A glorious winter morning with a lightening sky scuffed with pink and gold cloud.
As the sun rises, the sky darkens to a deep blue. High overhead, the calls of Brambling and Siskin ring out through the still air, with several small charms of Goldfinch, along with dozens of clattering Woodpigeons.
Below the cliffs, Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Shags and a Cormorant pass by, with a few Scoter, nose-to-tail out in the distance.
A Peregrine scans the sea from a rocky outcrop below the Observation Point, with a Kestrel perched on the cliff face at Tilly Whim.
A flash of red from below the Lighthouse catches my eye, as a Black Redstart flutters from his perch on top of an electric fence post.
Near Caravan Terrace, a few Goldcrests flit around the canopy, along with a bright crimson-breasted Bullfinch, Blue Tit and Great Tit. A Dunnock picks it’s way along the base of the scrub, with a Green Woodpecker picking through the soft earth of an anthill.
At the top of Long Meadow, a family of Long-tailed Tits squabble and bustle along the hedgerow, with the hoots of a Tawny Owl rising up from the woodland near the Castle.
In the woodland, the weird black Fungus Dead Man’s Fingers can be found on rotten logs, with King Alfred’s Cakes growing on Holm Oak.
Along the hedges, splashes of colour from the bright orange seeds of Stinking Iris, silvery Old Man’s Beard gleaming in the sunshine, and patches of bright yellow Gorse.
The Cattle are happily grazing away in the Saxon Field, with a Jackdaw, strolling casually along the back of one of the cows!