Skylarks are singing
A symphony in the sky
The whole world’s a stage
A cold, clear, sunny morning with a few wispy cirrus clouds far up above. The song of a Chaffinch provided a fine send off as I headed out onto the meadows. I glimpsed a flash of white at the edge of the field and turned to see the flank of a Rabbit disappearing over the top of a dry stone wall.
Inside Small Copse a Song Thrush was alighting in a Corsican Pine, showing off its speckled underbelly. Continuing on to Saxon Field, a Meadow Pipet shot over my head as I made my way along the path. Passing through the gate, I picked up the song of a Dunnock above. On the ground, patches of Crow garlic were sprouting along the path edges.
My next sighting proved to be the highlight of the morning. Soaring overhead, in full song was a Skylark. Rising steadily through the air, it continued its display for several minutes before suddenly turning quiet and dropping earthwards. Magical.
As I rounded the lighthouse I spotted a puff of feathers scattered on the hillside, the remains of a bird of prey’s last meal. The Guillemots were absent today, but a passing walker reported two Peregrine Falcon sightings, a female and a smaller male.
A pair of Shags flew low over the water’s surface, alone above the waves. No other seabirds seemed to be around. Above the entrance to the Tilly Whim Caves, three Adders were basking in the early morning sunlight. I observed them from a comfortable distance. Returning past the castle, the calls of Robins and Wood Pigeons emendated from the trees around me, and the Daffodils and Primroses provided a pleasant splash of colour to my cheerful morning stroll.