A still, sunny winter morning with a fantastic ‘Mackerel Sky’, with patches of bright blue peeping through and rolling waves of white cloud on the horizon.
A rising chorus of birdsong rings out as spring approaches, with the wheezing of Great Tits, the melodic babble of Robins, the sweet notes of a Blackbird, the jazzy, syncopated rhythms of a Dunnock and the cackle of a Green Woodpecker all heard around the Car Parks.
As we crossed the zebra crossing, a charm of jangling Goldfinches take flight, with a flash of crimson and gold as a b circles above Long Meadow, his harsh ‘crok’ calls, diamond-shaped tail and huge size distinguishing him from the crows perched in the bare branches of an Elm in the Castle Car Park.
Growing near the Car Park machine, the green leaves and tall, square stems of Figwort – the leaves always smelling to me like a Guinea Pig hutch overdue for cleaning!
A Goldcrest weaves among the branches of a Holm Oak above Caravan Terrace, revealing a greenish back and brilliant blond crest, with the high-pitched calls of another among the branches of a Dwarf Buddleia below the Castle.
Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Wren are hunting for breakfast on Caravan Terrace.
Along the cliffs, Fulmars glide smoothly in lazy spirals, as Guillemots flit in and out on tiny wings and huge Great Black-backed Gulls cruise by. On the water, a large raft of Guillemots includes 3 or 4 ‘winter’ plumage birds – speckled black, white and grey.