As the thin rain blew across the National Nature Reserve, my patrol took me towards Lighthouse Field and the Hereford cattle who have spent the last month munching on the rough Tor Grass, Wild Clematis, Ivy, Bramble and anything else, doing a very good job reducing the old vegetation ready for the spring explosion. Now time for a move though and today they will be moving into Saxon Field and staying there for the next week or so. The gates will be signed so please close them.
Whilst searching the scrub a medium sized bird flitted from cover and as it banked to turn I was able to see the dark red feathers under its wing, this Redwing then landing on the top of a still berry covered Hawthorn.
Little other wildlife spotted on this damp windy morning although a small flock of Chaffinches were moving across the sky and a group pf Goldfinches alighted amongst the Teasel, Burdock and Woolly and Creeping Thistle heads to pluck out any of the remaining seeds.
Off to the cliff tops where a flutter of activity revealed a flock of Great Tits and Blue Tits flittering in and out of the Tamarisk fronds, the calling ensuring they were spotted even if the movement did not.
Just behind them were a family of Long-tailed Tits who hung about in the branches chittering to each other, appearing a little like decorations on a Christmas Tree!
On the ledges the black and white Guillemots were packed together, an occasional churr being wafted up to my ears by the fresh south-west breeze. A few of these Auks in flight as well, the rapid wing movement making them almost a blurr.
A Shag and some Herring Gulls the only other life to be seen above or in the churning grey and white sea.