A bright and sunny start, but still a little early to catch the Wall Lizards basking on the side of the Castle. A south-easterly breeze rolls in to the Head, shimmering across the silver White Poplar leaves, and swaying the Tamarisk.
Magnificent blooms of pink Sea Thrift tremble upon the clifftop. More subtle are the dark flower heads of Ribwort Plantain adorned with a ruff of small creamy anthers. Fresh stems Honeysuckle Stems twist up to the sunlight, emerging from the thicket of wind-beaten Blackthorn.
Looking down to the water, Guillemots fly in every direction, appearing almost erratic with their rapid wing movements. This morning their usual condensed raft is dispersed across the choppy waters and intermixed with many Herring Gull.
The slope below the Mile Markers and Lighthouse have now turned a brilliant yellow where swathes of Kidney Vetch has bloomed. A Rock Pipit and plenty of Jackdaw clattering the skies above.
Early Purple Orchids have began to fade on Round Down, though Green-winged still good form. I look up just in time to see Roe Deer galloping up over the hill. Here, a couple Meadow Pipit in flight above the Gorse, and a Skylark filling the air with its captivating song.
Goldfinch flock for cover in the gully, whilst Swallows shoot like arrows across the sky. I ascend the hill, enjoying the small patches of Lady’s Bedstraw, Chalk Milkwort, and Horseshoe Vetch. The latter being the sole foodplant for Adonis Blue caterpillars, though today I just find a red and black beetle: Cantharis rustica. Speckled Wood butterfly and Silver-Y moth passing through.