A short patrol through the woods this morning provided me the wonderful sound of a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, the sound echoing throughout the aviary glade.
The calling and singing of other woodland birds, included the three Tits – Blue, Great and Long-tailed. A few moments spend watching these as they flitted amongst the bushes and branches.
Further along the path a couple of Bullfinches noted, the brilliant bright pink chest showing up as it perched on the branch of a Horse Chestnut tree.
After last night’s heavy rain the fields once again completely sodden, the mud and puddles making walking extremely difficult. As I aborted my intended route and changed direction a Roe Deer trotted across my path, his antlers covered in a soft velvet.
In the small patch of scrub a Sparrowhawk was perched, perhaps waiting for some small bird to move for breakfast.
Below the hedgerow a clump of Primroses on the bank, Daffodils out all around the Castle making a lovely splash of colour.
Out on the downs the tiny flowers of Whitlow Grass showing little white specks against the grass. A Lesser Bloody–nosed Beetle spotted trundling across the ground as I searched looking for the leaves of newly emerging plants.
By the cliffs 2 Rock Pipits displaying, the fluttering up and down and calling wonderful to watch. Around the corner 3 Fulmars were floating and soaring, dipping and dangling their feet as they changed direction, watching these birds is always a delight.