Another sunny morning as I patrolled the Durlston National Nature Reserve, everything alive with sound, colour and movement as a slight breeze wafted across the ground.
The meadows a riot of yellow as Bulbous Buttercups are now taking over as the dominant flower from Cowslips, lower to the ground the deeper coloured Bird’s-foot Trefoil and the paler Hay Rattle – just gorgeous. Scattered amongst this mass are a few tall spikes of not yet opened Goatsbeard, Salad Burnet and Hoary Plantain – showing its narrow white rings of flowers.
A flashing from the stem of Tall Fescue, was the wings of a Green Hairstreak catching the light and as it moved reflecting magnificently. Further long the hedgerow and banks were masses of Small Blue butterflies, the silvery underwings and dark upperwings making them fairly easy to spot – more appearing as I looked more closely. Later a Speckled Wood and a 2 Wall Browns added to the Common Blue and Dingy Skipper to make a reasonable list for 8am.
Strutting around the short turf was a black and white Pied Wagtail, while from the blossom laden Hawthorn came the scratchy song of a Common Whitethroat, with another and then another nearby.
Goldfinches tinkled as they arrived in the branches of a Field Maple, a flash of gold, red, white and black, while perched on some Gorse a Stonechat, all splendid in his black and orange.
In an old shallow quarry working, I searched for Early English Gentian, 9 of these tiny pinky-purple flower spikes, of this rare species spotted. This doesn’t seem to be a good year for them, some years they can number in their 100’s.
Overhead a Buzzard circled with a Herring Gull matching its movement, a Cormorant flying towards Old Harry, the white spot noticeable as it went over, and Skylarks singing loudly.
Last night’s Moth Trap included a freshly emerged Pretty Chalk Carpet, Treble lines, Muslin Moth, Common Swift and a Brimstone.