A quite glorious morning for a walk at Durlston, the blue sky spotted with at least 3 singing Skylarks, their lovely song floating down.
All across the meadows the bird song was incredible, finally a day when the resident and newly arrived birds have decided to sing. The chorus included the wonderful scratchy call of the Common Whitethroat, this coming from the tops of a number of blossom covered Blackthorns.
As I stood and watched the flitting and movements of the birds a sudden flash of bright red passed me by, disappearing into the green-leaved Hawthorn scrub, binoculars at the ready, another movement and a superb Redstart appeared, red, black and grey all lit by the sunshine.
On the back of the downland, the scrub was being used by a groups of Blackcaps, both the black capped male and the brown capped female easily spotted as I sat on the grass. Additional birds included Chaffinch, Wren, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Song Thrush Blackbird and a skulking Lesser Whitethroat, all of which were singing at times.
My attention was interrupted by a droplet catching the sunlight making it appear dark green and gold, on inspection of this amongst the prickly Gorse, it turned out to be the slimy underside of a Brown-lipped Snail – not what I expected at all!
Lots of flowers to spot, the pride of place for me, taken by the carpets of Cowslips, but interspersed are tall pinky-purple Early Purple Orchids and the Early Spider Orchids.
Easily spottable in the fields are Dandelions, masses of the hard heads of Ribwort Plantain and a few of the earliest Bulbous Buttercups.
Along the hedgerows Herb Robert, Bluebells and Wild Garlic in flower, while the hedgerow trees include Ash whose buds are opening into their shaggy reddish ‘flowers’.
On arrival back near the Centre a small flock of Goldfinches were buzzing, one standing face on, the sunlight shining directly on its red face – amazing sight. 2 Wheatears then reported from the Coast Path.