The morning seems to have shrugged its shoulders of the previous days rain, with a cloudy, sometimes dark grey, swirl billowing across the park. It’s possible to see the clear blue sky through gaps in the cloud and hopefully, with gusts of wind hitting up to 20mph already this morning, it may push this overcast spell out to sea.
As I walk up toward the Work base I can hear the continual whirr of a Grasshopper Warbler, and its not long before I see the nets of the Bird Ringers in the Wildlife Garden. I pop in to see them and here that today they have had a Durlston Record; 9 Grasshopper Warblers caught and rung. On top of that there were Sedge and Willow Warblers as well as a Garden Warbler just caught and brought over by out regular volunteer Mick. As I was being given this update there was also a Swallow in the hand and it was incredible to see this small yet powerful bird so close up, this one being a first year juvenile I overhear, as it still had a touch of white on its head, just above the bill and shorter tail feathers.
Clustering up along the cliffs were some House Martins, cruising the coastline, awaiting their chance to break from these shores and fly across the Channel on their migration. Walking past the Globe and up towards the Observation Point I can see the pinkish Thrift growing out and above the Tamarisk that we had cut back last month adding refreshing clouds of colour to my uphill trek. Upon arrival at the Observation point there are two Shags flying Eastwards, low to the water and above a gathering of Herring Gulls, sounding somewhat croaky this morning, like they had been smoking all night!
On the side of the cliff, looking West from the Observation Point, in its usual location, halfway up, was a Peregrine Falcon. Hunkered down, tight to the cliffs, I could see its head rotating around, continually observing its surroundings and what may fly into its zone. In the car park a Pied Flycatcher was spotted and in the meadows a Painted Lady.