Of Birds & Cake the Blog of Paul: Seaford Consolation

All week the BBC weather forecast has been saying that Sunday would be a moderate South-easterly wind, this as I understand it is the best wind for Sea-watching off Seaford, therefore I headed down today full of optimism, Skuafest ahoy I felt sure!! Nah, the sea was a millpond, denied!😢I decided to give it a go, but it was slow going, couple of Gannets, a few Sandwich Terns blogging about, a few Scoter and a Diver through all distant, even the local Kittiwakes couldn't be arsed, just sitting around on the sea. Add in the haze, which was ridiculous for that time in the morning and all in all you could say it was a tad disappointing 😢😏.The highlight was my first Wheatear of the year landing on the point! Hopefully the other sea-watchers present, who were up on the cliff had more luck after I left.

The usual scene setter, Newhaven Lighthouse with Brighton lit up behind

Wheatear

Kittiwakes lounging about

Gannet after Bempton frame fillers it's all a bit distant!

Red-throated Diver

So I gave up, the Wheatear had me wondering what else might have flown in, so decided to head up to Seaford Head for a wander, before I left I had a walk around to the boulders in the hope of a Black Redstart, but no sign although there was a Seal hauled up on the beach, looked healthy enough so left it well alone!

I almost changed my mind as a large flock of Med Gulls went over the car as I headed away, but kept on to the Barn Carpark. Quiet around the Car Park, but things picked up down Hope Gap, lots of singing Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens, Chiffchaffs, a few Chaffinches, Goldfinches, couple of Song Thrush and most pleasingly a flock of about eight Greenfinch.

Robin

Chiffchaff

Wren, playing hard to get

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Fortuitously, I bumped into Matt E halfway down who informed me he'd seen some Wheatears along the cliff edge towards the golf course, I was going to go east but diverted west on this information. Hope Bottom had the usual Rock Pipits, Pied Wagtails and a flock of Linnets, that showed well enough, I had a quick look for Adders but none were obvious enough for me to spot. Though another guy said he'd seen some further up the path.

Pied Wagtail

Rock Pipit

Linnet

Rock Pipit

Linnet

I headed west up the slope, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits singing/displaying, at the gate at the top the first Wheatear showed itself, followed by several more, I think there was six in all, two males and four females, that posed fairly well😀

Some people say you can have too many Wheatear photos, I'm looking at you Margie😂, who once suggested I was obsessed with em!! Ridiculous!! a few pics below, always great to see them back.

Wheatear (Female)

Wheatear (male)

Silhouette for a change!!

Think I was very restrained there😀😂😲!! They are very accommodating, although I think they are a bit of wind up merchants as they flit around chasing insects and grubs about with me lumbering along behind em, you line up the perfect shot and they're gone, but all good fun!! I headed back through Hope Bottom, pausing to play with the Stonechats before heading out to the Cuckmere, all a bit quiet, with just low numbers of the usual birds on offer, I was getting seriously hot as well, despite having disrobed significantly I was still semi-Seawatch prepared as everyone else was walking around in shorts and T-shirts I was suffering badly!!

I headed back up to the car park, at the Barn a Kestrel was hanging off the wall, eyeing up the Goldfinches drinking from the Dew Pond.

Stonechat

The Cuckmere

Another Greenfinch lovely to see so many today!

Belle Tout

Raven

Rock Pipit

Kestrel

I decided to have a quick wander around to the Dung Heap, no Wheatears but a couple of Rock Pipits and a Pied Wagtail were some consolation, the field across the track , which seems to be growing some kind of leafy vegetable plants held a flock of Linnets and a some Skylarks, I spent too much time trying to get pics of em in song flight, but one took pity and posed nicely on a plant.