A fresh start to the day, with a gusty wind chasing fluffy white clouds across a blue sky and rippling through the bronze and green grasses in the meadows.
In the woodland, dry, brown Holm Oak leaves whirl and dance along the paths as the wind roars through the canopy of Ash, Monterey Cypress, Black Pink, Lime and London Plane. Sycamores are covered with pink ‘keys’, while Horse Chestnuts are laden with ripening conkers.
The meadows look spectacular at the moment. As the colours of the grasses start to fade, the intense pink of Pyramidal Orchids leaps out from across the fields. Pale lilac Common Spotted Orchids and a few Bee Orchids are also still in bloom.
Ox-eye Daisies are starting to fade, while among them are tall yellow spikes of Agrimony, pure white Corky-fruited Water Dropwort, imperial purple Greater Knapweed along with paler purple Field Scabious.
Nearer the ground, candy-striped Common Restharrow tangles around Yellow Rattle, honey-scented Lady’s Bedstraw and white Hedge Bedstraw.
On the downs, Wild Thyme hugs the ground, with Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Medick, Yarrow, pink Centaury and the trailing stems and tiny white star-like flowers of Bastard Toadflax, along with the (unrelated) ‘wild Snapdragon’ Common Toadflax.
Overhead, the lyrical song of Skylarks cuts through the wind, with a pair of Crossbills reported also passing through.
Linnets dart in and out of the scrub and hedgerows, with Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Bullfinch, Goldfinches and a few Swallows overhead.
Down on the cliffs, 3 young Kestrels squabble, before being chased off from their rocky perch by their mum!
The Guillemot ledges are emptying quickly as the breeding season draws to a close, but many Guillemots and Razorbills are being bounced around on the waves below the cliffs.