Setting out this morning I disturbed an unusual pairing of a Green Woodpecker and a Jay, sending them to fly noisily off towards a nearby copse. At the pond I managed to get a good view of a Great Crested Newt, amongst the numerous smaller Palmate Newts and Smooth Newts. A charm of Goldfinches flew overhead.
I walked out through the dew covered meadows, passing the bright yellow flowers of a Brassica on my way. To my delight could hear the song of my first Skylark of the year. Near to the Gully Bridge I found the first few leaves emerging of the Early Purple Orchids and Early Spider Orchids. These have sprung much earlier than last year, when we still had much snow and ice to come!
I followed the route of our butterfly transect towards the cliffs. At this point the sky had cleared and sunshine beamed down onto the park, though it was still a tad too chilly to spot any butterflies. Instead I saw two Stonechats perched in a blossoming Gorse bush, their white collars glistening brightly in the light.
I managed to spy a single Adder above the cave entrance to Tilly Whim, basking openly above some loose dirt on the slope. I was grateful as they get a lot harder to spot amongst the undergrowth! Two Blue Tits bounced around on the the slope close by – I warned them to not get too close!
On the coastpath the cliffs were a hive of activity. More than 10 Fulmars patrolled the coastline above a raft of about 60 Guillemots and Razorbills. Walking further along I noticed a Peregrine Falcon perched proudly on a rock. As I edged closer, I startled a clattering of Jackdaws, but it didn’t seem to bother the peregrine. He tilted his head backwards and watched them fly overhead as his feathers ruffled in the wind.