Cliff-top shelter for hardy stonechats

WHAT a privilege it is to be able to walk the countryside on these dazzling mornings when the storm has passed and see fields shining in the sun, each grass blade sparkling as if it was tipped with diamonds.

You’d wonder where birds can hide though, when the winds are gusting at 130km/h. As I walk along the cliffs, a pair of stonechats pop up — and “pop up” is a fairly accurate description — to watch me pass. They are attractive little birds; male and female both have russet breasts while the male has a black head and a striking white collar.

Where they are present, it’s hard to miss them because they have the habit of flying to the highest briar tip or fence post to watch as one walks past.