My eyes strain hard to make out colour
The lack of light makes the world duller
The birds before me are streaks of grey
Are they Goldcrests? I cannot say
And then at long last the dawn breaks
And now there can be no mistakes
Rich colour replaces the greys and browns
And I see the gold upon their crowns
Another windy and overcast day, I anticipated a lacklustre array of sightings as I entered the Car Park. It was a pleasant surprise to see a Kestrel taking off from the ground and fluttering away almost immediately. The calls of Green Woodpeckers cut through the air as I made my way to the Large Copse, struggling to stay upright against the combination of slippery mud and high winds. It was still too dark to see colour properly as I patiently followed a pair of small birds, which I was 90% sure were Goldcrests. As the full light of the morning finally arrived, I was proven correct.
Startled Blackbirds called out from the hedgerows in response to my ungainly passing, and I stopped and took a moment to admire the pattern of footprints in the mud of one of our gateways. Quite artistic, in a way. Continuing to the drove, a pair of Carrion Crows took off and flew away left, as a Greater Black Backed Gull glided overhead to the right.
Hogget Mead had a full blown stream running through it, the soil too saturated to drink in any more moisture. I stepped over gingerly and made my way over the rest of the downlands. A Redwing briefly arced out of a patch of scrub and flew away, and a few Blue Tits made various noises but remained invisible.
The slopes above the Coast Path proved fertile grounds for fungi, with the usual Field Blewits, as well as more Velvet Shank, Egghead Mottlegill and the husks of several Common Puffballs. I took all these in and travelled to the gulley where I experienced the first calm of the morning. Out of the wind I kept watch for a few minutes, but the birds seemed keen to preserve the stillness and wouldn’t come out. I respect their right to privacy.
Other reported sightings this morning included a Roe Deer by a pair of walkers, and from Ben the Ranger Guillemots, Gannets and a Peregrine Falcon along the coast.