Despite the cloud and breeze my first butterfly of the morning flew over the chalet. Whilst the numbers were few I saw fresh specimens of: a Red Admiral basking on a gully rock; Adonis Blue; several Meadow Browns; a Ringlet; several Small Whites on both sides of the gully; a fleeting glimpse of a Small Copper and possibly a Small Heath.
I discovered today that the abundant warblers I had been seeing can only have been Wood Warblers with their yellow breasts and black legs. Today I saw a good dozen near the centre and Large Copse. Two Ravens were communicating about the large copse where I witnessed one land. Conversation seemed to continue as they separated one heading towards “the finches” and off park tree cover. Upon the path into taskers I had found half of a clean white Pigeon egg whilst just above the mile markers there was a remnant of a Guillemot egg. Both signs of a corvids activity. A Song Thrush called from a perch of bare branch tips protruding above the scrub in Saxon. Swallows were present in the skies with perhaps thirty in total. Two Skylarks flew up from the sward in the “most recently” grazed area of Saxon.
Standing on the inland gully rock ledge I caught site of the Kestrel flying down then across the gully only to perch on the rock outcrop below the Lighthouse. Heard but not seen were: Green Woodpecker; Magpie and Blackbird with inevitable alarm calls. Both Robins and Great Tits put in an appearance whilst the largest grouping of Jackdaws came to fifteen.
A Rabbit bounded over the gully sward to take covering in scrub beside the rock face. Nearby I discovered fresh soil excavations and snail shell which led to a shelter suitable as a small mammal “cave” at the rock outcrop. Elsewhere I found what could only have been a Fox “leaving” but it surprised me as it contained long, coarse and straight Badger fur!
Bird Ringers caught today: Chiff Chaffs; Willow Warblers; Blackcaps; Goldfinches and a Redstart.