ABBOTSBURY
Search for incoming migrants on the Jurassic coast
This contrasting circular walk takes in two of Dorset`s notable national trails: the West Coast Path along the Jurassic coastline and the South Dorset Ridgeway that bisects the Abbotsbury Plains. The stony beach is an extension of the famous Chesil Bank that sweeps back east in a dramatic rising curve towards the bulwark of the Isle of Portland. The calmer waters of West Fleet, trapped between Lyme Bay and rolling downland, are a magnet for a range of lingering wintering wildfowl and waders, along with gulls and incoming terns from the south. Migrant Wheatear and Black Redstart can be found along the shingle bank as hirundines whip inland and the first warblers appear in coastal scrub.
The hinterland section of the walk winds through a mix of arable farmland and classic chalk downland where passage Ring Ouzel are often noted on sheep pasture scrub beside the likes of Wheatear, Lapwing and Sky Lark. Small woods and copses along the way add to the variety of birds on offer, including migrant warblers, while Roe Deer and Brown Hare are also present. It would be churlish to visit this part of Dorset and not take in either the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens or the Swannery, the perfect complement having completed the walk during the morning. I chose the world-famous gardens, which are lovely at any time of the year, and in spring a magnet for migrant passerines among a kaleidoscope of plants and trees.