A surprisingly chilly morning, the wind stronger that I expected, was blowing right through me! Towards the cliffs and the sound of birdsong lit the way, mostly Chaffinches heard, with their ‘slow start and fast running end’. Despite the obvious sound, they were difficult to spot amongst the tangled ropes and mats of Old Man’s Beard and Blackthorn, eventually a flash of pale pink and a flash of blue found.
Amazing what else can be spotted when searching in the depths of branches with binoculars – the Willow buds are just beginning to open up to reveal their wonderful furry grey heads. The branches of an old Hawthorn tree covered in various greens and greys of lichen, some smooth, some long and tufted others more blobs!
A shadow overhead and a Peregrine Falcon glided past, the bulky dark grey body wins swept as it speeded along the coast.
Around the headland three Fulmars swooped and soared, such a wonderful sight, while on the ledge a few Guillemots were to be seen.
The sea was as seething mass of white water, rolling in from the south, and at the blow-hole water was powering up producing a very wet spray!
Two Rock Pipits were dashing around the rock face, twisting and turning as they chased and displayed.
A few more flowers noted including the early white petals and thick green leaves of Danish Scurvy Grass, while up on the short downland the tiny white flowers of Whitlow Grass can be found.
Slowly walking across the path, a Fox Moth caterpillar, a huge hairy ginger brown caterpillar (well almost 3” long anyhow!).
As I walked from the top of the downs onto the back meadow the strong southerly wind disappeared and sudden calmness occurred, and taking advantage of this were 3 Skylarks, two chasing low, just above the grass and another high in the sky in full voice.
In the mud – which is now beginning to dry out a bit – the footprints of the Roe Deer I watched bounding across – pairs of slightly curved slots.