When I arrived I saw the “Hoppity hop” of both Carrion Crow and Rabbit at the car park fringes. Upon a branch reaching out from the reservoir copse two Carrion Crows perched as sentries over Lighthouse Road. However, they flew down long meadow perhaps to investigate the waffle of Green Woodpecker. Not surprisingly both a Grey Squirrel and Magpie loitered near the waste and recycling compound! Near the castle bird feeder it sounded as if unseen Long Tailed Tits were passing through the Holm Oak cover. At Caravan Terrace and wet holm oak branch drooped heavily over the path whilst an unseen water fall trickled down the rock face obscured by bramble. The wet had given the Harts Tongue Fern fronds an additional vibrant sheen.
A flashing light was seen on the Peveril Ledges marker buoy, whilst a Shag sat in the relative calm off the bay, although boulders could be heard being moved by waves on the shore. Beside the Noon bench was my first encounter with the Jackdaws, which were to number a score at the observation point. Four Greater Black Backed Gulls headed west past Durlston head, later to circle and pass up and down the cliff tops. Off the head could be seen up to four Gannets at one time. I enjoyed watching one Gannet dive into the sea then later saw another heading west off Anvil Point. The activity of the Jackdaws appeared to set the score of racing Pigeons off from below the cliff top. In several places the Tamarisk had shed some of its “needles” like confetti upon the coast path. On pelagic observations Warren reported a passing Red Throated Diver and a Black Throated Diver as well as 50 Brent Geese. A linear raft of half a dozen Guillemot was first seen upon the sea close to the cliffs, whilst like barnacles upon a rock, some sixty such birds filled the cave ledge.
I was happy to see a good dozen Hereford Cattle grazing the goat plot. I heard the trill of Wrens from the scrub. Near the centre I at first thought I was disturbing far too many unusually nonverbal Blackbirds from the Blackthorn, when of course they materialised as Redwing. In front of the bird hide there was much flitting of at least Blue Tits. Tonight brings the beginning of the Geminid Meteorite shower which we hope to share with Wessex Astronomy on Thursday night.