This morning’s dawn chorus was to be heard in Saxon Field, with Robin, Blue Tit, and Long-tailed Tit all singing against the continuous squeaking of a Dunnock and the distant sound of the quarries beyond the park. Only the Blue Tit could be seen, scampering through the thicket of Blackthorn and Bramble, with the rest of birds hidden somewhere amongst the scrub.
I found a hoof print of a Roe Deer near the old rusty farm machinery – the two ‘slots’ perfectly formed in the soft mud. Whilst looking for more, I managed to spot some of the basal leaves of Early Spider Orchids beginning to poke their way through the short mossy turf in preparation for spring.
From here I headed down into the Gully, my route appearing to disturb many small groups of Woodpigeons and Blackbirds on the way. As I followed the hedge towards the sea, I found a small clearing I hadn’t explored before, under the canopy of a large Ash Tree. I stepped through a gap trampled by the cows, to spot a very busy Goldcrest flitting between the branches of the Blackthorn.
As the gully widens, the sea calls louder. In the distance a cloud of around 100 Guillemots could be seen passing between the Samphire covered banks. By the time I reached the cliffs, most of them appeared to have looped back eastward and following a Severn-class Lifeboat having travelled here from Torbay!
On the rocks below me, a Rock Pipit hops around the sodden seaweed covered ledge, unphased by the undoubtedly slippery surface and waves crashing just meters away. I ascend up the steps of the coastal path, joined momentarily by a Black Redstart watching me from a fence post.
On my return of the office, I left the beaten track for a detour through the woodland, where I found a fantastic dead Ash Tree – covered in the hard black boils of King Alfred’s Cakes and enclosed by lifted cracked bark – the perfect crevice for a hibernating bat!