The distinctive Chiff Chaff call, Chaffinch song and Blackbird vocalisations rang out a plenty. Great Tits were inevitably seen and heard. At the gully bridge one of the Song Thrushes sang entertainingly whilst I admired some brown / grey birds were unidentified by me! From the upper gully a Pheasant cocked. At least one of the many Jackdaws was busy gathering nesting material, in this case dry Tor Grass blades.
Out to sea the Fulmars were seen in orbit off the cliffs, whilst a Shag headed eastwards.
Whilst I admired the growth of blossom upon Blackthorn and Hawthorn I found Ash still with bulbous buds, however, some the large dark sticky buds of Horse Chestnut had opened to reveal the palmate (five fingered) compound leaves.
I believed it was a Merlin that put in an appearance over the wares, its behaviour and stocky body most unlike our two most frequent birds of prey. Upon the ground I saw my first Cowslips this year. Again I searched for our early flowering rarities and found basal orchid rosettes a plenty. On the Western gully mouth slope a vivid dark blue flower spike excited me, however, it was only to be a solo Spanish Blue Bell. Near the lower mile maker post I found my first Yellow Wort flower spike of the year (although yet to flower).
A brief detour to the Tilly Whim steps was rewarded with the sight of a basking dark female Adder, despite the breeze and lack of sun. Nearby a Lesser Bloody-nosed Beetle explored a rock outcrop which reminded me of the Oil Beetle we found whilst working on the Peveril Downs coast path earlier this week.
In fact the vivid yellow Gorse flowers contrasted against the overcast western sky. Adjacent to the Lighthouse boundary wall one bare Blackthorn bush was heavily coated with an orange lichen in a “fried chicken” style. Cherry Galls remained attached to an otherwise bare Oak tree.
Warren reports: Red Throated Diver; Red Breasted Merganser, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter and eight Brent Geese.