Grey day at Beachy Head

 With Margie graciously agreeing to walk to work💗, I was able to get out early for a trip to Beachy Head. The weather was grey and dead calm, which I hoped would make spotting rare warblers flitting around in the bushes easier!! Hoping for a Ring Ouzel or three as well!! Arrived at Shooters Bottom at about 7 o'clock light was absolutely terrible and I was a bit worried it was going to rain!! I wandered about the area, couldn't find a Ring Ouzel or a rare Warbler, plenty of Chiffchaffs, a few Blackcaps, and a single Sedge Warbler for a bit of variety, getting pictures was quite hard work, the birds were uncooperative, in their defence they was trying to feed on the numerous bugs, and the light as stated before was very bad!! Were a few Blackbirds about, none of which, despite trying hard, could be turned into Rouzels 😀 Were hundreds of Swallows and Housemartins zipping about as well, but I've learnt my lesson on them and made no attempt to get pics!!😀 There were also Robins, lots and lots of Robins! None of them turned into Bluethroats either😢 Despite everyone being scanned!! Sorry about the quality of the pics below!! Did I mention how bad the light was!!😂

Belle Tout lighthouse seems closer to the edge since last time I was here!

Moulting Blackbird

Bad hair day Robin

Goldfinch

Chiffchaff

Blackcap playing hard to get

Beachy Head Lighthouse

Look how bad the light is😁

Sedge Warbler

Blackcap 

Even when they do come out they are the wrong way round

That's better

Well after a frustrating but fun hour and a half, where I couldn't winkle out anything spectacular, I headed back to the car! The other side of the road had some interesting looking birds perched up but they all turned into Stonechats and Goldfinches, but at least a Stonechat knows how to pose!

Stonechat

Goldfinch

I decided to relocate to the Horseshoe Plantation, Ticket machine was out of order, which was a bonus!! Although I put 3 quid in the Shooters one and that didn't give me a ticket so didn't feel that guilty, TBH I didn't feel guilty at all, it's a disgrace that the tickets are not valid in all the car parks!! Don't mind paying to park but that takes the piss really!! Rant Over 😁!

The wood was quiet, a Buzzard sat on the edge was the best of it, the other side was better, more Stonechats and Chiffchaffs, a small flock of Blackbirds brought hope then disappointment😢 Couple of Song Thrushes and one of the most patient Green Woodpeckers I've ever encountered!

Common Buzzard

Chiffchaff

Chaffinch at last a bird perched up that's not a Robin or a Stonechat

Song Thrush

Seaford Head from Belle Tout, makes a change usually the other way round

Likewise the Sisters

Green Woodpecker

Tracked up the slope then back across the top of the wood, still nothing in it as far as I could tell, I wandered the area back towards Birling Gap, I'd been hearing snatches of my favourite birdsong, Corn Bunting and I finally tracked one down!

Corn Bunting

Another posy Stonechat

Meadow Pipit

So I was enjoying the Corn Bunting, when I noticed up ahead a large flock of Goldfinch, I approached carefully and was about to get some award winning pics, despite the light😀 When the whole lot erupted, because coming down the slope from the seaward side, the corner of my eye caught the blur that is an attacking Merlin, it went through the flock like a hot knife through butter, time I got my shizz together and got the camera going it was already past!! it had missed the Finches and was now across the road having a go at the Meadow Pipits and Skylarks it had flushed up, missed them as well, possibly ashamed of it's incompetence it swooped around back towards the sea disappearing out of my view behind the brow of the hill, I waited with baited breath on full alert hoping it would come right round for another crack at them, after a couple of minutes I realised it weren't coming!!! Presumably flown off east along the cliff or maybe landed at the top! The pics below have been cropped and lightened within an inch of their lives, but it's a Merlin!!! Did I mention the light!!😀

Merlin maybe a juvenile Male it was very small and kin fast!

So I was proper re-enthused and made the frankly bonkers decision to go round again in the hope the Merlin was sat on a bush at the top of the hill!! I retraced my steps, the Corn Bunting bush now had four Cornies on it and the Stonechats posed even better!

Stonechat

Corn Buntings

I got to Birling Gap, Swallow and Housemartin numbers had been building up all morning and were now approaching insane proportions, hundreds if not thousands of birds zipping around at head height, it was interesting on at least 4 occasions the Hirundines seemed to delight in knocking Stonechats and Robins of their perches, this seemed deliberate, not seen it before!! Obviously with the light and my general incompetence with the camera I had made no attempt at pics, however some of the birds had landed on a fence so grabbed a couple of shots.

Kestrel lumbering through the air, compared to the Merlin anyway😀

Swallow and Housemartins a tiny fraction of the birds present

Another kin Robin!

I walked the area, unsurprisingly no sign of the Merlin and my enthusiasm was waning so I gave it up and headed back to the car, a fly past by a Raven a fitting end to proceedings!

So no rarity or Ring Ouzels, but a Merlin, cooperative Green Woodie and Corn Buntings made up for it! Very enjoyable day!!