A glorious spring morning, with the woodland illuminated by shafts of sunlight, filtered through a lush green canopy. The woodland floor is covered with dense new growth, including glossy Hartstongue Fern (starting to unfurl), spikes of Stinking Iris, the delicate leaves and pretty pink flowers of Herb Robert, along with Bluebells, Three-cornered Leek, shoals of garlic-scented Ramsons, Cow Parsley and the bright yellow flowers of Lesser Celandine, to name just a few.
Among the branches, the sweet notes of a Blackbird mingle with the repetitive calls of Chiffchaffs, the wheezing of Great Tits, excitable chatter of Blue Tits, with Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and Dunnock also seen.
A few Speckled Woods dog-fight over patches of sunshine, with a pale Holly Blue fluttering along the Coast Path near the Timeline.
Once out of the wind, plenty of other butterflies on the wing elsewhere around the Park, including several Wall Browns, basking on sunny quarry hollows or dry-stone walls, with Orange Tip, Small Blue, Common Blue and Peacock all seen this morning.
Lots of the curious, green-tinged larvae of Bloody-nose Beetles are scattered across the longer turf, with an adult, round, glossy and black plodding mechanically across the Lighthouse Road. Many of the flowers of Bulbous Buttercup house shiny green Flower Beetles, while our butterfly transect yesterday ‘recorded’ lots of Ticks using the usual survey technique of being bitten by them!
In the meadows, 3 species of orchid are in bloom, including Early Spider Orchid, Green-winged Orchid, and Early Purple Orchid, with other meadow flowers including Pale Flax, Yellow Rattle, Common Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Red Clover.
Lots of song from Whitethroats out on the downs, while along the clifftop, Guillemots, Razorbills, Peregrine Falcon and Raven are on the wing, with a superb display from a male Rock Pipit, rocketing up into the air, before parachuting down.