A bright and cool start to the day, with a fresh north-easterly breeze rippling through the fast emptying tree-tops and sending huge white clouds rolling across a bright blue sky.
In the woodland, the leaves of London Plane, Sycamore, Ash, Elm and Lime form rolling drifts along the paths, revealing more of the historic Black Pines and dense, dark groves of Holm Oak.
Near the Aviary Glade, a Treecreeper scuttles up the stem of a towering Sycamore, with Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits all weaving their way among the canopy.
At the ‘white bridge’ viewpoint 3 Goldcrests fill the air with their piercing calls as they hunt for insects among the needles of a Black Pine, as a Blackbird scuffles among the fallen leaves.
The new log-edging around the paths in Sunnydale, installed by our volunteers earlier in the week is looking great! On some of the older logs along the woodchip path, the weird, bulbous fungus Dead Man’s Fingers can be found.
Above Durlston Bay a Buzzard wheels on the thermals, with a Kestrel hovering above Long Meadow as it scans for prey.
A few snatches of the sweet notes of a Skylark heard as it passes over the meadows, along with lots of small flocks or ‘charms’ of jangling Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits, House Martins, Swallows, Linnets, Siskins and Redpolls all passing through in good numbers.
A Merlin whizzes along the clifftop – like a mini-Peregrine! Also nice to see both Guillemot and Razorbill (just one of each!) passing by.
A Fox Moth caterpillar – large and covered with brown and orange hairs seen crossing a path in the meadows.
As I write, a pair of visiting birders popped in to report a sighting of a Yellow-browed Warbler seen from the clifftop trail, along with an even more unusual Great White Egret!