A wonderful windy day, with the water a deep blue speckled with the white crests of waves as they turn. A tremendous swell coming up the channel, the spray when it hits the rock face occasionally coming over the tops of the cliffs.
However, on the water Guillemots were bobbing, up and down, while on the cliffs their feathers were being ruffled by the wind, but they were mostly sat tight, many will have just laid their one and only egg of the year.
A Rock Pipit rose from amongst the clumps of squidgy Thrift, to be blown sideways as the wind caught it. Another had been singing from a nearby bare area of limestone.
At Tilly Whim the gale was whistling down the gully to the sea, but on the sheltered side of a large clump of Blackthorn a Stonechat was perched. This smart male, with black collar and orange chest occasionally uttered a ‘chat’ call.
Taking off from the ground were 2 Linnets, a flash of white on their wings, pink splodge on the chest and a deep brown back. Another small group of these colonial nesting finches were seen a little later.
A wonderful view of some unusually tall Early Spider Orchids, the bright green stems catching the light making them easy to see. Nearby two other Orchids also in flower with the dark purple Green Winged alongside the paler pink Early Purple – colours are so difficult!
Towards the hoped for shelter of the meadows, which are a carpet of glorious yellow Cowslips, but with the rain of the last few days the grasses and many other flowers have taken a spurt of upwards action, making the earlier plants less easy to see.
Lying on the grass munching, was a Rabbit which they slowly bounded away shoeing its white tuft of a tail, as did a pair of Roe Deer.
A selection of other flowers to enjoy include Ground Ivy, Herb Robert, Green Alkanet, Bluebells and Speedwell as well as Daisies galore, Dandelions and still some Lesser Celandines and Greater Periwinkles.