a layer of fog filled the valley and Old Harry Rocks was obscured, a strange effect.
A few white flowers still blooming including the Yarrow and the Wild Carrot, while the Greater Knapweed is providing occasional purple splashes of colour.
Taking flight from the rough ground a Meadow Pipit, a gentle twitter as it took off.
Hopping around near the grazing Hereford Cattle a couple of Jackdaws, while a Clouded Yellow butterfly fluttered ahead of me, as it went it disturbed a basking Wall Brown.
Along the hedgerows the sound of Drone Flies was dominant.