After a sprinkling of rain after I left the house around dawn, by the time I stepped through gateway and into the woods, the skies were starting to clear and a few patches of bright blue sky were appearing through the canopy.
Even in the depths of dark, grey January, hints of spring are starting to appear. Near the Aviary Glade, the bright green spikes of Snowdrop leaves are pushing up out of the bare woodland floor, with fresh leaves of Ramsons, Herb Robert, Cow Parsley and Three-cornered Leek all promising wonderful displays of woodland flowers later in the year.
Walking up through woodland, Grey Squirrels are especially active at the moment, with the approach of mating season, with lots of squabbling males competing for territory, with a pitched battle near the ‘Listening Seat’ crossing from one side of the Coast Path to the other!
Also seen, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robins, Wrens and Chaffinches (the last essaying a somewhat hesitant version of their accelerating song).
On Caravan Terrace, Dunnock, Blackbird and Bullfinch all seen, as a flock of Goldfinches work their way through the scrub to the south of the bridge – half a dozen hanging on the fine stems of a coppiced Willow as it is buffeted by the wind.
My morning rounds came to an abrupt stop on Durlston Head. Just of the cliffs, a huge feeding flock of seabirds was mesmerising to watch and listen to! 50+ Gannets whirl, circle and plunge knife-like into the water, with at least as many Mediterranean Gulls and Kittiwakes forming a dense cloud around them. Guillemots and Razorbills bob on the water below them, with a few Great Black-backed Gulls also among the flock. Not often you get to hear, as well as see Gannets at Durlston, but the noise this morning was wonderful, mixed with the cries of the Gulls, making a treat for the ears as well as a fascinating spectacle! Rough weather further out at sea often means seabirds will come in closer to feed, so worth getting out to the cliffs over the next week, if you can!