First Time at Sheepcote

 I have lived in Sussex for 14 years and was visiting regularly for the two years previous to that and for some reason I have never been to the Sheepcote Valley despite the fact that there is often good birds there and I only live 20 minutes away!! With a Wryneck reported earlier in the week and a weather forecast that suggested I would only have about 3 hours  I decided today was the day. Arrived at sunrise and set off down what looked like a decent path, first impressions were that it was much bigger than expected and it all looked like good Wryneck habitat, which made finding one quite difficult!! proceedings started well with the first major bush containing a Reed Warbler, two Blackcaps a Whitethroat and a Whinchat sat on top! 

Sunrise

Moon still up!

Heard a Stonechat and soon tracked it down

Reed Warbler

Not exactly showing well

Whinchat, had to take the pics through the bush

After that things went downhill! I wandered far and wide, the bushes were very quiet a few Whitethroats, couple of Willow Warblers, few Chiffies, there were 3 Kestrels hunting the area, but it was a bit of a slog.

Lots of Rabbits

Blackbird

Painted Lady

A lot of the action was like this!

Willow Warbler, the most posy bird of the trip had a right old preen

Kestrel, there seemed to be two hunting together and another over the other side of the site

Brighton

Kestrel

The local Magpies objected to the pair!

I had reached the end, so headed up to the high ground adjacent to the Golf Course, more open country here, two Wheatears and a Whinchat along here, I hung around the area where the Wryneck had been a couple of days previously, but frankly it was like looking for a needle in a needle stack!!

Whinchat

Wheatear, these were very flighty!

Whinchat

One of the Kestrels paid another visit

I had been watching the rain go up the channel and eventually a shower came inland, luckily I had my waterproof!! This livened things up a bit with more birds flitting about the bushes, couldn't find anything rare though!

Another Willow Warbler

Common Whitethroat

Flock of Sparrows in the Car Park

That was that, ultimately not a bad wander was disappointed how few "local birds" there were, a couple of Robins and Dunnocks, some Blackbirds, but no finches at all, thought there would have been some Linnets and Goldfinches, I imagine it would be a cracking place with a nice fall of migrants!

Seaford Trundle

 After the excitement of last week's twitch I decided to stay a bit closer to home yesterday, Despite the new 8 quid parking charge, Seaford Head still seemed the best bet to catch up with some autumnal migration! It did feel chilly enough first thing to be the start of that season as well!! Luckily I had remembered to take a sweatshirt!! Nice Sunrise to start, then straight into the action with a Whinchat and a Wheatear around the Dungheap!

Sunrise

Continuing

Whinchat in soft light

Wheatear, reluctant to pose, Whitethroat also being evasive

Wheatear on Dung, classic!

I headed towards the aircraft beacon, the track had a few Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Goldfinch but all very flighty!

Common Whitethroat

Headed down the path adjacent to the Golf Course, Stonechat down here, but again pretty quiet, things livened up at the bottom, 10 plus Stonechats, a couple of Wheatears and a feisty Rock Pipit who apparently has a problem with Wheatears!

Stonechat

Rock Pipit attacking Wheatear

Rock Pipit

Wheatear

Stonechat

Distant Raven

Love a Stonechat, lots of different plumages at the moment and always pose well! I was about to head off towards Hope Gap, when I glanced back over my shoulder, a white blob sat on the fence, Bins up, a juvenile Cuckoo, I go into full stalk mode, quite difficult as it's on the same fence I'm on so a good bit of leaning out but managed a few pics! 

Cuckoo

It eventually headed off across the golf course, so I resumed my walk I'd only gone about 20 yards when I noticed a bird sat on a fence post ahead of me turned out to be a very tame Kestrel

Kestrel

It left the post several time to pounce on some prey, think possibly grasshoppers

But soon jumped back on the post, must be very used to people up there as it was very cooperative

I left him to his hunting and headed off towards Hope Gap. Not much along the cliff face, mainly Pipits

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit

Possibly a Willow Warbler on the West approach to Hope Bottom

Another Meadow Pipit

As I headed down into Hope Bottom I noticed movement along the top, a Green Woodpecker, I flipped back  into full stalk mode, with some quality results!

Green Woodpecker

To clarify "Full Stalk Mode, is me bent over slightly, moving even slower than normal!

 Hope Bottom was pretty quiet, a Sparrowhawk flushed a small flock of Linnets, more Stonechats, there were a group of Ringers at the bottom of Hope Gap, seemed to be catching mostly  Blackcaps, I gripped em off with my Cuckoo pictures and headed on along the cliff edge, nice Wheatear at the top with another Stonechat.

Sparrowhawk

Wheatear

A flock of 12 Curlew went past, here are four of em!

Stonechat

Wheatear

Wheatear balancing act

I decided to loop around the Cuckmere, I was hoping there would be Yellow Wagtails around the Cattle, there weren't! Pretty quiet all around, couple of Greenshanks, a Green Sandpipers and Godwit. Along with Little Egrets and Grey Herons!

Curlew out in the parched fields, wasn't a lot of water about so how they are getting on feeding I don't know!

Little Egret

Greenshanks

Green Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Greenshank

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Synchronised Preening 

I headed out of the valley and back towards the car park a Peregrine zipped past, more Stonechats and some nice butterflies!

Can't get enough of this view!

Peregrine, in my defence it was shifting

Stonechat

Clouded Yellow

Small Heath

With more people arriving I decided on a final look up the track to the aircraft beacon, when it gets busy, birds often retreat here. Found another Wheatear, more Whitethroats, Chiffies and Goldfinches! The Peregrine, looking at the wingtips seemed to be the same one spiralled up above.

Wheatear

Peregrine

Goldfinch

Clouded Yellow

Every angle covered

I headed back past the Dungheap, A scan of the fence line, Whinchat, probably the same one as this morning, so I finished where I'd started taking pictures of a Whinchat! Despite the best efforts of a Stonechat who relentlessly harassed it, the Whinchat managed to pose ok!

Whinchat

What's that you say? Too many Whinchat pics!!! Sorry not sorry!!!

So not a bad wander 16000 steps done, numbers of birds weren't particularly high, Linnets and Goldfinches seem well down, hopefully numbers will increase through the Autumn, but what there was at least had the decency to show ok!!! Enjoyable morning!!!