The overcast skies making for a quite dark early patrol, but still great to be able to enjoy a walk around this wonderful National Nature Reserve.
The highlight again for me was seeing the Guillemots all packed onto their ledge, these black and white seabirds silent today, but a bit a jostling going on as they move around claiming and reclaiming their tiny territories (about 8” round)!
Out to sea the white crests rolling along while a whirr of wings in the distance indicated the presence of more Guillemots.
Below the cliffs, perched on a large rock were 5 Shags, the variation in plumage very marked, so likely to be a family as 3 of them were very pale fronted and almost brown, the others a rich greeny-black shade.
In the western side of the Park a Skylark was singing loudly and beautifully, a sound I wasn’t expecting amongst the calls and twittering of migrant flocks.
A charm of Goldfinches deposited themselves onto patch of Woolly Thistles, Creeping Thistles and Teasel. In the gloom of the early morning they looked just like extra dead flower heads, until they moved or a glimpse of gold was spotted.
Perched in the Hawthorn bush alongside a Blackbird was a Redwing, a few of these northern visitors have also been heard flying over a night. The deep dark red berries obviously still a very tempting breakfast for these thrushes.
Hanging above the gully a bird of prey, just a shape to begin with, difficult to name, until it turned and the long tail became obvious, then it began to hover properly so unmistakably as Kestrel!
Rambling across the fencing the Hedge Bindweed still has some large white flowers, while the Old Man’s Beard is covered is wispy white fluff.
Also spotted were Blackcaps, Goldcrest, Wren, Dunnock, and the usual corvids Jay, Raven, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw.
Last night the sound of a Tawny Owl was very noticeable, screeching loudly in the silence.