Due to the complete lack of wind and visitors, the park was silent except for the steady dripping of the rain as it came straight down. The loud split splat as the drops landed upon the various leaves.
The Guillemot season is coming to an end, the upper ledge containing just 1 chick, with a few adults in attendance. However the lower ledge is more active, with 75 adults and about 4 chicks and 4 eggs. These eggs are unlikely to hatch at this stage, but the more adults around, the better chance the small chicks will have of fledging.
On the water another 15 or so Guillemots alongside 7 Razorbills. A straight winged Fulmar glided past, as the almost honking call of Great Black-backed Gulls filled the air.
Slowly sliding across the stems of Black Mustard were two Garden snails, while Glass Snails and Brown-lipped Snails were to be spotted on the tall leaves of Stinking Iris.
Stepping over one of the dry-stone walls was a Roe Deer, looking a duller colour in the wet, As I watched it was amazing how it just disappeared amongst the scrub with barely a rustle.
From behind came the crashing sound of a Wood Pigeon as it took off from the Sycamore bush, disturbing the young speckled Robin as it went.
A family of Rock Pipits flitting and calling, their feathers all fairly dull grey and brown, as they move about, often landing in amongst the yellow flowers of Kidney Vetch, pink of Wild Thyme, yellow of Hop Trefoil, white of Sea Campion, the greens of Sea Beet and the pink of Thrift, although some of this is now going brown.
Just on the cliff edge our own very special Durlston Rock Sea-lavender is coming into flower, a faint pinkish-purple.
Bounding across Lighthouse Green was a Rabbit, the tail, a tuft of white, bobbing up and down as it moved. Rabbits which used to be our number one grazer are much less common that they were, probably due to disease, so seeing one know is a pleasure.