It was a splendid sunny morning, but in the shade and when the chill breeze blew I welcomed my hat and scarf! During my patrol I did not see any butterflies on the wing, however, Bees, Hoverflies and Bumblebees made an appearance. We had scatterings of Cowslips with bracts more pronounced than their flowers! Indeed with small flowers drooping downwards and the larger bracts trailing behind like parachutes, together they looked like pantaloons or pedal pusher trousers! On the western side of the Lighthouse perimeter wall a significant carpet of Bluebells coloured the floor beneath an Elder. I found an Early Purple Orchid’s spotted leaf basal rosette near the quarr. No doubt I would have found more at the bottom end of Long Meadow.
At the weekend I had a brief glimpse of a Common Lizard as I went of the “evict” youth from the caves. The reptile basked upon the remains of a coastal dry stone wall and scuttled into the sanctuary of the rock crevices. Today I visited our “other” Adder spot in the gully bottom. On a rise above the dry winter borne, a scree of south facing rocks surrounded by scrub can be a good Adder spot… not today! However, I did get to hear the high pitched calls of an unidentified Small Mammal from the Grass / Bramble verge beside the road.
From the depths of the gully scrub I could hear the scratchy song of an unidentified (Reed / Garden / Wood) Warbler. Chaffinches, Robins, Great and Blue Tits all said hello whilst as usual a Green Woodpecker called from afar. The song of a Skylark carried across the Meadows whilst higher up the rumble of aircraft gave a summer’s day feel. One of a pair of Carrion Crows transported a twig for nest building. Another pair, this time Woodpigeon, occupied the overhead wires and called to each other across the valley.
I must tell you that often even before the Ranger patrol, there are many others out walking. Amongst them is volunteer Ann whom undertakes an early morning dolphin watch. Ann sits out with an insulated bowl of porridge so she enjoys her breakfast with superb views as part of her watch. Today I briefly glimpsed a Shag upon the sea, a few Rock Doves and Jackdaws off the cliffs and passing Herring Gulls.