Country diary: Perilous puffins and a plucky underdog | Mya Bambrick

Swanage, Dorset: While the seabirds here make the headlines, my eye is drawn to the unassuming rock pipit and its accelerating song

It’s a stunning evening for a walk at Durlston Country Park. The position of its headland on the south-west coast of England makes it a fantastic place to watch bird migration in action. As I walk along the coastal path, enjoying the panoramic sea views, barn swallows arrive from across the Channel.

Below is a cacophony of sound coming from the cliff edges; this part of the Jurassic Coast is home to a breeding colony of seabirds, with last year’s survey recording 1,377 guillemots, 179 razorbills, 12 fulmars and just six puffins.