Bright sunshine after a gorgeous pink and orange sunrise, and as I walked around Durlston a stream of birds, their constant calling a feature of the patrol.
As I stopped to look at the crop of deep red haws on the Hawthorn, the black and brown caps of Blackcaps popped up and down, a similar activity was taking place amongst the leaves of Blackthorn, but this time numerous Chiffchaffs were visible.
The lighting across the downland was amazing, the brown, yellow and orange colours of autumn reflecting back. Trotting across ahead of me were two Roe Deer, both a chestnut orange colour.
Overhead the sound of a Pied Wagtail made me look upwards, undulating flight with black and white colours and a long tail make this very distinctive. Also heading across were some Redpolls and some Linnets as well as a flock of Meadow Pipits which then tumbled down onto the fields amongst the Hereford cattle.
Swooping past numerous Swallows and a lesser number of House Martins, a wonderful close up as I walked up the hill and these blueish birds were whizzing past at me eye level.
An occasional clump of yellow flowering Gorse still to be found, and on one of these a Stonechat, one of many noticed this morning, not just on the downs but also around the meadows.
Buzzing low over the bare earth lots of Mining Bees, these stripy bees all coming and going from the tiny holes in the mud. Catching my eye on the Ivy, were 2 Red Admiral butterflies.
Along one of the paths a huge pile of almost purple Badger poo indicated their love of blackberries, the fruit of the Bramble a great source of food at this time of year.
The Dog Rose is now covered in hips, looking like large red droplets, but some of the plants also home to Galls, including Robin’s Pin Cushion, a mass of hairy red/green soft spikes and Smooth Pea, a spherical growth on the leaf, both caused by different insects.
Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch added to the bird interest.