A quite beautiful August morning to be at Durlston, with the Swallows swooping overhead, flitting from side to side as they travel, the sun catching their blue colouration.
Down to the clifftop where a Fulmar soared magnificently, the straight wings barely moving as went along at my eye height.
Walking along the coast path the sound of grasshoppers and bush-crickets accompanied me, on close inspection a Grey Bush- cricket was found amongst the dry grass of the slopes, Meadow Grasshopper and Field Grasshopper both numerous while Speckled Bush-crickets were spotted and crawling form the purple Greater Knapweed into the Blackthorn scrub was a huge Great Green Bush-cricket. Despite her size and bright green colour this female was extremely difficult to see, it was the bending of the plants under her weight which drew my attention.
A few butterflies on the wing with Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper everywhere, Small Whites basking on the yellow flowered Black Mustard and the second brood of brilliant turquoise Adonis Blues just beginning.
The seawatch produced just a Long-tailed Skua, lots of Herring and Black-headed Gulls on the water and a few Gannets.
Lots of flowers to enjoy with Ploughman’s Spikenard, the strange small dull yellow flower heads on tall spikes, the dull pink flowers of Hemp Agrimony, yellow spikes of the unrelated Agrimony and white Yarrow.
The strange grey leaves of Yellow-wort topped with the bright yellow flower alongside a large patch of Marjoram, Wild Carrot and Centuary.
Up through the gully 3 Spotted Flycatchers were flitting from bush to bush. A little later a flash of a Redstart diverted my attention from the Willow Warblers I had been watching. The sound of a Bullfinch flying overhead and the deep croak of a Raven moved my eyes skyward where a Sparrowhawk was soaring on the thermals.