Nature has both flowers and fangs
Velvet Glove and Iron Fist
So delicately the balance hangs
Between conquer and co-exist
Fog loomed thick and heavy over the landscape today, with visibility down to one hundred meters or so at times. Enough to see my immediate surroundings, and a great opportunity to make use of my ears for spotting. Chaffinches were calling from the recesses of Holm Oaks and Sycamores, with the ubiquitous tones of Robins and Great Tits echoing through the mist. I was also pleased to discern the sweet trills of two Song Thrushes alighted on separate Blackthorn bushes.
The woodlands beckoned, and I padded down Long Meadow to see what was to be seen. Winter Heliotrope was still present in abundance, and the damp muggy weather was certainly well received by the fungi. Our ever present patches of Turkey Tail were looking particularly resplendent, and I also spied several new outgrowths of Scarlet Elf Cup and a few bulging Yellow Brain Fungus.
I ran into several long-time Friends of Durlston over the course of my travels, and picked up a few wildlife tips in the process. If you head down to the aviaries, you stand a chance of catching a glimpse of Coal Tits, as well as Greater Spotted Woodpeckers. Best of luck to you all, because I couldn’t find em.
What I did see was several patches of Spring Crocus, flowering a little earlier than you’d expect as a result of the mild winter. Such a soft and subtle flower, it seems impossible that such a plant can share the same space as Foxes and Peregrine Falcons. Nature may be red in tooth and claw, but it’s also pale purple of flower.
Out of the Woodlands, I passed the Castle and investigated the cliffs, Counting around 10 Razorbills and 25 Guillemots on the water. A Dunnock was perched on a stubby Elder and twittering away gleefully, whilst our seemingly endless supply of Jackdaws launched and landed from the rocky cliff faces. There’s so many of them, what are they all eating?