A chilly, grey start to the day with a north-easterly breeze rattling through the bare branches of Sycamore and Holm Oak in the woodland and making Blackthorn shiver in the hedgerows.
Along the clifftop, Tamarisk dances in the breeze, while below, Gannets cruise by, brilliant white against a steely sea. Lots of Shags on the wing nearer the cliffs (as early breeders, they are already scoping out nest sites ready to breed in February), with unusually, one heard as well as seen – a series of harsh, ‘laughing’ croaks.
A few Guillemots and Razorbills also passing by, flickering by in small groups, with Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull also on the wing. Meanwhile a few Rock Pipits skitter along the clifftop, among the glossy green leaves of Sea Beet.
A Peregrine perches near the Observation Point, with another 2 seen above the woodland a little later, along with a Raven, flapping ponderously against the wind.
Inland, the wind is keeping most birdlife tucked up among the scrub, but the explosive cackle of a Green Woodpecker flying past just behind me made me jump as I crossed Long Meadow.
In the shelter of the Dell, a Song Thrush is ‘warming up’ his repeated, sweet notes, with Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Wren and Chaffinch all feeding in the lee of the stone bridge.
Goldcrests twitter among the canopy nearby, with the noisy chatter of Jackdaws from overhead.
At the front of the Castle, a rustling among a patch of grass and scrub reveals itself to be a Jay, either burying or retrieving an acorn – flying off as I approached with a flash of iridescent blue feathers.
Squirrels are also busy among the Holm Oaks, with one pelting across the grass outside the Learning Centre in a pell-mell 100 yard dash!