Another lovely summer morning, with a cooling north-westerly breeze – ideal for our family kite-making and flying activity later
No kites or Kites to be seen this morning, though I spent an enthralling few minutes watching a large extended family of 12+ Long-tailed Tits among the branches of Sycamores and Black Pines. These ‘flying toffee apples’ with their almost round bodies, stubby beaks and distinctive long tails are brilliant to watch as they squabble and gossip, dissolving into a frenzy of panicky squeaks if they become separated from the rest of their family!
Overhead, House Martins and Swifts are taking advantage of the warm, calm, bug-filled air to feed, hovering up tiny ‘aerial plankton’, with a Peregrine veering round Durlston Head.
A little further down the hill on Caravan Terrace, sweet-scented Marjoram is in flower, alongside dense stands of pale green Wood Sage. Marbled Whites, Red Admirals, a Large White and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth are taking advantage of the early sunshine, sipping nectar from patches of Red Valerian and Hemp Agrimony.
Even this far into the summer, in more shaded areas Pyramidal Orchids are still looking fresh, with Knapweed, Yellow-wort Woolly Thistle, Wild Parsnip, Wild Carrot and Field Scabious among the larger of the later summer flowers.
On the shorter downland turf, Eyebright, Wild Thyme, Quaking Grass, Fleabane, Black and Toothed Medick, Squinancywort and the tiny, delicate Fairy Flax can all be found (though many require getting down onto your hands and knees!).
A walk along the clifftop trail seems strangely quiet, now many of the breeding birds have gone back to sea, however a Great Black-backed Gull bobs on the water, with Shag and Herring Gull also about, however there are plenty of Lulworth Skippers on the banks above the path.