As I started my patrol the early sunshine was still shining, illuminating the newly emerged Ash leaves, making an almost pale yellow image against the blue sky, the meadows also highlighted by the glow with Pale Flax and Bulbous Buttercups both being affected as they faced the sun.
Unfortunately thick grey clouds began to roll in form the west, turning the pleasant start chilly. The birds seem dot have anticipated this change and were scarce, just a few Common Whitethroats singing from the tops of the flowering Wayfaring and Elder trees.
Taking flight from the top of a Yellow Meadow Ant hill was a Green Woodpecker, the greeny-yellow rump showing as it disappeared, its close relative the Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming loudly from the woodlands.
The wonderful running ’quick-quick-slow’ song of the Chaffinch was being sung from the tops of the blossom covered Hawthorn, the May blossom providing a fantastic white covering to the hedges at present. Two Bullfinches suddenly took flight, the white rump showing as they flew and the whistle call easy to hear above the wind.
Across the meadows the Cowslips are still amazing, a sea of yellow flowers, but now starting to rise above them is Hoary Plantain with its long hard flower heads.
The grasses are also growing fast, but interspersed are the purple pea flowers of Common Vetch and the tall pink Early Purple Orchids.
Down to the cliffs where the Guillemots were growling and calling, many of these are now sitting on their large pyriform shaped egg. As I looked through those bobbing on the water, a couple of Razorbills floated into view, looking much blacker than the dark brown Guillemots.
Zooming across in front of me were 3 Fulmars, these are always fantastic to watch, as they glide and quiver.
A large clump of Lackey caterpillars crawling across the Blackthorn scrub, such lovely hairy creatures with their blue stripes and comical faces
The birds ringers reported Common and Lesser Whitethroat, both of which were also captured here in 2016, but generally not many caught today.