A lovely morning for a wander around Durlston Country Park National Nature Reserve, as a Skylark took flight from the long grasses of the meadow, erupting with a glorious pouring of song.
The flowers below included swathes of Tufted Vetch, a deep purple covering alongside the yellows of more vetches including Meadow Vetch and Bird’s-foot Trefoil, both of these in some places the dominating flower, in others this was the tall spike of Agrimony or Dyer’s Greenweed.
Fluttering along the edges of the grasses paths were Meadow Browns, a flittering of dark brown and tan as they moved.
Also, the black and white checks of a Marbled White caught my eye, as they too moved about, one landing on a newly open Greater Knapweed, providing a lovely contrast of colour.
A variety of white umbellifer flowers, with Hogweed towering above the other plants, along with the shorter and more round headed Wild Carrot and the wonderfully named Corky-fruited Water-dropwort.
On the cliffs a huge large black Raven was perched, beak open as it looked around it.
A screeching from the west alerted me to an incoming Peregrine Falcon which swept and swooped, first left then right and back towards the rockface.
From the water came the growling sound of a Guillemot, while a high-pitched calling of a young chick was coming from the ledges. Still many adults occupying the breeding area, with chicks scattered amongst them.
Gliding into the rock was a Shag, the large long-necked, round bodied bird looking very ungainly as it arrived.
A bright splash of yellow from Biting Stonecrop, pink from Wild Thyme and Common Mallow adding colour to the cliffs, while the small dull brown fluttering of Lulworth Skippers notable along the top.