Do not fly my love
Humans are of no concern
We are masters here
A blue sky and lazily drifting cumulus clouds greeted me as I entered the park this morning, slipping under the woodland canopy amid the rattle of Magpies and the cackling cries of Herring Gulls. I made a quick check on our Lacquered and Shaggy Bracket fungi (both looking splendid) then noted the presence of some fresh Candlesnuff Fungus and Glistening Ink Caps.
Exiting the shade of the Woodlands I continued through Long Meadow, Emperor Dragonflies zig-zagging trough the air to my left, with one snatching a Meadow Brown butterfly mid flight as I passed. Large Whites were fluttering away happily, with Dunnocks and Green Woodpeckers also seen and heard.
Passing on to Saxon Field I noted the abundance of umbellifers, with masses of Wild Carrot, Wild Parsnip and Corky Fruited Water Dropwort spreading their eponymous umbels wide in the morning sun. A few Painted Ladies crossed my path periodically and the chirping from the long grass put me in mind of a close encounter I had on Tuesday with a Great Green Bush Cricket that decided to hitchhike on my jacket. I told him to sing for his supper.
The stiff breeze seemed to be discouraging the bird life a little, but here and there a flash of a feathered form or avian aria could be discerned. Goldfinches passed by in low arcing flights, with a Stonechat clearly audible from site unseen and a few Common Whitethroats dancing across a line of Hawthorn bushes. Wrens and Blue Tits also made their presence, if not their exact location known as I marched on to the Downs.
High above the Coast Path I rambled over the rolling terrain, disturbing a Meadow Pipit as I passed down to the Lighthouse. A Marbled White was alighting on a Knapweed flower here. Strange to see one alone after such a long period of abundance.
A quick traipse along the Clifftops put me just above a pair of Peregrine Falcons, one taking wing at my approach, the other remaining perched. I doubt it was unaware of my presence, presumably it didn’t consider my intrusion a cause for concern.