A lovely morning, with blue skies, sunshine and the sounds and smells of the Park starting to awaken after a long, wet winter!
Out in the meadows, Skylarks reel their breathless, exuberant song into the air, with cascades of clear, joyous notes. Song Thrushes are calling out their repeated melodies ‘There’s the wise Thrush, He sings each song twice over..’, with Blue Tits and Great Tits also in good voice.
Less melodic, the ‘cronk’ of a Raven, flapping ponderously by.
In the hedgerows, Blackthorn is covered with tightly furled white flowers – not long before they start to burst, framing the meadows with white. Along the base of the hedges, bright green leaves of Cleavers are starting to tangle around the stems. The brilliant crimson breast of a Bullfinch catches my eye along the Drove, where a noisy gang of Long-tailed Tits are busy feeding.
On Caravan Terrace, a fine display of Primroses studs the short turf, along with the new leaves of Red Valerian. Further round towards the Globe, it looks like it will be a good spring for Great Periwinkle, with many plants appearing on the newly cleared areas.
Keep an eye out for Great Tits if you are around the Park today – several pairs seen this morning checking out nest sites, including London bollards and dry-stone walls!
A smooth blue sea laps gently at the cliffs, where Guillemots and smart black and white Razorbills bob on the water, chatting away with their bubbling growls. Fulmars carve smooth arcs through the air above them, with Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and Shag also on the wing.
A Roe Deer bounds across the Lighthouse Field before disappearing into a patch of Gorse – covered in yellow coconut=scented flowers.