Clad in armour green and blue
Wings a ’beating two by two
Stand aside ye motley crew
The emperor is coming through
I passed a patch of yellowing Hedge Bindweed this morning as I entered the park through Long Meadow, the flowers long since shrivelled. A pair of Robins flew out of the hedge towards me but pulled an immediate 180 degree turn and shot back in again at the sight of me. A few patches of Hawthorn shook from the movements of concealed Grey Squirrels, the red hawberries jiggling merrily in the morning sun.
I made my way straight to the Castle to let in some contractors doing essential maintenance work and then went down to the globe. Blue Tits were singing atop the Tamarisk and a few Yarrow plants were still in flower, as well as a single Ox Eye Daisy. A Magpie hopped along the path for a few seconds before silently taking flight. It disappeared into the undergrowth alongside the rasping screech of a Jay, apparently less reserved about making a racket.
Along the Clifftops Sea Aster and Rock Samphire bloomed side by side and I paused at the Observation Point to take in the birdlife. A few Jackdaws and Herring Gulls were on the wing, and a Peregrine Falcon sat quietly preening its feathers on a ledge. Again, the main spectacle came from the hundreds of Swifts massing in the skies. As I stood watching they passed me by the dozen, some skimming past me by barely a few feet, I could hear the swish of their wings as they went.
Carrying on along the Clifftop Trail I had another close encounter, this time with an Emperor Dragonfly, the bright green and blue metallic lustre of its exoskeleton looking very regal in the early morning light.
Finally, I’d like to take a quick moment to print another formal retraction. On Saturday the 1st of September I said that I saw some Chalkhill Blues on the lighthouse road. After a polite discussion with my colleagues it has been suggested that they were in fact Adonis Blues and I had been a little gung-ho in my identification. I apologise unreservedly for the misinformation, at Durlston we take pride in our accuracy and accountability. No fake news here.