A glorious morning for an early patrol across Durlston, today I focussed on the seaward boundary, where the early sunshine was reflecting on the water, producing splashes of brightness through the dappled woodland edge – what away to start the day.
Singing heartily from the centre of a patch of Bramble scrub was a Dunnock, the slightly weedy song fairly easy to distinguish, producing an answer from another Dunnock across the meadow.
Nearby a Great Tit was ‘churring’ the sun catching his yellow chest as he sung and a Blue Tit perched alongside.
As I walked down around Durlston Head, the chilly north-easterly winds gusted right through me and rattled the branches of Holm Oak and Tamarisk above my head. Along the coast path, three Guillemots bobbed calmly on the incoming swells headed towards the cliffs. Certainly no Adders were to be seen above Tilly Whim this early in the morning, though the sunshine promises hope for later on!
Flitting amongst the rocks on the ledge was a Black Redstart its fiery red tail catching the eye when it moved, otherwise it was so well camouflaged I wouldn’t have seen it.
High in the sky, a Peregrine surveyed it’s territory, soaring effortlessly on the rising air currents. A group of Jackdaw’s chatted noisily from the nearby woods – a warning perhaps to keep their wits about them with the predator nearby. Out of sight, they undoubtedly stayed close to the scrub for safety.
In the woods a burst of colour lined my path with a patch of Scarlet Elf Cup fungi, growing amongst a miniature forest of bright green Moss on an old rotting branch. With my attention drawn to the ground, I noticed snuffle marks where the woodchips had been disturbed – likely by a hungry Badger, scouting out some yummy Earthworms to eat last night!
Overhead a Siskin called, while in the tops of the Willow a Firecrest moved amongst a small flock of Goldcrests.