The sound of singing Skylarks welcomed my early morning walk, high above me small brown spots could just about be seen as they voiced their song. On the ground amongst the grasses in the meadows more Skylarks could be seen as they wandered, sometime rising, fluttering and then descending again, typical behaviour at this time of year. A great way to help them succeed in breeding is to keep disturbance to a minimum and walk around the mown paths at the edges of the meadows, and not take shortcuts.
Lots of flowers now emerging, with my first Horseshoe Vetches of the year spotted, the yellow and almost red ‘petals’ poking through the grass, nearby a clump of bright blue Chalk Milkwort, the round heads of Salad Burnet alongside some bright yellow swathes of Dandelions interspersed by the round clock heads of those gone over.
The spikes of Early Spider Orchids showing well, the brown furry flowers look amazing close up. The other two orchid species now also very much in evidence with the pale pink Early Purple and the deeper coloured Green-winged scattered about.
Perched on the ridge were 3 Wheatears, the tan, black and grey looking very smart.
Along the drove, 7 Speckled Woods basking in the sun, while a Holly Blue fluttered around the bright leaves of Harts-tongue Fern. A Peacock butterfly and a Wall Brown also spotted on my walk.
Down on the cliffs, a quick look out for dolphins (they were seen yesterday), instead I found myself distracted by the sounds, smells and sights of the Guillemots jostling on the ledges.
The cliffs beginning to change colour as clumps of pink Thrift start to bloom alongside the white flowers of Sea Campion.
Back through the meadows the tall stems and leaves of Pale Flax showing, with a few of them crowned by their delicate flower, but Cowslips are the glory flower at the moment.
Common Whitethoats, Linnets, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Robin, Great Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock and Blackcap all singing across the Park – just magic!
Later Reports: Grey Seal off Tilly Whim, Cuckoo and Redstart