Today’s another day for ears
And not a day for eyes
Of listening for our feathered peers
Of calls and songs and cries
Each melody I recognise
Will serve only to show
Of songs and sounds and calls and cries
How much I do not know
Durlston is practically bursting at the seams with wildlife by this time of year so forgive me for summarising a little in my prose today. As soon as I sallied forth I was wrapped in a blanket of rich birdsong. A Magpie flew from Willow to Sycamore overhead as I paused to sift through the sounds of the morning. Robins, House Sparrows, Goldfinches and Lesser Whitethroats were all immediately audible. It took a moment to mentally sort them all out.
Common Vetch flowers had emerged into flower en masse amid the company of Chalk Milkwort, Horseshoe Vetch, Crosswort, Pale Flax and Wild Parsnip. As I advanced further I picked out the notes of Whitethroats and Skylarks up ahead. A Linnet settled briefly on a Hawthorn tree in front of me, though it refrained from making any sound. It must have been the only bird this morning that wasn’t singing.
I crossed into Brian Johnstone Meadow past swaying stalks of Tall Fescue and Pale Flax, the distant “hee-haw” of a Donkey punctuating the birdsong around me. Bulbous Buttercup and a few emerging Yellow Rattle added their lemony shades to the mix as well.
On the Downs several Song Thrushes could be heard singing merrily away, periodically complimented by the odd Chiffchaff or Chaffinch. I like it when everyone joins in with the chorus. A Swallow chased insects in the sky above, the high Troposphere criss crossed with a patchwork of vapour trails.
Striding down Lighthouse Slope I spotted a few Brown Tailed Moth Caterpillars writhing on the ground, no doubt eager to get started on their spring cutting schedule. Sea Campion and Thrift blanketed the Clifftops and I was delighted to see the Gulley’s Wild Apple in blossom. Apples In The Tree. What does it mean?