Saturday 3 February 2018

Familiar Place, Familiar Locals



As soon as the Sun comes out there is a little voice in my head that will do its best to get me out with the camera, whatever else I need to do. At this time of year blue sky days have to be grabbed with both hands and I don’t tend to argue with that little voice too much.
I am fortunate where I live that my local patch includes the fabulous Durlston Country Park, an area that sits on the very south eastern edge of the Isle of Purbeck and has some of the finest views around, not to mention an incredible amount of wildlife. So, when the Sun comes out, this is usually the first place I head to.
Now it may have been a cold February day but the warmth of the winter Sun was obvious straight away and out of the wind it seemed positively mild. On a day like this is not uncommon to find Adders basking on the south facing slopes, keeping safe and away from people. Out to sea Gannets soared just above the waves and the Guillemots that Durlston are famous for bobbed up and down on the water before heading back to their ledge just below the coast path.
Kestrels and Peregrines are often seen here and it is possible to get some superb views as they fly past of sit on the rocks, watching and waiting. On this trip though it was a Jay and a Firecrest that kept me amused, both were quick and skittish, both were perfectly coloured and both proved incredibly difficult to get close to. Time spent trying to photograph the birds and animals here is never wasted however and I can and do spend many hours walking backwards and forward between trees and around hedges following the wilder locals, whilst trying not to intrude on their lives too much.





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