Lunchtime bird watching leads to discovering extreme wild flowers!
Standing on the top of the Point at lunchtime we could see a nest through binoculars on the cliffs. We had been talking about how few birds there seemed to be nesting on the cliffs compared to when we first came to live here nearly 20 years ago. We decided to go back this evening to investigate from a different part of the Point.
It had been a funny sort of day, suddenly quite warm and almost thundery. Watery sunshine at times and in the evening it gave way to faintly threatening clouds, though it did not rain. In other words not great for photographing dark rocks with deep hidden nests. From where we stood on the Point we could see a party of walkers over towards Port Haunn.
Having established the nest most likely belonged to shags, we turned our focus to extreme wild flowers. We walked round the far side of the Point, I have to confess I haven’t been that far round since M was born, and she is nearly 14! My knees were trembling at times, but the flowers were so beautiful, I edged as close as I could to the edge on my belly to take these photographs.
The old fence posts were put in by some brave soul a long time before we moved here, presumably to stop sheep grazing on to ledges where they might get stuck.
It was wonderful to see two different groups of shags, as well as a noisy pair of ravens, stonechat, skylarks, several cuckoos and meadow pipits.
The colourful clumps of sea pink, early purple orchid, rose root, primrose, common mouse’s ear and bluebells were so beautiful, dramatically clinging to the cliff faces – I call them extreme wild flowers in these remote and wild locations.
We walked all the way round the Point until you can go no further. It is plain to see why it is so dangerous for sheep here, if any one lets a dog off a lead on the tops. It is a long way down.
Cycling back through the Haunn field, a skylark lifted off her nest for a moment and I quickly peered in with the camera. 4 eggs! Her nest was literally inches from the track, 6 inches off the ground. She returned to the nest as I rounded the next corner.
