A stunning sunrise this morning, with streaks of pink, blue and deep red stretched across the brightening sky, with curtains of golden sunshine pouring through the cloud as the day dawns.
Just a gentle breath of wind, making the Park feel hushed and still. The scrub above Caravan Terrace is bustling with bird life. A noisy extended family of Long-tailed Tits skip from bush to bush, with a Bullfinch perched high up among the bare branches of a Blackthorn. A Dunnock shuffles along the grassland below, tossing aside the leaf litter as she searches for breakfast, with Goldcrest, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Coal Tit also seen.
A Raven wheels above Durlston Bay, his harsh ‘cronk’ echoing through the still air, with a Great Black-backed Gull circling off Durlston Head.
A Peregrine clings to a rocky outcrop just beyond the Observation Point, scanning for prey and swivelling his head to watch, as a gang of Jackdaws settle on the wall above him
Guillemots straggle across the water below the cliffs, their soft growls rising up to the clifftop, with many more crammed onto the ledges. As I pass, I am treated one of the great late winter spectacles here, as dozens of Guillemots take off from the water in quick succession, the sound of their feet pattering on the water accompanied by long white streaks as they build up speed for take-off.
Fulmars carve smooth arcs through the air, with 2 Gannets passing by further out to sea.
Cat has been busy in Goat Plot, clearing Gorse regrowth – these south-facing slopes, cleared of large scrub around 15 years ago, with lots of cutting and grazing are starting to develop into nice limestone downland.
Badgers have been digging in the woodchip paths, leaving their characteristic triangular ‘scuffs’, with a Roe Deer seen bounding across the top of the Lighthouse Field.