A fine autumn morning on the park; the Sun’s light glowing across the hills as it rises to the east. I was greeted by a Squirrel as I set out first thing. He was sat perfectly upright on a rock, chewing away at the fibres of an Acorn. He paused for a second before scurrying into the undergrowth, likely disappointed with my interruption to his morning snack.
Little red-faced Goldfinches bob amongst the upper-most branches of a Sycamore Tree; it’s browning leaves curled to a crisp and leaving little cover for the birds.
I head towards the lighthouse, the great blue seascape opening up before me. It spreads 180 degrees - from St Aldhelms Head on my right, to the Isle of Wight 30km away on my left. The grasslands are a mosaic of yellows, greens, and browns. Up-close these colours are broken occasionally by bright purple flowers; little bouquets of Thyme creeping over the Ant Hills, and the last of the Knapweed tucked between the dead seed heads of Wild Carrot.
A chorus of different birds can be heard from the gully bridge, Goldcrest, Great Tit and Wren chattering away from amongst the undergrowth. Old Man’s Beard spawls high and low across the scrub, spreading as a thick jungle-like carpet. A Dunnock chirps from a Hawthorn Tree; it’s branches laden with bright red fruits.
I loop back around the lighthouse and down towards Tilly Whim. Another charm of Goldfinches fly past me, their bright feathers reflecting the sunlight in a brief flash of yellow. The squeak of some Rock Pipits lead me across the gully mouth, the coast path lined with the remnants of Sea Thrift and Samphire. On my ascent back up the hill, the top of Castle comes into view, mobbed by a clattering of Jackdaws.