Raptor Watch

 This post will be light on pics as well due to the arm being a bit sore from me jab although despite feeling a bit dodge last night a couple of Paracetamol and a night's sleep seem to have sorted any other side-effects but decided the big lens would be chancing me arm so to speak so left the camera at home 

 Raptor watch is probably a bit of a grandiose title for Margie and my walk today if I'm honest, basically just wanted some fresh air, the late start meant was unlikely to get to see much what with the Dog-walkers and Joggers ,so a brisk walk down Bullfinch Lane to the fields at the top, great views all around here with the Downs to the South running East to West and the Weald to the North! 

With several sightings of the re-introduced Isle of Wight, White-tailed Eagles all around Sussex I was hoping for a view, conditions were good for Raptors with blue skies and a gentle breeze, In a half and Hour watch Margie and I recorded at least 20 Common Buzzards, with 7 in the air at once at one point ,I would also say that due to timings and location I would estimate that there were at least 19 different individual birds with several displaying although some were at extreme distance!! Best bird was a Red Kite which was quite close flying around Wolstonbury Hill and the fields in between us. At 11.04 I had very Distant views to the South West of a large group of birds ,Gulls and the like with what looked like a much bigger blob in the middle of them, so will be interested to see where the tracking info for WTEs has them at this point. This was at extreme distance with basically a load of small dots surrounding a big dot very reminiscent of the distant views I had of the Vulture and it's escorts when I viewed it over East Dean from Seaford Head and would say todays views were double that distance so several miles ,but you never know !! Note to self bring the scope next time!! And yes I checked the bins for dust spots😀😀😀

Other bits of interest were a flyover flock of 12 Chaffinches going North and similarly a flock of approx 20 Meadow Pipits also going North signs of migration perhaps and a Kestrel on the wire. I also ticked Linnet for the year with a pair in the hedge along Yellowhammer alley!

The pics below were taken on the phone

Red Kite

Big Skies

Interesting Cloud

Buzzard

Buzzard

The Church