A glorious morning here at Durlston, with the sun rising across the site providing long shadows as the early mist disappeared.
On the ground a heavy dew – not ideal in my boots as they have large holes in – giving me soggy feet! Apart from that just wonderful with hundreds of Swallows and House Martins swooping overhead, their chittering calling and constant zipping about a joy to watch.
The highlight however was a bizarre sight of a Roe Deer, it’s coat turning from the bright chestnut to a duller brown, walking along the top of a dry-stone walling teetering as it walked over the cappers. As it stood still, it then browsed on the berries of a Hawthorn and the Ivy, seems a lot of effort to make for these plants which are to be found all over the Park. Perhaps there was some other tasty morsel in the area as well.
Overhead flocks of Goldfinches were moving across the sky, often dropping in on the bushes to enable me to admire their golden wing flashes and black, red and white markings.
The sound of Siskins calling as they too flew over, as were flocks of Linnets and a few Meadow Pipits.
A sudden squawk of a Jay alerted me to one then two and then three of these multicoloured birds, while watching through my binoculars, in the background 3 black and white Magpies appeared and 4 Wood Pigeons were spotted perched in the Sycamore.
Landing on the top of a Horse Chestnut tree was a Skylark, silhouetted against the sky. Moving through the surrounding scrub a couple of Blackcaps.
Flitting then landing to back in the sunshine were 2 Red Admirals and a Speckled Wood butterfly and wafting about a number of Crane Flies.
On the top of the centre was a Pied Wagtail, one of many spotted this morning, their undulating flight and calling making them fairly easy to identify.