What a lovely morning – the sun was breaking through the white highish clouds, almost no wind and lots of birdsong to enjoy.
My highlight of the walk was a Cirl Bunting singing loudly from where the gully and the meadows meet. It was the song that caught my attention, my brain recognising the tune, initially as a truncated Yellowhammer – so I began to search the Blackthorn blooms for a bright yellow head, but there perched on the top of a spiky point of was the striped head of a Cirl Bunting. This is only the second year in the last 40 years that these buntings have been seen and heard here, having made a come back in Devon, hopefully they are moving this way to breed.
Otherwise the varied melodies of a Song Thrush was competing with the seesawing Great Tits, repetitive Chiffchaffs and rattling Wrens.
The fields have a lovely yellow Cowslip hue, as the carpet grows daily. A few tall Early Purple Orchids providing a bright pink splash of colour, while on the downs the occasional much deeper purple Green-winged Orchid is now in bloom.
Watch out for the Early Spider Orchid – surprisingly difficult to spot until you seen them and then suddenly lots of the pale green stems pop out, the lovely furry brown flower with beady ‘eyes’ if you get low enough and a good view!
Fluttering upwards a Speckled Wood, while on a grass stem a triangular yellow Brimstone Moth.
The thick green leaves of Adder’s-tongue Fern spotted, the strange long ‘tongue’ pointing upwards. Nearby patches of Spring Sedge covered in yellow tufts.
Wafting, with deep wings beats over my head 3 Jays, the bright blue wing bar flashing as the sun caught its feathers.
Bittercress, Black Mustard, Bluebells and Common Whitlow Grass add more species to look for, while Dandelions, Lesser Celandine and Common Daisy can’t really be missed.
Skylarks singing gloriously above the meadows, a sure sing of spring!