Weather: Sunny spells, showers later in the day
A cloud dappled sky this morning, with a gusty SSW breeze, but nonetheless, a warm summer morning, with the scents of new mown hay, the sharp tang of Bracken and the sweet smell of Blackberries in the air.
A flock of Woodpigeons clatter by overhead, as I cross the car parks, with 2 Ravens croaking as they circle high overhead. The keening of a Peregrine Falcon heard in Durlston Bay, with a ‘chuckle’ from a Green Woodpecker as he flaps across Long Meadow.
Below Caravan Terrace, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinches, Dunnocks, Robin and Wren are all foraging on the plentiful supply of seeds and insects, with a Blue Tit, carefully navigating his way around the large stone blocks of the bridge as he picks out breakfast from between the stones.
Off Durlston Head, a Gannet flaps by, heading into the wing, sharp white against the sea, with Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull and Shag also on the wing.
Another Peregrine sits, silhouetted on a rocky outcrop near the Observation Point, with little grey Rock Pipits skittering along the clifftop, as noisy gangs of Jackdaws squabble above them.
Plenty of late summer flowers are in bloom, from the bright yellow of Ragwort, to paler yellow Common Toadflax or ‘dusty’ yellow Ploughman’s Spikenard. Pink-flowered Hemp Agrimony sits alongside stripy pink Common Restharrow, tiny pink Wild Thyme.
The little white stars of Squinancywort can be found on the shortest turf, with green-flowered Wood Sage, imperial purple Greater Knapweed and lighter purple Common Knapweed to name just a few.
In the hedgerows, Wayfaring Tree is covered with shiny red-green berries, amid a flowing tide of Old Man’s Beard. Elder berries are starting to ripen, though our blackberries are still mostly green.
A Roe Deer bounds along the top of the Lighthouse Field ahead of me, with a few Gatekeepers, Marbled Whites and Walls on the wing, though the gusty wind means there are not many butterflies on the wing.
Today’s Diary written by Ali Tuckey