The early sunshine producing a beautiful blue sea upon which were a few ‘pot buoys’, otherwise skimming low across it were a few Shags.
Through the cool of the woodland and into the dappled light filtering through the leaves, along the path edge Enchanter’s Nightshade in abundance, amongst the fallen leaves a family of Blackbirds could be heard and then seen turning the vegetation while looking for some invertebrate breakfast.
Above one of the viewpoints a Buzzard was slowly circling, superb view of this large bird of prey as I was able to look down on it and then up as it rose higher.
The cliff edges are providing great food sources with Buddleia, Red Valerian, Dog Rose and Honeysuckle attracting a variety of insects including Comma and Peacock butterflies, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth and Silver Y’s, Buff-tailed and Red-tailed Bumble Bees.
Out into the meadows where the sounds of insects is almost deafening. Grasshoppers galore with Field Grasshoppers taking flight and Meadow Grasshoppers leaping, the occasional long wheeze of a Common Green Grasshopper also caught the ear. Flitting amongst the flowers bundles of Marbled White butterflies, often landing on the pale lilac Field Scabious providing a wonderful contrast in colours.
Basking on a stone was a Grayling, this butterfly often elusive at Durlston, certainly not the case with the Lulworth Skippers which seem to be quite numerous, the brighter orange wing marking showing on the small dull brown wings.
On many of the grass stems the papery white and yellow cocoons of the Six-Spot Burnet moths can be seen, the empty ones have a black top.
A few Swallows sweeping overhead and the noisy sound of young birds of prey, accompanied the cackling call of a Green Woodpecker, 3 of these large green and yellow birds spotted, each perched on a Yellow Meadow Ant hill.
Last night, on a slightly cooler night a short survey of the night-time wildlife discovered a Badger snuffling in the slightly softer woodlands, Pipistrelle Bats flitting up and down the ‘glade edges’ that are created along the road, a Tawny Owl gently floating, the flat face amazing to see as it flew. However the highlight for me were the Glow-worms, the bright green light shining from the grass, this is a sight that always makes me smile.