A lovely late summer morning, with blue skies streaked with high blue cloud and a gentle breeze carrying the scents of dry grass, the acrid tang of Bracken and the sea.A blue sea laps gently at the foot of the cliffs, where Shags, Herring Gulls and a Great Black-backed Gull are on the wing, though the pace here is much more relaxed after the bustle, noise and smell of breeding season. A Peregrine Falcon jets by, just below the clifftop, sending a chorus of yelps and yaps through a gang of Jackdaws.
Along the Diagonal Path, a Stonechat ‘chats’ from the top of a Gorse bus, as the ‘chuckle’ of a Green Woodpecker rings out from the Holm Oaks above.
Migrants are starting to gather and feed ready for autumn migration, with good numbers of Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and lots of Whitethroat seen this morning.
Our continuing bird ringing study also recorded good numbers of Warblers, with Grasshopper Warblers in particular recorded in good numbers.
Still plenty of colour in the grassland, though much more muted now than a month ago. Agrimony, Red Bartsia, Red Clover and Greater Knapweed add splashes of yellow, pink and purple to the soft bronze of the meadows.
On the downs, Wild Parsnip, Wild Carrot, Woolly and Stemless Thistle, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Common Toadflax, Bristly Ox-tongue, Yarrow and even a little late Lady’s Bedstraw can all be found in bloom. A great time of year to see our final orchid of the year – the diminutive white flowered Autumn Ladies Tresses in bloom near the Lighthouse, in the Saxon Field and on the downs.
A wonderful spectacle as I walk past the Buddleia near the Castle, as I am suddenly surrounded by 20+ Large White butterflies, while nearby, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth sips nectar from Red Valerian.
Outside the window as I write, Painted Lady and Red Admiral are feeding in the warm morning sunshine, with Speckled Wood seen along the dappled path as I returned to the Learning Centre.