A glorious morning, brilliant sunshine, a gentle breeze and a very slight autumnal chill to start with.
Up against the blue sky the movement of flocks of birds could be clearly seen and heard with the most common being the Goldfinches, hundreds counted as they flitted overhead, with many others landing in amongst the seed heads of Creeping and Woolly Thistles and Teasel and Burdock.
A flock of long tailed Pied Wagtails flew over, undulating up and down in the air as they do, soon followed by a few flocks of Chaffinches. Other overhead movement included 7 Redpoll, 25 Siskin, a few Skylarks and the first Bramblings of the autumn.
Perched on the cliff edge was a superb Peregrine Falcon, a fantastic opportunity to see its slate grey back and slightly striped chest as well as the bright yellow ring around its eye. A little further along the cliff a second Peregrine was also perched, this one facing out to sea.
In the pink flowered Tamarisk the constant movement of small birds caught the attention, a good few minutes spent watching, with Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs the most numerous, while Robins, Dunnock and Wren popped into sight on occasions.
The warm sunshine bringing the butterflies out to bask with Red Admirals galore, 10 counted on one large clump of Ivy. A Large White sunned itself on the leaves of the Old Man’s Beard, a Speckled Wood and a Painted Lady was on the path. In the gulley, one of my favourite butterflies, was a fresh Small Copper.
As I studied the holes in the bare earth made by Mining Bees I was buzzed by a Swallow which flashed really close by.
Over the gulley a Sparrowhawk floated serenely, it then dashed along a hedge edge and came to an abrupt halt on a dead Hawthorn stump, allowing me to study it before taking off and hugging the contours of the scrub. To add to the birds of prey for the morning was a Merlin, spotted as it chased across the sky, tiny in comparison to our resident raptors.
Other sightings included 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Stonechats, and a few Linnets. Also 2 Roe Deer and a Shaggy Ink Cap.