A cloudy sky with a chill wind and bright bursts of radiant sunlight
Greeted this morning by a chill wind over warming spring temperatures, the day burst forth beneath the wings of a pair of Jays soaring across the entrance road – Blackthorn to Brambles.
Paul is a-buzz with the excitement of new season, he points to the Elder and Wild Service trees in the wildlife garden; noting how they have shed off their winter starkness, stretching out their growing branches, new buds waving proudly towards the sky. Two birdfeeders, a brim with small black sunflower seeds, invite a plethora of early visitors amongst which can be seen Great Tits, Robins, and Blue Tits. From South Field a Green Woodpecker can be heard, while perched on high, a Carrion Crow watches all.
At the top of Lighthouse Field we stop to ponder at the bird in the Holm Oak – a Raven or a Carrion Crow, we never did decide. Playing amidst air currents, dancing towards the coast, are 3 laughing Magpies, followed closely by 4 Woodpigeons clearly on a mission. We listen to the flit-it, flit-it of a pair of Linnets, and stand in awe of a Jackdaw train, each in possession of a treasure to weave betwixt their growing nests.
Making our way towards the cliffs, we are met by a stiff cool wind. We round a corner and I am amazed! Gracefully before us coast Shags, Cormorants, and Greater Black Back Gulls. Riding atop the choppy ocean, belonging beyond all doubt, are our beloved Guillemots, nearing 100 in number, white bellies radiant against the dark grey seas. Raising my eyes to the cliffs, I see their chosen home, a fabulous sea cave, filled to brimming with a further 80 Guillemots nestled in with similarly coloured Razor Bills who are distinguishable by the length of their bills and a slight variance in colour.
The best, it seems, was left for last as we clamber back up along the Lighthouse Gully. As we stand stooped admiring the splashes of brightly coloured Violets peppered amidst the soft rabbit-nibbled grasses; we are passed overhead by the winged glory of a Kestrel. He swoops and drives in a breath taking aerial artistry aimed to impress his chosen mate. We look on in delight as he joins her on the bright green ledge of the Lighthouse Window, sees him nestle in close together, whispering to each other in a language both alien and heartbreakingly familiar.
Today’s diary was written by Rosaline McGraffin