A surprisingly warm start to the morning, the jumper coming off almost immediately! Under this heat the Park seemed very quiet, as I stood by Tilly Whim the only sound to be heard was the chugging of the fishing boat as it arrived at a pot buoy.
The silvery fluttering of a Small Blue virtually the only movement down in the gully, while a Stonechat was perched on the top of the clambering fronds of Old Man’s Beard, his orange chest and black head showing well.
As I checked the Hereford Cattle in field 10a – all but 1 lying down chewing the cud – a Peregrine Falcon floated overhead, the stocky body, and as I looked up dark moustache making for an easy identification.
The short turf is a mass of flowers at present with a carpet of yellow and blue predominantly from the Horseshoe Vetch and Chalk Milkwort, while small Bulbous Buttercups and chunkier Bird’s Foot Trefoil add a different yellow hue.
The delicate baubles of Quaking Grass dangling down, which along with Salad Burnet provide a top height to the otherwise low growing plants. A few of the purple spikes of Early English Gentian to be spotted as is the delicate white 5 petalled Fairy Flax – both of which need close inspection of the ground!
While looking at these flowers a Paederus littoralis, a black and red Rove Beetle scuttled by and the large fat metallic green larvae of a Greater Bloody-nosed Beetle was spotted on the leaves of the Bedstraw.
Bounding onto lighthouse green was a female Roe Deer, her appearance at speed indicated she had been startled, she then slowed, gathered herself and stood looking around the sun catching the fur producing a bright chestnut colour
Returning to the centre a quick peek at the catch from last night moth trap revealed well over a hundred, including Oak Hook-tip, Red-twin Spot Carpet, Muslin, Orange Footman, Common Swift, Small Square Spot and Snout – more to come once they have been identified!
Later Reports of a Red Kite being mobbed as it arrived from the continent, seen during the Clifftop tour.