After several ‘early rounds’ with my head and hood down, trudging through stinging rain, by contrast, this morning we enjoyed some welcome spring sunshine and a lively south-easterly breeze.
The recent cold snaps have slowed down the appearance of many spring species – most things seem to be around 2 weeks behind where they would normally be. A few spring flowers are starting to emerge, with the first of the Cowslips starting to appear in the meadows – dots of bright yellow among the grey and bronze of last year’s grasses. The dark green arc-shaped stems of Crow Garlic tower above the young grasses, with a dense ‘meadow’ near the Small Copse releasing it’s powerful scent as I walked through it.
In the old quarry, plenty of the rosette leaves of Early Spider Orchid, though no flowers yet, with black-speckled leaves of Early Purple Orchid also seen in Taskers.
On the shorter turf, the pale yellow fluffy flowers of tiny Glaucous Sedge are starting to appear – the silvery underside of the leaves help distinguish it from other sedges, while the old adage ‘sedges have edges’ helps separate many of the Durlston species from the grasses. Purple Hairy Violets stud the downs, with patches of Blackthorn just starting to burst their buds into white flowers, with Elder and Hawthorn just coming into leaf.
Fresh, pale green leaves of Stemless Thistle are also starting to appear – their prickles still soft, with the first flowering Salad Burnet I have seen this year.
Along the clifftop, some nice patches of white-flowered Early Scurvy Grass, with the related Whitlow Grass also in bloom.
Guillemots are crammed onto the ledges and bobbing on the water below, along with a few Razorbills, as Fulmars glide smoothly above them, cutting through the wind with effortless grace.
Also seen or heard this morning, Dunnock, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Raven, Jackdaw, Robin and Wren.