A superbly glorious morning for a patrol around Durlston, the blue sky being the backdrop behind a Skylark, which was pouring song down from above.
As I looked at the meadows, another Skylark emerged from the long grass, the wings fluttering as it almost hovered before diving back down again.
The pale blue colour across the meadows was the Pale Flax, all the flower heads facing east into the sunshine, the bright yellow Bulbous Buttercups and darker yellow of Rough Hawksbit also facing in a similar direction. In amongst the dark pink of Red Clover and almost purple Common Vetch while the grasses are beginning to grow tall, with Cocksfoot, Crested Dog’s tail and Wild Barley noted.
Along the hedgerows where the May blossom is covering the Hawthorn came the scratchy song of a Common Whitethroat, this small brown bird with a white throat then became apparent as it was perched on the top twig, nearby the tinkling calling of Goldfinches as they took flight, re-alighting on the Blackthorn.
Another bird flitted through my eyeline, the white flashes on the wings making this Chaffinch easy to identify, as did the song heard soon after.
The early sunshine encouraging some insects out including butterflies such as the Small Blue – this generally only the size of your fingernail, so really quite small – also the Small Heath, more brown, grey and orange and a wonderful male Orange Tip. Just on the short turf near the lighthouse the brilliant turquoise of an Adonis Blue was like a jewel on the yellow Horseshoe Vetch.
On the return to the centre a Lackey moth caterpillar was wavering on a gate post, the body striped with blue.
Last night as the sunset with a glorious array of purples, pinks and oranges a Fox was spotted trotting through the long grass, a Roe Deer was browsing on the leaves of the Bramble and as darkness fell a Badger scuttled across the path and Pipistrelle Bats flew above.