As I left for my walk this morning the car park edges were a hive of activity, Blue Tits, Sparrow and Chiffchaff all hopped around through the Hawthorn and Bramble bushes. Wondering around the narrow footpaths Chiffchaff were everywhere, again flying in and out of the footpath edges and from branch to branch, this was not the last time I was to see Chiffchaff on my walk today.
I was enticed by the distant rumble and roar of the sea; on the coast path, Jackdaws were busy chattering on the cliff edges, Herring Gulls bobbed on the water and two Great Black-backed Gulls flew in unison along the cliff face.
Walking back up past the miles markers I was admiring a little charm of lovely Goldfinches when an almighty flap of wings made me jump and 8 very noisy Wood Pigeons whizzed past me. I was watching a flurry of activity near a dry-stone wall when I spotted a Green Woodpecker out the corner of my eye, it flew up from the tall grass into a Hawthorn tree, it’s mottled feathers almost completely camouflaged. While I was looking through my binoculars still watching the Woodpecker I noticed two Stonechats, balancing on and blending in with the dry seed heads of Wild Carrot. In the same area just underneath where the Chiffchaffs were in abundance again and the Stonechats were now perched on the wall, a Wren weaved itself in and out of the Brambles that climbed up the Dry-Stone Wall, such a tiny little bird in comparison to the Stonechat’s.
In the Upper Gully my excitement grew as a bird with slate-grey upper wings, speckled breast and sharp pointed wings flew pasted me above the hedge line, a lot smaller than a Peregrine; was it a Merlin or was it a Hobby? I’m not sure.
Along the meadow edges Blackcaps were in abundance, Ravens were plodding around the freshly cut meadows and in the distance Jackdaws squawked from the edges. As I turned a corner in the meadows I came face-to-face with a Chiffchaff, I’m not sure who was more surprised me or it. On the walk back a couple of Dunnocks sat on a wall and a few Swallows flew overhead.