Deer – Stephen's Wildlife

Old Harry bathed in sunlight from Durlston Castle, with Bournemouth pier and seafront in background

In August 2023 I walked the 8 miles from Corfe Castle to Swanage. It was a wake up call as I struggled up the climb to the Obelisk.

The climb to the Obelisk (just visible) – the location of my August struggle

It was halfway up the 220 steps that I was brought face to face with my lack of fitness. In the intervening 8 weeks I have trained for, and last week ran in, the Bournemouth half marathon.

This week I returned to the Isle of Purbeck. Temperatures were more autumnal and it was mainly sunny, only breaking into a rain shower after we had sat down on the grass to eat our sandwiches. The rain was refreshing and quickly passed.

Our route was an 8 mile circular walk starting and finishing at Durlston Castle, just outside Swanage. We followed the South West Coast Path to just beyond Dancing Ledge, where we headed inland to join the Priest’s Way footpath and looped back to Durlston Castle with stunning views of the Isle of Wight and Poole Harbour. The following photos are some of the wildlife along the way. We were at the wrong time of year to see Puffins, but there are recorded sightings of a small number in May at Dancing Ledge. Note to self to return next spring.

These images observe and record the colour of the Dorset countryside as the season transitions from autumn to winter. The sun shining low in the sky cast long shadows and either back-lit subjects photographed against it or created strong light when facing away from it. The overriding colour recorded here is brown, with one or two colourful exceptions, such as the blue tit with its blue, yellow and green plumage.

The animals and birds seemed curious. Not all dashed for safety at the first sign of a human, but a few were content to stop, stare and assess the danger. The deer particularly held my gaze for quite some time before being spooked. The female stonechat was bold perched on a teasel very close to me and was in no hurry to move on. Others were more skittish – the heron took to the skies at the first sign of human presence.