Sunshine sears and Skylarks sing, I’m warmed and captivated
All the best of Albion is here encapsulated
The step is lightened, burdens gone, cast of worldly endeavour
I’ll cast off all I once held on, today I could walk forever
Dunnock and Wren were both calling from the Wildlife Area this morning, their refrains interspersed with the heckling cries of a Raven from somewhere distant. Catherine reported a Peacock Butterfly sunning itself outside, presumably awoken from hibernation. A few muddy gateways later and I was at the Large Copse, listening to the disjointed tones of a Great Tit and Chaffinch. Both birds got halfway through their song before abruptly cutting off and going silent. On the woodland floor a lone Conical Brittlestem poked its cap towards the canopy. I’m sure that there will be more to come.
Continuing through the Saxon Field the soundscape changed again, with a Song Thrush entering the mix along side the more sedate croaks of Carrion Crows. The first notes of Skylarks began to drift my way, and like a man hypnotised I strode towards them, seeking the source of the sound. I caught a fleeting glimpse of one as it landed, flaring its wings as it alighted. Something about the combination of sun and Skylark whisked me away, each step I took feeling elevated and effortless. The countryside will do that to you.
A pair of Roe Deer nestled on a distant hillside, staring into middle distance seemingly without a care in the world. Closer to my person a solitary Velvet Shank squatted beside a patch of Gorse, and the spotted leaf rosettes of suspected Early Purple Orchids unfurled among the grasses.
After noting a pair of clacking Stonechats I continued down to the Lighthouse and past the blowhole, the deceptively calm looking ocean crashing into the base of the Tilly Whim Caves with enough force to generate some impressive geysers of vapour. The white flowers of Early Scurvy Grass speckled the Clifftops, with a few intrepid Guillemots riding the lively seas below.
As I ascended the Diagonal Path I was blessed with a moment of spectacular good fortune. As I was mentally lamenting my continued failure to spot a Long Tailed Tit one of the very same fluttered down and perched not ten metres in front of me, in full view with all of its distinctive features on display. Truly my bird feeder runneth over.