A mild and misty start to the day with the still air and hazy fog making the Park feel hushed and mysterious.
What sounded like torrents of Redwing passing overhead last night, with a steady stream of small flocks of this attractive Thrush still on the move this morning. Blackbird and Song Thrush also seen this morning, with the Song Thrush tapping open a snail on an ‘anvil’ at the Walling Centre.
Goldfinches are also moving through the meadows and downland, with flashes of crimson and gold and a wonderful chorus of their tumbling, jangling calls. Wrens ‘tut’ from the scrub, as a Green Woodpecker ‘yaffles’ from the Gully.
A Peregrine Falcon whizzes overhead near the Lighthouse, with a Kestrel perched on the cliff face above Tilly Whim and a pair of Ravens squabbling noisily around the Mile Markers.
Another bird of prey spotted while chatting to the bird ringers, as a Sparrowhawk rolls over the top of the hedge at the back of the Wildlife Area before disappearing a moment later, briefly silhouetted against the grey sky.
A quiet morning for our bird ringing study, with Goldcrest and large numbers of Redwing the highlights, with a report from a Hamish of a Firecrest in the Gully.
At sea, winter plumage Guillemots are once lined up below the cliffs, with Shag, Great Black-backed Gull and Herring Gull on the wing.
Still a few splashes of colour from late flowering plants, including a vibrant pink patch of Knapweed at the top of the Lighthouse Field, white Yarrow in a quarry hollow further down the slope and yellow Bristly Ox-tongue.
Despite the lack of sunshine, the warm and still conditions mean that a few Red Admirals are on the wing, sipping the last of the nectar from Ivy blossoms.
For a chance to see some of our winter wildlife, why not join Julian Sawyer for a Wildlife Photography walk at 10.30?
Wheatear and 2 Black Redstarts also seen