What lies beneath the waves I wonder?
What secrets there do sleep?
Whilst on the land I trip and blunder
What moves within the deep?
A dolphin, porpoise, a fish or three?
Perhaps a basking shark?
Or something bigger I cannot see
Staring back from the cold and dark
The weather was exceptionally pleasant as I entered the park today, warm and sunny but not oppressively hot like the recent long dry spell. A few yellow Agrimony spears were protruding from the Car Park verges and my ears caught the demonic screech of a Jay from the hedge alongside Long Meadow. I also passed three quarters of a Slow Worm, though unfortunately it was missing the most important quarter and therefore wasn’t particularly active.
The bird ringers were out again, reporting a slow morning for captures considering the time of year. They had managed to bag 3 Nightjars, a Redstart, Garden Warbler and a Whitethroat or two. A few Blackcaps, Goldfinches and Greenfinches were also to be seen. It’s strange, I always wish the ringers a good morning when I see them but they’ve already been up for four hours so it doesn’t quite feel like the correct term of address.
Further out into the wilds of Durlston I passed swaying fields of dried Yellow Rattle and Crested Dog’s Tail. Also still in bloom were patches of Hemp Agrimony, Field Scabious and Restharrow. I reached for my binoculars to study a bird flying overhead but I’d managed to id it before I brought them to my eyes based on its silhouette and body movements. It was a Swallow. Not a particularly impressive deduction I’ll admit, but I’m proud of it.
Down by the Lighthouse I saw and heard a Stonechat, posing briefly on a Bramble before departing. A large Shag was flapping across the waves below, passing over a patch of water aglow with the morning sun. Out to sea a large anvil shaped cloud was towering on the horizon. Not quite a Cumulonimbus, but getting there. I also ran into local wildlife photographer Julian Sawyer out for a morning stroll. He’d snapped a great picture of a Grey Squirrel posing on a cliff edge, as well as a Buzzard hovering over Durlston Bay. If you want to see some of his work then head down to his gallery “Purbeck Footprints” in town on commercial road.