A fantastic spring morning, despite a chilly north-easterly breeze. Overhead, Skylarks reel their song into a clear blue sky, as blizzards of white Blackthorn petals fill the air like confetti.
The scratchy song of Whitethroats rings out from bushes and hedgerows around the Park, with Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Chaffinch and Dunnock all in good voice
In the Small Copse, a flock of Goldcrests weave among the branches of Holm Oaks, while in the lee of the trees, Holly Blue and Speckled Wood butterflies are on the wing. Hundreds of Bee Flies (with round fuzzy bodies and long noses, designed to sip nectar from Cowslips) are also on the wing in more sheltered spots.
It’s shaping up to be a fantastic year for orchids, with hundreds of green and brown Early Spider Orchids in bloom on the downs, along with numerous Early Purple Orchids (tall purple spikes of flowers with spotted leaves). The first Green-winged Orchids are also starting to appear
On the shorter turf Hairy Violets are still in bloom, with the tiny blue and white flowers of Common Milkwort starting to appear. Lots of the tiny Glaucous Sedge is also in flower – a pale lime green head, with a silvery grey underside to the leaves, with the first curious flowers of Salad Burnet also appearing.
Swathes of yellow Cowslips cover many of the meadows, with the bright blue flowers of Green Alkanet on the way down to the Castle.
The distinctive leaves of Yellow Rattle can be found here and there on the downs, along with those of Common Vetch.
Along the cliffs, Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls and Shags can all be seen – many of them busy nest-building.
A Raven circles above the Mile Markers, with Peregrine and Kestrel also out hunting this morning.