The wild, wet and windy night had left it’s sodden mark on Durlston this morning. The weather station told me that 13.8mm of rain had fallen overnight, as also made apparent to me by the hole in the bottom of my boots! Setting out, I heard the distinctive call of a Buzzard bellowing from somewhere across from the meadows out of sight.
At Tilly Whim the waves were crashing powerfully against the rocks. A well timed swell combined with the high tide enabled the blow hole to erupt like a volcano. On top of the cliffs, a Peregrine Falcon stood upon it’s usual perch, giving his head a good scratch with one his bright yellow talons.
In the woodland, the Crocuses have now gone over and been replaced by sunny Daffodils, adding a welcome splash of colour to this fairly drab morning! Down near the aviary glade, the winterborne stream was flowing well. The distant crashing of the waterfall could be heard over the cliffs. I spotted two Grey Squirrels engaging in what can only be politely described as an ‘act of spring!’.
Now we’ve entered March, the bird nesting season has officially begun. This was evidenced by a Great Tit I could see eyeing up potential nesting holes on an old Sycamore Tree. As a result we have now finished our major tree and scrub cutting across the park and will be spending the next couple weeks tidying and finishing the recent habitat management work.
On my return up Long Meadow, the hedge was brimming with the rustling of bird activity. A couple of Wrens seemed to follow my movement through the sprouting leaves of Hawthorn and Elder. A male Blackbird repeatedly jumped between the path and hedgerow, checking whether the coast was clear! He brought my attention to the swollen and sticky Horse Chestnut buds, ready to burst into leaf.
On my return to the office, Paul greeted me with the skeletal remains of Roe Deer, which he had found out on the downs. The remaining skull, spine and leg were being relocated to the pond area to be ‘cleaned up’ by nature. Personally I was happy that I had already eaten my breakfast.