“Everything comes to those who wait”, normally three buses at once! It was a little like that this morning in that all the birds became visible just when I needed to return to read the weather.
Only one Smooth Newt was found in the wildlife pond which unfortunately had a growing bloom of algae. A stem of cut Elder discarded from hedge laying activity still had a fresh fleshy Jelly Ear fungus upon it. Happily, a Song Thrush broadcast a medley nearby.
Individually three Long Tailed Tits emerged from an Island of Blackthorn scrub upon the gully slope. Noisily a Jay took to squawking flight near the gully floor. I managed to see and hear a Dunnock singing away. One Rabbit disappeared into the scrub below the gully rock escarpment. I could not explain whilst a perfectly formed Garden Snail shell had been discarded and was empty apart from water.
I deliberately headed to the climber’s cliff top in the hope of seeing a Peregrine Falcon. I was rewarded with a fly past as the falcon headed west whilst a Shag went east and both Herring Gull and Great Black Back Gull visited. One Rock Pipit investigated the rocky grassland interface whilst surprisingly thirty Jackdaws emerged from the one clump of Tamarisk below the Lighthouse.
Happily, I witnessed the landing of a Kestrel upon the overhead power lines crossing the gully, where the bird remained throughout my walk back up hill.
Within the bridge side Pear tree, a Goldfinch moved a pair of Firecrests out of its way. Earlier I had watched a Blue Tit making several visits to a crevice within the bridge parapet. I was surprised when a second Blue Tit emerged out of the crevice, presumably insect hunting. I had only seen a small cloud of Gnats in the shade below the Lighthouse near a clump of vivid green leathery leaved Sea Spinach.
Upon nearer the learning centre a House Sparrow appeared. Throughout the park dew glistened bejewelling moss, lichen, Thistle Basal rosettes and gate top bars.