Bird watching by cliffs
One Dunnock on Sycamore
Sounds like a sandwich
I caught a face full of Storm Doris as I entered the park this morning. Gusts were up to 46mph, the upper end of gale force. The car park residents seemed unperturbed by the strong winds, with the songs and calls of Great Tits, Blue Tits and Robins all clearly audible. There was also a single Magpie battling against the winds, its body undulating through the air as it rode out the gusts.
Walking down Long Meadow I entered the woodland, past a patch of Winter Heliotrope. I continued along the bark chip path, noting the growths of King Alfred’s Cake on some of the log borders. There are several patches of Snowdrops emerging, though they have yet to flower. Spring Crocus however have now begun to bloom, their purple flowers adding a welcome splash of colour to the woodland understory.
Looping back towards the Castle I noticed a Wood Pigeon, perched on a branch overhanging the centre of the footpath. I suspected it had malevolent intentions towards me and decided not to risk passing directly underneath.
The footpath to Caravan Terrace was occupied by a pair of Chaffinches, foraging on the ground. Maybe walking isn’t for chumps after all. Further along the Coast Path a Dunnock sat singing on a Sycamore.
Over the water the Guillemots were absent, presumably out to sea again. Instead I watched 3 Fulmars squabbling over a piece of food. One would retrieve it from the water, only to be harassed by the other two until it dropped the morsel. This repeated a few times. I don’t plan on inviting Fulmars over for dinner any time soon.