A fresher feel this morning, after some overnight showers, with a lively north-westerly wind chasing scuffs of grey cloud across the sky and white horses galloping across the sea.
Despite the rather grey skies, the ground underfoot is a picture, with the downland dappled with colourful flowers. Buff-tailed Bumble Bees crawl lazily over a carpet of pink Wild Thyme, with great swathes of red and yellow Birdsfoot Trefoil, lemony Horseshoe Vetch, pink and white Restharrow and the tiny white flowers of Eyebright.
Elsewhere, Bee Orchids, Pyramidal Orchids and Common Spotted Orchids swarm across the downs, with patches of dusty blue Wild Clary, honey-scented Crosswort, Lady’s Bedstraw and Hedge Bedstraw.
A variety of grasses in flower, from tiny, intricate Quaking Grass, the curious Crested Dogstail (with it’s rather flattened flower), the chunky cylindrical Timothy and familiar Cocksfoot, up to the huge Tall Fescue (almost as tall as me already).
In the hedgerows, the beautiful flowers of Woody Nightshade abound – a typical solanum flower (like a tomato or potato) in vivid shades of purple and yellow, along with the elegant flowers of Stinking Iris – worth a place in any garden, despite it’s unflattering name!
Down along the clifftop, a Rock Pipit hurls itself into the air as a Raven wheels overhead.
Down below, Guillemots whir in and out from the ledges (with a breathtakingly fishy smell along the clifftop above them!). More straggle along the water below, as Fulmars wheel smoothly above them.
Out at sea, a Gannet passes by, with Sandwich Terns plunging knife-like into Durlston Bay.
A Peregrine Falcon scans for prey from Durlston Head.