Autumn starts here!!

 With Margie at work and graciously agreeing to walk in💓, I was up for an early start at Seaford Head to see if there was any Autumn migration starting,reports of Wheatears,Whinchats locally and a Wryneck in Cornwall got my hopes up!! I just missed the sunrise, arriving at just before 6AM though it was quite cloudy, I resisted the urge to put on a coat and hit the Trail, heading east from the car park towards Hope Gap! First encounter was a large flock of House Sparrows which seem to have had a good year!

Just after Sunrise

View from the Carpark

Couple of House Sparrows

Belles Tout 

I headed down Hope Gap which was pretty quiet, couple of Whitethroat and a few of the local Finches and Tits, several Rabbits which also seem to have had a good year!! Hope Bottom was also very quiet not even any Stonechats!! I stood at the top of the Steps and admired the view  There were a few Curlew and Oystercatchers on the foreshore and I noticed a Kestrel on the cliff face not sure what it was up to but it seemed to have found something of interest as it scrabbled about on the dirt!! Lots of flowers down down the Gap and at the Bottom whole place looked lovely,decided to comeback later,when it warmed up, to look for Butterflies

Hope Gap Rabbit

Curlew

Kestrel

Seen Something

Hopefully got whatever it was!!

I decided to head for the Cuckmere as I often do in this situation, I headed along the cliff edge a small flock of Linnets appeared and as I approached the Cottages a large flock of Goldfinches, with a few Greenfinches were feeding on the seed heads of various plants good to see a lot of Juveniles, the Beach held a few Pipits and some Swallows buzzed me at last a sign of migration!! Far more birds in this area several Little Egrets as well as a couple of Herons!

Linnet

Linnet

Meadow Pipits

Little Egret

I headed up the river a nice Curlew posed alright on the other side before flying right by me and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on my side which was handy!!

Curlew, bit of a head pattern but think bill to long for Whimbrel

Black-tailed Godwits

I headed upstream to the first lot of bushes but again was quiet, a couple of Whitethroats, some Linnets and a flock of 4 Mipits the best of it, on turning around and heading back I noticed quite a lot of small Waders on the waters edge on the far bank, the sun wasn't my friend at this point, so making out detail was a touch difficult,but I identified Ringed Plover, Dunlin and a Turnstone, other birders tend to find rare waders along here in this situation me not so much😀 I took a load of pics in the hope of a decent armchair tick but can see nothing rare in them!! 

Bill seems a bit short on the back bird but I presume Dunlin?

Dunlin and a Ringed Plover

Turnstone

Black-headed Gull

Heading back towards the coast things got a bit livelier, lovely Kestrel sat on a bush which posed very nicely in the sunlight before launching an attack on a distant Pipit which it missed!!

Posy Kestrel

At the beach a small flock of Wagtails flew in and declared war on the local Rock Pipits a right dust up followed !! Didn't see who one as they all disappeared across the shingle but exciting stuff!!

Juv Pied Wagtail

Showdown

Rock Pipit

Pied wagtail

The Bushes along the side of the pool held a few birds, some Meadow Pipits, a couple of  really bright Willow Warblers, a couple of Lesser Whitethroat and a few Common Whitethroat amongst the Goldfinch hordes!!

Meadow Pipit

Juvenile Goldfinch

Willow Warbler

Goldfinch and a Greenfinch

Crap pic of a Lesser Whitethroat but it was the best I could do!

Goldfinch on Teasel

Common Whitethroat

Juv Goldfinch,lots about

So was enjoying trying to get the most photogenic Goldfinch pic when a lady Birder arrived on the scene after the usual pleasantries on such encounters, she informed me she had seen a Wheatear at  the bottom of Hope Gap!! I informed her of the Wader flock before setting off in search of Wheatear glory!! Hotfooting it back along the coast path, stopping only to admire a Blue Butterfly and a Seal I arrived at the Gap to find not one but two Wheatears whoop!!! One of which was a right show off!!

Seal

Wheatear

With this success I decided to head towards the Golf Course often a fence line favoured by Whinchats, but it proved to be a bit of a false dawn as although there was another Wheatear along the way and I found my first Stonechats of the day,there was not much else on show, even the herd of cows had no attendants despite the huge number of flies,a trip around the aircraft beacon was equally fruitless although did find a very bright moth,which I think is a Tiger Moth but happy to be corrected, the Dung Heap was devoid of action so arrived back at the car park without further incident, with the the Car park filling up, with Dog walkers and tourists I decided it was time to head home, quite a pleasant 4 hours!!

Plenty of flies on this but no Yellow wags or Cattle Egrets to take advantage 😢

Additional Wheatear

Tiger Moth??