My first morning rounds for quite some time to require a coat ! A gentle rain is falling as I set out, though with almost no wind, it feels quite refreshing, however patches of scattered blue suggest we should see some sunshine as the day goes on.
The hedgerows are starting to turn to more autumnal shades, providing a wonderful contrast to the golden grasses in the meadows. Hawthorns are covered with sprays of crimson fruit, alongside Blackthorn, laden with what promises to be a good crop of dusty blue Sloes.
Old Man’s Beard trails and tangles over the hedges, covering them with fluffy yellow flowers, with ropes of Honeysuckle bearing orange and white flowers. At the base of the hedgerows, a tangle of Bittersweet is laden with tiny (poisonous) red and green fruit, while shiny green Bryony berries are starting to ripen higher up. Here and there, the first shiny red fruit of Wayfaring Tree are starting to appear.
The downland is full of colour and variety, with huge Burdock and Woolly Thistles dominating the ‘floral skyline’ with a few of the yellow spikes of Great Mullein now almost at chest height. Great Knapweed dots the downland with patches of bright purple, as Wild Carrot starts to go to seed.
Lower to the ground, some dense patches of candy-striped Restharrow nestle in the turf alongside Wild Thyme, the last of the Hedge and Ladies Bedstraw and the purple studs of Picnic Thistle.
A quiet morning along the cliffs, although the silence is briefly shattered by the keening of a Buzzard above Durlston Bay, and the raucous squabbling of a gang of Jackdaws near the Observation Point.
Along the clifftop trail the yellow flowers of Ploughman’s Spikenard are starting to bloom, with a patch of Hemp Agrimony on the Diagonal Path attracting the attention of a Red Admiral as the drizzle stops.
After several stop/start attempts, the bird ringers finally admitted defeat by the rain, but not before recording a number of Garden Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers and Garden Warblers.
As I return to the Centre under a brightening sky, Swallows and Martins swirl overhead, as they start to build up their weight for the long journey ahead.