Strong winds again greeted my early morning, the sky a combination of fluffy white cirrus and thick dark grey cumulus clouds. Across this skyline came a flock of Feral Pigeons zigzagging and turning as they went, the roar of their wings heard above the wind.
A Kestrel took flight from the boggy ground of the downland, wheeling to face the wind before beginning to hover, such an amazing sight to see, the skill and control of this bird to remain still in such conditions always fascinates me.
The steady periods of rain over the last few weeks have helped turn some areas of Durlston and the coast into quagmires, making walking and at times standing quite hard work, however the coastpath around Durlston Head and the woodland are wonderfully less muddy! It was along this section that I was able to watch a few passing Gannets. The bright white wings skimming the surface of the grey sea while the black tips showed well on those birds closer to the cliffs.
A group of 5 Guillemots flitted by and a Cormorant soared above the cliffs, disappearing a speed with the wind behind it.
On the sheltered sides of the scrub a good selection of resident and visiting birds were found including the Dunnock and the Wren, both skulking through the prickly branches of the Bramble.
A small flock of Tits caught my attention amongst a Blackthorn path, with Blue Tit first, the Great Tit followed by the wonderful sight of 8 Long-tailed Tits, their pink and grey colours reflecting the early morning light. The constant ‘chittering’ from this flock made them easy to follow through the undergrowth.
The loud croak of a Raven overhead encouraged me to look up at this huge crow whose long wings and fingers are quite different to the other corvids such as the Carrion Crow and Jackdaw both of which were in evidence on my patrol.
A quick check on our Hereford Cattle, the two herds working hard to eat the various grasses and produce the mosaic of short-turf habitat, tufts and open scrub desired here.