Another wonderful spring morning, with blue skies and a pleasant westerly breeze.
Out in the meadows, Cowslips bob in the sunshine – a shoal of yellow flowers, with the first slender leaves and stems of Pale Flax also starting to appear. Bulbous Buttercups are also starting to bloom, with Lesser Celandine blazing up out of the grass like a thousand tiny suns.
Early Spider Orchids are scattered across the downs, dew gleaming on their furry brown petals, along with tall Early Purple Orchids, with leaves spotted with black and the first of the smaller, denser Green-winged Orchid.
At the woodland edge, Bluebells are in bloom, along with newly opened Garlic Mustard and the curious green and brown flowers of Cuckoo Pint. The tiny white flowers of Cleavers (or Stickyweed) are also just starting to open.
Glossy black Bloody-nose Beetles plod through the turf, with several mating pairs seen, with a lovely, round furry Bee Fly, bumbling along a sheltered hedgerow.
A Peacock butterfly basks in a sheltered hollow of the downs, with Speckled Woods dog-fighting over a patch of dappled shade in the woodland.
Near the bridge on the Lighthouse Road, a Whitethroat holds court from the top of an Elder, fluttering up into repeated display flights, with the calls and song of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Dunnock and Blackbird also heard from the surrounding scrub. A Pear tree nearby is also in bloom, attracting the attention of a number of Buff-tailed Bumble Bees.
A Green Woodpecker bobs across the Gully, as if suspended from elastic, with a cackling ‘yaffle’.
Along the cliffs, Fulmars wheel smoothly, as Guillemots whir in and out, with many more (along with 3 Razorbills) bobbing on the water below.
A Peregrine Falcon zooms along just below the clifftop, with Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Shag, Rock Pipit, Jackdaw and Raven also seen.