A very dramatic morning with a dark grey foreboding sky looking as though it was going to dump large quantities of water at any moment – for once however I escaped the rain.
Against this deep colouration the white crests of the sea looked amazing as did a single Gannet which was flying eastwards, the white wings appearing even more brilliant than usual.
The occasional butterfly spotted in the warm sunshine, with a Red Admiral flying past, a Painted Lady and a Peacock perched by the Castle and a female Adonis Blue in the gully.
Last night’s moth trap collected a small selection of autumn moths including Brimstone, Setaceous Hebrew Character and a Dark Swordgrass
Down by the caves on the bare earth an aggregation of the mining bee Colletes Hederea was buzzing, these bees just emerging from their holes before hunting for Ivy pollen. Only discovered in 1993 these bees are gradually making their way across Europe with the first British record here in Purbeck in 2001.
A steady stream of Swallows once again filling the sky, their calls the most obvious sound of the morning, but accompanied by the odd flock of Meadow Pipits.
Form amongst the pink budded Tamarisk the chitting of a Robin and the call of a Dunnock, while amongst the Holm Oaks a tiny Goldcrest could be seen, the flash of bright coloured feathers spotted as it peered down at me.
The rambling Old Man’s Beard is covered in the wispy white remains of the flower heads and flitting up from the ropes was a Spotted Flycatcher. The flecked chest and dark eye showing as it perched before erupting up then down, maybe attempting to capture one of the many Crane Flies in flight this morning.
The honk of a Raven made me look up as usual to see this large black bird, this time followed by the smaller Jackdaws, both then spun acrobatically over the clifftop.