A biting wind and gloomy sky this morning. The mist hanging heavy above seeming to deaden all but the wind rushing past my ears. A quick check in the wildlife garden brought up Robins, Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Blue Tits, Great Tits, and Dunnocks all snatching as many nuts and seeds as they could. On the grounds below the feeders Hen Pheasants pecked at the leftovers.
Over in the large copse there were signs of Badgers digging around the gate and along the path. Beyond this in Saxon field there was little stirring. Continuing to the meadows more and more Common Daisies were opening up, a show of deep purple at their edges before spreading to white and yellow. A beautiful display of Cowslip, their heads nodding in the wind, stood out on the open grassland.
Blue in the sky seemed to strain to push through the mist but was rebuffed as I continued. I was startled in the quiet by two Skylarks jumping to the sky and singing loudly. The song cut short and they drifted off, thinking better of it and seeking shelter. At the ridge I looked down into a choppy sea. Herring Gulls wheeled around the cliff, sticking close to a potential perch, Shags crisscrossed paths close to the water’s surface. A couple of Stonechats braved weather to sit atop a patch of scrub together. Rock Pipits hopped about the grassland chasing each other, whilst out to sea Guillemots dashed back and forth, frantically beating their wings. The cliffs were busy with Jackdaws and Feral Pigeons as a lone Song Thrush broke the monotony of wave and wind with chattering and trilling.
Walking back along the new path more birdsong filled the air, a Squirrel bounded down along the long meadow, and Magpies and Carrion Crows squawked and cronked as I made my way out of the cold.