I returned to the depth of the gully to seek out the bird behind the “Garden Warbler” song of yesterday. I caught sight of a Blackcap perched on a Sycamore branch protruding above the sea of Blackthorn blossom. Indeed the Blackcap sang forth revealing it as the owner of the song I had wrongly attributed to a Garden Warbler!
Today there were insects on the wing with many Hoverflies happy flying at my face level. Bee flies with their long proboscis seemed to be uninterested in visiting flowers, perhaps they needed to “charge up” in the sun first! It was in the depth of the gully bottom that I found a sheltered spot, yet still getting sunlight where some Speckled Wood butterflies appeared. A pair disappeared in a “courtship” spiral dance. Amongst the sward perhaps not surprisingly was an elongated Grass Spider Tibellus oblongus which I believed to be a hunting spider rather than a web producer. Beware of any caterpillars you might find in webs. We have tent colonies of Brown Tailed Moth caterpillars in the thorny plants. These caterpillars (although small) have hair like spines which are extremely irritating to humans (at least!). We have Dandelions in flower and others have gone to seed and their “clocks” a ready to set seed via the wind!
Initially I thought there were only thirty Guillemots in disparate rafts upon the sea, however, another forty we upon the water virtually just below the Guillemot cave / ledge wherein another seventy birds remained. Plenty of clumsy flight was observed and gargling calls heard! Only two Shags were seen this morning flying over the sea towards Durlston Head. A lone Fulmar was exploring beyond the Tilly Whim Ledge whilst upon it perched a Herring Gull and a Rock Dove popped in for good measure. First thing the pair of Ravens occupied the lower mile marked until, as I read the weather, one called as it flew over the wares.
Both Great Tits and Blue Tits were most actively flitting between the cover this morning. I saw one Blue Tit investigating the Black Thorn blossom presumably for small flies. Reliably Chiff Chaff gave their obvious repeating calls whilst Chaffinches sang their glorious songs, one from a Sycamore. Blackbirds and Robins were active with voice and flight.