A lovely spring morning with more signs of spring appearing by the day. Around the park, trees are bursting their buds, with fresh white sprays of Blackthorn blossom, vibrant green leaves on Hawthorn, while the fluffy green-yellow catkins of Sallow are buzzing with queen Buff-tailed Bumble Bees.
On Caravan Terrace, Dog Violets can be found, and the grass is studded with Cowslips, while on the downs, constellations of paler blue Hairy Violets are in flower. Whitlow Grasses, Early Scurvy Grass and Good Friday Grass (none of which are actually grasses) are all in bloom, along with the tiny, fluffy flowers of Glaucous Sedge.
Even the Car Parks are full of flowering Lesser Celandine, while the first few Cowslips (much later than usual) can be found in the meadows.
A joyous chorus of birdsong fills the air, dominated by the rhythmic wheezing of Great Tits. Dunnocks fill; the air with their jazzy, syncopated rhythms, along with the clear, sweet notes of Blackcaps, the accelerating song of Chaffinches and fragments of the exuberant song of Skylarks above the meadows – please help protect these endangered ground-nesting birds at this time of year by keeping to the main paths and keeping to the main paths.
On Caravan Terrace, a Chiffchaff is in song, perfectly silhouetted against a golden morning sky, with the harsh croaking of a Raven heard from overhead. Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits chase through dense scrub nearby, with a Buzzard riding the thermals above the bay.
Along the cliffs, Rock Pipits make their showy display flight, fluttering high into the air, then parachuting down on outspread wings and tails, singing as they go.
Fulmars, Great Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls and Shags circle the cliffs, as Jackdaws hurry back and forwards with beaks full of nesting material.
Below, Guillemots and Razorbills bob on the water, with Peregrine and Kestrel also seen.