The meadows are looking magnificent at the moment, a wonderful array of gently waving grasses and flowers, providing a delightful colour palette.
The soft stems of Yorkshire Fog are alongside the wafting Crested Dog’s Tail and the rough Tor Grass, all of which are dripping with ‘flowers’. Fluttering amongst these a number of Meadow Brown butterflies and some brighter almost orange Large Skippers. As I watched one of these skippers it carefully chose Coltsfoot to perch on, disregarding the other choices of grass stem.
Skylarks still singing from above, a dot of brown against the dull grey cloudy sky. Perched on the tops of the Blackthorn hedges were Common Whitethroats, many producing their characteristic scratchy song.
A super display of the tall yellow flowered Agrimony, across the fields, scattered within the tiny pink individual flowers of Grass Vetchling, alongside a few almost purple coloured.
Large purple patches of Tufted Vetch, spots of Bush Vetch and the soft Ladies Bedstraw adding more colour to the fields.
Linnets chattering as they landed amongst the Gorse, flashes of their pink chests and heads. While I had an amazing view of a male Bullfinch as it perched on the twigs of a flowering Wayfaring Tree, brilliant bright pink chest contrasting with its black head, a duller coloured female was also perched nearby.
The huge ‘clocks’ of the Goatsbeard showing as are the various orchids – Southern Marsh, Common Spotted and for the eagle-eyed some Bee Orchids are still blooming.
Down on the cliffs the Guillemots are getting towards the end of their breeding season, with majority of their small fluffy chicks having left for the open sea, where they will stay for a couple of years. Come and see the birds on the camera in the Castle visitor centre before its too late!