The overcast start to the day allowed the bright yellow patches of Gorse to shine brightly, while from amongst the green spines came the ’chitting’ of a Wren, the bird spotted eventually as it stood with its tail sticking upwards.
From the woods came the sound of a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, while the ‘yaffle’ of a Green Woodpecker was interrupting the airwaves. A squawk of a Jay and the chuckling of a Magpie added to the noise from these larger but superbly marked and coloured birds.
The newly emerging leaves of both trees and shrubs are providing a wonderful variety of greens, with the more yellow Willows, through to the greener Silver Birches, Dogwoods, Hawthorns and Hazels.
Along the coast a Fulmar was zooming, such control as it comes so close to the rocks turning at the last second. On the water 70+ Guillemots with amongst them 11 Razorbills, 4 pairs making themselves obvious by knocking beaks and rubbing necks, the other 3 bobbing about on their own.
Perched on the cliff face was a Shag, the wispy crest blowing in the breeze, making it look very exotic.
In the distance the faint song of a Skylark could be heard, while from the nearby mass rambling Old Man’s Beard a Chiffchaff was calling its name.
In the Blackthorn scrub were a male and female Stonechat, the white collar and black head of the male standing out while the duller female was better camouflaged.
Flying high overhead was a Sparrowhawk, quite different from the chunkier Peregrine Falcon which glided past my vantage point.
Blending into the dull brown background was a Roe Deer, the antlers just showing above the patch of scrub, but for these I would not have spotted this mammal. Bounding about the grass keeping it short in places were numerous rabbits, while the very strong pungent smell of a Fox suggested its recent presence.