Robins, Wrens, and Blue Tits sing in harmony as I walk into the woodland this morning. Above me one of the Blue Tits hops around the branches of a Willow Tree. It pecks at the emerging fluffy buds, just a few feet away from me. A Chaffinch climbs to the top of a nearby Holly and breaks out into tuneful song. Each verse is then echoed by another bird located somewhere deeper into the undergrowth.
I pass the ‘Rest and Admire’ viewpoint (as inscribed into a square block of limestone there), and can see the a heavy haze fills the bay. Peveril Point is just a misty blur, with Swanage Bay completely hidden from sight. A small group of Woodpigeons race northwards across the framed view, accelerating into a loud ‘Swoosh’ as they pass.
On my way down through the woodland I can see some of the Bat roost boxes which were recently but up around some of the larger trees. One of them sits against the large trunk of a Horse Chestnut Tree - surrounded by it’s low drooping branches, each of them swelling with large buds at their tips.
Herb Robert, Lords & Ladies, and Celandine have all sprouted fresh green leaves spreading like a carpet across the woodland. Three-Cornered Leek can also seen and smelled in great swathes – emitting it’s garlicky scent. More Daffodil heads and beginning to turn yellow, complimenting the colourful array of surrounding bright berries – orange Stinking Iris, red Laurel, and pink Euonymus.
I take a stroll back across the Meadows; startling a Jay as I walk through the kissing gate. He lets out two piercing screeches and beats his wings to fly over the hedgerow. The fields are damp and gateways sloppy – filled with countless boot-prints trampling through the mud. A Song thrush watches me leap between the drier patches, probably amused at my inferiority as a wingless human.