Despite a chilly south-westerly breeze, there is a definite sense of spring in the air around the Park, with the sounds, smells and colours all forecasting the transformation to come.
Along the cliffs, seabirds chatter and bustle, with a Shag flapping his way into the cliffs, carrying a beak-full of seaweed, as Fulmars zoom, stiff-winged in smooth arcs above him.
Great Black-backed Gulls circle the clifftop, alongside much smaller Herring Gulls, as a noisy mob of Jackdaws squabble, as they wheel and dive in an impressive display of formation flying.
Down on the water, no less than 20 Razorbills bob and preen in their smart black plumage – many more than breed here each year, so our resident birds presumably have guests! A few Guillemots amongst the group, with a bustling, growling ‘bazaar’ of birds crammed onto the main ledge.
A little further along, a pair of Peregrine Falcons (Mr and Mrs) perch almost side by side on a high ledge, allowing me, for once, to notice the size difference between the two – the female being much larger and with a different pattern around her chest and throat.
Along the Clifftop Trail, our Apprentices have been out cutting back the encroaching Blackthorn and Tor Grass, creating sunny south-facing banks – brilliant habitat for reptiles later in the year.
Along the Diagonal Path, Gorse blazes brilliant yellow in the sunshine, with Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long-tailed Tits. Chaffinch, Robin and Wren darting among its branches. A Dunnock shuffles through the leaf litter below, with a Song Thrush taking flight from his ‘anvil’ as I approach, finding a large flat stone at the side of the path littered with the broken shells of 5 or 6 Garden Snails.
A Raven ‘cronks’ as he circles the Mile Markers, with a Kestrel hanging on the air above the Gully.
A few plants newly in flower, including Bay (fine yellow sprays of flowers) and Sallow (the first fluffy catkins).