Sunday, 12 January 2025

Henfield

 Margie and I had a wander along the Downslink at Henfield, having had pinpoint directions from a fellow Birder, I of course went the wrong way!! However it was still a pleasant enough wander, we ended up at what I think is Partridge Green's sewage works where the bird of the day was seen in the form of a smart Grey Wagtail, plenty of Pied Wagtails and Chiffchaffs here as well, though it is a very frustrating place as you cannot see into the pits and pics have to be taken through a fence!

 Elsewhere everything was frozen and the frosty landscape looked beautiful in the weak sunlight. Other birds seen, Lapwing, Snipe ( thanks to the group of birders we bumped into who pointed out the Snipe and let me look through their scopes) Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Goldcrest, Redwings, Song Thrush, Skylarks, Meadow pipits, Long-tailed Tits and a Kestrel the best of it!  A few of our pics below! Also of interest a Song Thrush in our garden this morning, first for a while!

Song Thrush taken through the living room window! Ironically if I'd try to take a pic of the twigs the Thrush would be pin sharp!😏


The path ahead by Margie

Frosty by Margie

Frosty landscape by Margie


Greenfinch


Mute Swan

Pied Wagtail in the frosty grass




Meadow Pipit


Snipe, told you they were distant

Chiffchaff


Lapwing

Grey Wagtail


Pied Wagtail

Lapwing

Rook
Some more of Margie's frosty Landscape pics



She also got a Swan reflection shot!






Stonechat

Kestrel


All in all a chilly but very enjoyable walk around, close to home so will be exploring the area again in the coming months!

Saturday, 11 January 2025

1st Trip of the year!

 Having just about survived 3/4 of the quademic, though only got my sense of smell back this  lunchtime, the power of bacon!!, I decided to head out this morning, the car telling me it was -3 degrees Celsius almost made me head back to bed, but with multiple layers of thermal clothing and a balaclava in place I went for it!! I decided to head for Tidemills. I felt with everything being frozen the coast was the best place for some action and with no sense of smell I didn't even have to worry about the dog poop!😁💩

Was pretty quiet as I arrived at Sunrise, I managed to spot a couple of Purple Sandpipers on the pier and a distant dot turned out to be the Eider that's been around for a couple of weeks, but in general the frozen landscape didn't have much to offer! Though the Sandpipers showed well!





Dunnock

Seaford Head

Eider

Cormorant

Purple Sandpiper












Wren

Meadow Pipit on ice!

Meadow Pipit

Stonechat on ice


Spot the Stonechat

Shelduck

Redshank


Vocal Song Thrush



By 10.30 I had decided to give up but thought I would nip to Splash Point to see if I could find a Black Redstart, which I could!!

Fulmar a couple on the cliffs at Splash Point I had also seen several on the cliffs at Newhaven






Rock Pipit

Meadow Pipit, look at that blue sky!

Black Redstart




The Splash Point Purple Sandpiper

Apparently it's called Stumpy!

Avocet, spotted by another birder who also spotted some very distant diving Gannets!

So not a bad day, to be honest just glad to be out after feeling pretty crap for the last couple of weeks, my list is creeping up, 58 at time of writing!!