Yesterday, the new arrivals, thirteen Herford Calves and twelve Cows seemed content in Field 3. Please do not approach them and y control dogs near them. Understandably the mothers can be quite protective of their youngsters. Walking back, it was good see a patch of Crosswort with its cloud of tiny flowers. One of out two Kickstarter employees, Mark, mentioned how as a child he referred to Swallows as being “Air Penguins”. Today a few “air penguins” were seen over Caravan Terrace. One Swallow surprised me when it appeared beside a coastal drystone wall performing near vertical upward flight. Quickly the bird descended changing direction at the last minute. Durlston Bay was most still, thanks to the low tide which exposed Peveril Ledges. Lobster pot vessel PE1124 worked off shore whilst another such boast was off Anvil Point. There was an un-shapely raft of Guillemots, with at least four Razorbills, upon the sea. I briefly saw good cave ledge occupancy but could not look towards the sun for long. The seabirds could be heard splashing as they preened upon the water. Both the Peregrine Falcon and Greater Black Backed Gull, perched near the sea bird colony, faced west with their backs to the sun. Into the Tamarisk landed a duo of Goldfinches. Today Thrift was seen on the clifftop near the Mile Markers, of course Sea Campion was nearby. Several Shags performed circular arrival and departure movements as they arrived / departed the sea cliffs.
Today’s first mammal sighting was that of a Seal which initial was mistaken for a diver / snorkeler as its head was as dark as a wetsuit. The Seal was exploring below Tilly Will Ledge during the low tide. The water was very clear at the gully mouth. In places you could see the seaweed tendrils of what some might call Thongweed. Before leaving the gully mouth I witnessed a pair of silent Oystercatchers fly west. An exploration inland through the gully led to seeing a Roe Deer buck grazing above the rock exposure. Between the rock crevices appeared the yellow flowers of Birds-foot Trefoil. Ascent the gully slopes it was the more robust Horseshoe Vetch flowering upon the naturalised quarry spoil heaps. A Bullfinch was viewed perched on Gully scrub.