You only hear the things you hear, and not the things you don’t
The bucket drains more every year, old contents unbeknown’t
Birds of today are here for now, but birds of old are gone
The choir thins as spring begins, one more forgotten song
I took another quick toddle around the Car Park this morning before heading into Durlston proper. A few pleasant yellows from Common Groundsel and Lesser Celandine were to be seen peeking up from curbs and verges. The year round duet of Robins and Blackbirds was briefly punctuated by a noisy House Sparrow, its abrupt staccato fading away as I approached Caravan Terrace.
Primroses flowered in abundance beyond the bridge and after taking in their blooms I turned my attention to the Dell. The waterlogged soil of the upper section was rife with Blistered Cup, clearly making the most of favourable growing conditions. On the other side I was lucky to catch the distinct form of a Bullfinch. I dropped my eyes for a moment to note the sighting, but when my gaze returned it was gone.
A pair of Herring Gulls sat on a crag at the base of Durlston Head, grey wings folded as they took their rest. On the wing a Great Black Backed Gull slid past, flickering in and out of view as it passed the Tamarisk on the Clifftop. The banks to my right were lined with Madder, though I didn’t spot anything much in the way of flowers amid them.
A trip up and down again took me to the base of the Diagonal path pat Goldfinches, Dunnocks and Dog Violets. The caves were sadly short of serpentine sunbathers despite what seemed like favourable conditions. As of time of writing the sky has clouded over again, so well done clever snakes.
Up the Milepost Slope and on to the Meadows I encountered a few Brown Mottlegills and Dung Roundheads occupying their usual territory. Another curious pair caught my eye as I navigated the waterlogged grassland; an Ox Eye Daisy with a Lawn Daisy growing a little way off like some kind of small moon. I decided to wrap things up at this point, returning to base amid the sounds of Green Woodpecker and Chaffinch.