Of Birds & Cake the Blog of Paul

Lots of reports of migration occurring on the coast, so a no-brainer to head to Seaford Head. Hoping for a Wryneck but more realistic targets of Whinchat, Spot Fly and Common Redstart all of which, embarrassingly, I have failed to see this year so far!! Managed to get up early and arrived at the Barn Car-park at quarter to six!😲 As I was getting kitted up, winter coat on as a bit chilly, a massive,noisy eruption of Corvids,presumably coming out of roost,hundreds of birds like something out of a Hitchcock film,unfortunately I hadn't got the camera set up,but was an awesome sight and noise!!!! It finished as quickly as it started,I hummed and Hahed but it was a bit gloomy for Hope Gap so headed for the Dung-heap, Boom!! Good decision Whinchats galore 5 in all with 4 on the fence and 1 on the heap itself, pre-sunrise so a bit gloomy for pics but done me best!!

Belle Tout in the gloom

Whinchat

I continued towards the Golf Course, The Sun rose,Phew!! However a rogue cloud rather spoiled it!!

Sunrise shame about the cloud😢

Undaunted I headed on, I diverted down the path to the Beacon, but the few birds that were there were elusive and seemed all to be Chiffies or Whitethroats,so headed back to the Golf Course followed the fence-line, which can be good for Whinchats, no luck until I reached the coast when the days 6th Whinchat appeared, a Raptor flew west along the coast parallel to the cliff was only on view for a couple of seconds,very fast, with pointy wings, seemed to small for a Peregrine so going with Hobby,but the camera wouldn't focus on it so it was the one that got a way!! A Wader then went East,the Camera seemed to have no problem with this bird, grrr pretty sure it was a Greenshank!

Light a bit better for this Whinchat

Pretty sure Greenshank happy to be corrected if not

I continued, east along the cliff path, was just thinking how quiet it was, when I spotted a Wheatear in the field, then a couple of Yellow Wagtails in with the sheep, the next hundred yards saw at least 9 Wheatears and approximately 20 Yellow Wagtails difficult to be 100% sure on numbers as everything was mobile and a lot of the birds were dropping below the cliff edge where obviously it was a bit dangerous to get to close!! The days 7th Whinchat was seen here as well!

Wheatear on the Cliff Edge eyeing up the journey to France!

Yellow Wagtail

Whinchat number 7

I headed down the slope towards Hope Bottom, lots of Rabbits a few Common Whitethroats, couple of Stonechats, Dunnocks and another few Wheatears although I think they flew in from behind me so probably the same birds as previous!! This is prime Wryneck territory and I spent a lot of time scanning the slopes but without success!!😟

Rabbit

Common Whitethroat

Wheatear

Stonechat

Hope Bottom was quite productive, lots of movement plenty of Chiffies and Willow Warblers, then target no 2 gave itself up with a nice Spotted Flycatcher showing quite well although distantly and disappeared when I got nearer!!

Spot Fly

A couple of Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcap and several Common Whitethroats here but difficult to get a clear shot, at this point target number 3, Common Redstart, arrived and posed nicely on a bush!

Common Redstart

Willow Warbler

I headed up Hope Gap, I bumped into one of Sussex's Top Birders here, he'd had a Pied Fly further up the gap,but I couldn't find it, quieter up here possibly because of the wind although a big flock of House Sparrows is always fun!! I headed towards Harry's Bush to my relief was sheep in the field not cows phew, as I entered the field Whinchat number 8 appeared, probably the most posy one of the day!! Harry's Bush was quite quiet although I had 3 Lesser Whitethroats one of which actually posed ok!!

Green Woodpecker here as well, but flighty as normal and a Fox was in the bottom of the field!!

House Sparrow

Belle Tout

Whinchat number 8

Green Woodpecker

Blackcap

Fox

Lesser Whitethroat

Yes lot of pics of Lesser Whitethroat, but they don't often pose this well so fill your boots when ya can, I joined the path at the bottom of the field and headed towards the Cuckmere looking back at Harry's Bush a Kestrel was getting a lot of grief from a Rook an entertaining battle with the Kestrel effortlessly avoiding the Rook's attentions but it was a very persistent! Hard to get pics but I tried me best!!

Free at last

I reached the end of the path to find a massive great fence completely blocking it!!! Less agile 56 year olds may have been daunted by this edifice at least 12 feet high, barbed wire, watch towers,floodlights etc!! But my inherent laziness kicked in, I certainly wasn't going to retrace my steps up that bloody hill, so tackled it with gusto, flying over it like a trapezee artist!! Well I scrabbled over the fence and through a 10 feet of brambles and got through it relatively unscathed!!!, Big signs about footpath closed!!! Maybe put a sign the other end as well!!

The Cuckmere was quiet, and very windy, I had been advised that to see the Little Stint that had been there yesterday, find the Dunlin! I found 2 Ringed Plovers and 1 Dunlin, no Little Stint 😢 Did see another Greenshank in flight and Whinchat number 9,although this one didn't want to pose!! A huge eruption of Geese as well, Loads of feral Canadas and Greylags which flew over my head towards the coast, spectacular sight, though I couldn't find any reason for it half expected to see an Osprey but no luck!! A few more Yellow Wagtails flying about as well!

Annoyingly on arrival back on the coast, I checked my phone, 4 Little Stints just south of the pub,if I'd gone another 300 yards I would probably have seen em, but I couldn't be arsed to walk back against the strengthening wind!!😢

Black-headed Gull loads of these about

Whinchat number 9

Greenshank

Sparrowhawk

I headed back along the cliff for another crack at a Wryneck at Hope Bottom big flock of Linnet along here, Hope Gap was much quieter now,no Wheatears and far fewer Warblers, shows the importance of an early start.I imagine with the wind behind them most of the birds were halfway to France!! I saw a few Swallows on my walk,but not as many as I was expecting to be honest, I headed back to the car-park ,popped back to the Dung-heap no sign of the Whinchats though I eventually spotted 4 of them lurking behind the Barn!!