A real treat to be out and about early this morning, with brilliant sunshine sparkling on patches of frost in hollows of the downs and glittering on a gently lapping sea.
Up on the ridge above the Lighthouse, the low sunshine makes the caps of Field Mushroom gleam like gold, with Shaggy Parasol and a scattering of small, lemon yellow Waxcap fungi (though I can’t be sure of the species).
Old Man’s Beard is also looking spectacular in the sunshine, with a crimson-breasted Bullfinch nestled in the middle of one dense tangle – his colours immediately catching my eye.
Long-tailed Tits squabble and jostle for position along the Drove, as a Dunnock shuffles along below them, with Robins, Wrens, Blue and Great Tit all foraging nearby.
Stopping to speak to Hamish near the Castle, a Marsh Tit shot across right in front of us – the number of sightings of this species at Durlston seems to be on the increase.
Jays squawk from within the woodland, with the equally unmelodic croaks of Ravens heard from overhead. At the Observation Point, a hen Pheasant clucks frantically as she hurtles off along the Clifftop Trail ahead of me, while Goldfinches swirl and chatter above the scrub along the clifftop.
At sea, a single Gannet cruises by, with a Great Black-backed Gull soaring lazily along the cliffs.
Above Durlston Bay, a Buzzard takes advantage of the thermals to spiral upward, with a Kestrel hovering above Long Meadow and a Sparrowhawk veering round a patch of scrub on the downs.
A Green Woodpecker bobs across the Car Parks, the sunshine making its red and green plumage look especially fine.
Grey Squirrels squabble and tumble through Holm Oaks on the Coast Path, while Badgers have been digging up the path through the Copse.
Autumn migration continues, with a late Redwing (they usually migrate at night) passing over the meadows, along with Brambling, Siskin and Redpoll.