The woodlands were a delight this morning, the huge variety of leaf colour showing greens against the brilliant blue background. Dangling from the Sycamore trees were their flowers, a delicate greeny-yellow candelabra!
Circling out above Durlston Bay was a Buzzard, the wide wings making flying seem easy, below it chopping across the water was a windsurfer, while a Shag bobbed on the surface and an Oystercatcher flew towards the head, the black and white plumage standing out as was the orange bill, however it was the loud piping call that first caught the attention.
Hopping about the undergrowth a Wren and a Dunnock were both busily searching for morsels, whilst a Blackbird turned over the loose leaf litter. A couple of Long-tailed Tits moved busily through the Privet scrub, the white flowers waving up and down as they perched on the branches.
Fluttering in the dappled sunlight was a Speckled Wood, the pale cream spots flickering, while in the open of the meadow the Small Blue butterfly provided blue, grey and brown flashings as it moved, on perched on the stems of the Cocksfoot and Tall Fescue they showed the silvery undersides.
Flowers galore, Meadow Buttercups displaying along both sides of the path – as if providing a walkway while within the fields, large clumps of Birds-foot Trefoil are scattered, waving taller is the delicate blue flower of the Pale Flax, with Rough Hawkbit, Common Vetch and Hay Rattle adding more colour and texture.
The Cowslips are now over but their numerous seed heads can be seen on tallish stems. Lower to the ground Red Clover, White Clover and Black Medic, while the Common Spotted Orchids are starting to show.
Rambling over a dry-stone wall the beautiful white flowers of Burnet Rose, the really spiky stems an attraction in themselves, the Dog Rose also in bloom as is Stinking Iris and Field Bindweed.
Crawling over one of the few remaining patches of Chalk Milkwort was a Greater Bloody-nosed Beetle, while balancing on the tip of the Adderstongue Fern was a 7-spot Ladybird.