After walking up from a drab, grey early morning in Swanage, what a treat to arrive at Durlston and find a crisp, sparkling winter wonderland! A heavy frost has covered seed-heads, leaves and branches with a dusty frosting of ice crystals, glazed puddles and ponds with ice and makes the ground crunch satisfyingly underfoot.
A thick mist veils the Park, transforming scrub patches into mysterious silhouettes, and heightening sounds.
As the sun starts to push it’s way through the mist, bird calls and snatches of song start to emerge. The sweet, repeated notes of a Song Thrush, jazzy, syncopated rhythm of a Dunnock and insistent notes of a Robin all heard along the Drove.
The high-pitched squeaks of Goldcrests heard from a Black Pine in the corner car park, with the cackle of a Green Woodpecker, heard, but invisible in the fog somewhere over Long Meadow, with a Bullfinch in a patch of Blackthorn on the traffic island.
A few flocks of Goldfinch bob around the downs, with their lovely, jangling calls.
A Blackbird pokes at the hard ground in the Aviary Glade, while nearby, a Tree-creeper spirals his way up a towering London Plane – its speckled bark always reminds me of a Friesian Cow!
On the woodland floor, fresh leaves of Snowdrops, Herb Robert and a few Dandelion flowers can be seen, while the berries of Snowberry, Spindle and Dog Rose add patches of colour.
Out on the downs, the basal rosette leaves of Early Spider Orchids can be found on the short turf, while above them, dry stems and umbels of Yarrow and Wild Carrot are covered with white frost.
A little clearer along the cliffs, where Fulmars, Shags and Great Black-backed Gull are on the wing, with Rock Pipits and Wrens seen along the clifftop.