A gentle drizzle accompanied me (and Widget) on my early walk. As we went across the meadow taking flight was a group of raucous Crows, who had been feeding on something tasty amongst the baled hay.
From the nearby copse came the cackling yaffle of a Green Woodpecker, the bright yellow and green bird looping its way across the grey sky.
Slithering across the wet ground were a good variety of molluscs – Slugs and Snails – out enjoying the weather. The striped Brown-lipped Snail the easiest to recognise, while the Lapidary Snail and the Garden Snail both in good numbers across the downs, while the large Arion Ater slugs also easy to find.
The flowers a little damp this morning, but still Fleabane providing some swathes of yellow heads, with Hoary Ragwort and Agrimony also adding more yellow, while by the coast the Golden Samphire is glorious alongside the lilac coloured Sea Aster and the pale green Rock Samphire.
The moth trap producing an interesting selection of moths, the highlight being a Convolvulus Hawk Moth – the large fat pink and black striped body and grey marked wings making for a quite spectacular moth.
Other moths included Angleshades, Brimstone, Straw Underwing, Silver-Y, Common Emerald, Burnished Brass, Smoky Wainscot and
A short seawatch, gazing out southwards, produced a few glorious Gannets, this huge bird with long white wings, black tipped gliding past. One was close enough in for me to see its dirty yellow head markings.
Overhead a flock of 20 Yellow Wagtails, while in amongst the Blackthorn and Bramble scrub were 2 Redstarts, the flash of red as they moved helping them to be spotted, while in the gully 2 Whinchats.
also Sooty Shearwater and 2 Arctic Skua
Clouded Yellow