At January’s end a cold and quiet morning still revealed some wildlife!
It was a Song Thrush that gradually built up it song from somewhere about South Field. It was briefly accompanied by the call of two Green Woodpeckers, seemingly one position at the large and then later the Small Copse. A pleasant surprise came in the form of a Kestrel which travelled with the wind up and over the wares into Saxon Field. A trio of Woodpigeon travelled in the opposite direction swooping down into the gully.Beside the lowest mile marker this Ranger was buffeted by the wind.
Of course Shags we seen flying off shore with one diving between the rolling swell off Tilly Whim Ledge. At least a quartet of Great Black Back Gulls were off shore, with three which circled about the cliffs. With their “sea side” call a pair of Herring Gulls put in an appearance, although not as brief as that of the Peregrine Falcon which sped past having come out of the gully to head seawards towards the Castle. But a pair of Fulmar were seen in flight today, whilst there were more departures of sea bound Guillemots from the disappearing thirty in the cave ledge.
Again I followed Roe Deer slots, albeit on a different up Gully route. Only faeces indicated the presence of Rabbits, which fortunately seemed to be keeping down much of the grassland initially grazed down by the Herford Cattle. The latter had been moved to the Newland known as Quarry Field, where we have been doing much light scrub clearance. Amongst the stands of Bramble numerous Gall Wasp, Galls can be found upon the plant stems. Lighthouse Road Bridge had a score of Jackdaws perched above it in a Sycamore. Earlier two (even too!) noisy Jays flew up in that vicinity. Whilst Great Tits, Blue Tits and Robins were heard but the most melodic song came from Chaffinches.
I examined many Orange lichen Xanthoria parietina in the hope it might be a Golden Eye Lichen which to me has “eye lashes” on its fruiting spore body, such that it resembles a Sundew. The Golden Eye Lichen had been found on Blackthorn in field three.
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