A silken blanket laced with hairs might seem like poor protection
But if you tear through
The hairs will get you
With a very itchy injection
Travelling through the woodland I kept a keen eye out for any new emerging fungi, stopping by at the Aviary yard to inspect a log pile for potential finds. There were a few King Alfred’s Cakes and Jelly Ears, but that was all. I continued on the path admiring the abundant Daffodils and Primroses, as well as a nice new patch of Scarlet Elf Cup.
Along Long Meadow I spied a Willow Warbler making short flights along the hedge, though I wasn’t able to catch any of its song. I ran into Mick, one of the bird ringing crew who had racked up an impressive array of sightings, with Linnets, Blackcaps and a Pied Wagtail also out and about today.
I ventured fourth to the meadows for the next stage of my ramble, encountering a couple of Egghead Mottlegills and the remains of a few Grassland Puffballs from last year, the rotting husks still containing a brown residue of leftover spores. The thick fog reduced visibility to less than one hundred meters, but I was still able to discern a few Chiffchaffs gaily singing away despite the dour weather.
Walking past the Lighthouse I took a moment to study the Brown Tailed Moth cocoons adhered to Blackthorn bushes at the end of the road. They were coated in dew, causing them to glisten in the ambient light of the morning. Not exactly pretty, but visually fascinating. Somewhere off the edge of the cliffs I could hear a foghorn droning out into the endless grey.
A Raven flew overhead as I passed the Tilly Whim Caves, its diamond shaped tail visible through my binoculars. The Guillemots were also out in force, with around 125 of them clustered on the Ledge, their saurian cries rising and falling like a very badly co-ordinated choir. A scan of the waves below revealed 10-15 more Guillemots, and around 7 Razorbills for good measure. Tramping my way past the observation point I suddenly noticed a Goldfinch perched on a Holm Oak only a few meters above me. I didn’t need my binoculars to admire its vivid colouration, and after a few seconds it flew off, leaving a trail of short chirps in its wake. A golden wonder.