A sunny morning with the gentle wind wafting through the grasses, in one of the meadows there were two chestnut coloured Roe Deer, as I admired them I was surprised to notice they were both male, but one had slighter larger antlers than the second.
Surrounding these mammals was a swathe of blue from the Pale Flax, the delicate flowers all facing towards the weak sunshine. The Tall Fescue the most obvious of the grasses alongside Cocksfoot, Crested Dog’s Tail and Meadow Oat Grass.
As I stood enjoying the view a Small Heath rose from the paths disturbing as it went a Common Blue, while the grey flittering of the Small Blues caught my eye. While my ears were being drawn to the amazing song of the Skylark which was coming from high above, despite searching it was not spotted, although another one hovered above the Ox-Eye Daisies before disappearing in amongst the foliage.
Crawling along the turf was a very hairy caterpillar, its white spots very evident as was it contrasting ginger head and black body – a Garden Tiger moth.
The plants are drooping with cuckoo spit, each frothy blob contains a tiny Froghopper nymph. Other insects hopping through the grasses include a variety of the instars of Grasshoppers and Bush-crickets – some minute versions of the adults.
The squeak of a Bullfinch caught my attention, the white rump flashing as it crossed the sky, followed by another and another, the family then perching in the thorns of the Hawthorn.
All across the park there are young birds, having just fledged from their nests including Great Tits, Blue Tits, Blackbirds and House Sparrows plus Stonechats and Linnets.
On the cliffs the Guillemots now have chicks, the oldest about a week old with more still to hatch.
A Kestrel hovered above me as I returned to the centre, the black edge of this male’s tail showing well against the pale sky.