After a torrent of rain over the last few days, it was a treat to open the curtains this morning to hazy sunshine! Out on the Park, new sights, sounds and smells of spring are appearing every day, making me want to make like the Mole from ‘Wind in the Willows’ and say “Hang Spring Cleaning!” and go out for a walk!
The meadows are surrounded with fluffy white drifts of Blackthorn blossom, already being visited by Queen Buff-tailed Bumble Bees, as Bee Flies (a completely unrelated Bee mimic) hover alongside Cowslips as they sip nectar.
(At least) 50 shades of green among the trees and shrubs, with fresh Hawthorn leaves looking especially vibrant in the sunshine, while Sallow is already covered in flowers.
Overhead, Skylarks hurl their ‘careless rapture’ into the skies, with a single Swallow seen barrelling along overhead.
A few Blackcaps among the hedgerows, along with Long-tailed Tits, Blue and Great Tits, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and Dunnock, with a few Linnets and Greenfinches passing through.
Snatches of ‘drumming’ from a Great Spotted Woodpecker near the Aviary Glade, while on the woodland floor, dense drifts of Ramson leaves jostle for space with the leaves of Cow Parsley and Cuckoo Pint, with Lesser Celandine adding splashes of bright yellow.
A few Early Spider Orchids are in bloom (though give it a couple of weeks to see them looking their best), along with the black spotted leaves of Early Purple Orchid, while blue Hairy Violets dapple the downs.
Along the clifftop, Rock Pipits are ‘warming up’ for their showy display flights, while below them Fulmars swerve smoothly above a gently lapping sea. Guillemots and Razorbills ‘bill and coo’ as they renew their bonds ready for breeding season, with a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls sat together on a high ledge also looking like they are getting ready to make a home! Several Shags pass by, one carrying a beak full of seaweed.
Near the Observation Point, a Peregrine scans the cliffs for prey, with a brief glimpse of a Kestrel in the Lighthouse Field.