Of Birds & Cake the Blog of Paul: Seaford Head

All week I had been seeing reports of Pied Flycatchers, Spot Flys , Redstarts, Whinchats and even a Wryneck, seems migration is well underway so felt a first visit of the Autumn to Seaford Head was in order. Did well, on the road just after 5 arriving about 5.40. I was going to have a look at the Dung heap but decided against, a decision I would probably regret ( Spoiler alert it was a decision I would regret😏) Instead I headed towards Hope Gap, drawn by the thought of branches dripping with Pied and Spot Flys!!

Only half a moon this week but still spectacular

Mist on the Meanders

Belle Toute

Completely missed Sunrise due to being in the wrong position!!

Predictably there were no Flycatchers down Hope Gap, there was a Green Woodpecker which flew down the path, lots of Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats the best of it but it was too gloomy and I was too slow to get any decent pics, Hope Bottom was loaded with birds with a big flock of Linnets & Goldfinch and loads of Stonechats, tried hard to string one into a Whinchat without success 😢 Also failed to find a Wryneck despite scouring all the likely spots intently! But at least the Sun came up and lit the birds, that were present, nicely.

Stonechat

Linnet

Stonechat

Goldfinch

Love the early morning light! Wandering west out of Hope Bottom, I found a lovely Wheatear, cracking looking bird that posed well.

Wheatear

I headed west to the golf course, very little about though had another 5 Wheatears along the cliff top and a few Meadow Pipits the other side.

Cliff Top Wheatear

Another bright Wheatear

I headed back to Hope Gap, then across to Harry's Bush, along the bottom, then along the Cuckmere, walking miles for not much reward, was a flock of 8 Ringed Plovers on the Channel, a Common Sandpiper flew down to the river mouth, and a Whimbrel on the far bank the best of it.

Common Whitethroat

Juvenile Blackbird

Rabbits, loads of them everywhere!!

Willow Warbler

More of an industrial Goldfinch

Stonechat

Adult and Juvenile Goldfinch

Common Whitethroat

Grey Heron

Whimbrel

Little Egret

Cormorant in Classic pose

Little Egret

Greenfinch

I found myself back at Hope Bottom, lots of Rock Pipits which posed ok.

Juvenile Rock Pipit

Rock Pipit

Greenfinch, nice to see a few about

Linnet

Goldfinch on Teasel

Quite a few Meadow Pipits around, this one the only posy one, looks like a Juvenile

At this point I bumped into the birding legend that is Bob S, we had the usual how you doing conversation, fair to say I won that one even with 3 lots of Covid since I last saw him!! He said he'd seen a Whinchat at the Dungheap! ( Told you I'd regret the decision!!😢) we walked up Hope Gap together still a few Willow Warblers and Whitethroats knocking about but seemed quieter, I decided to check out the Dungheap, predictably no Whinchat, I walked up to the Aircraft Beacon, Bob had said the Whinchat was associating with a Wheatear, I found a Wheatear but it was associating with 2 Whitethroats😂 I also found a Wall Butterfly which was nice. Scanning across the golf course I had a bird sitting on the wires near the cliffs, so once again headed down to the sea, predictably another pair of Stonechats, 2 more Wheatears on the Cliffs and a Kestrel powered along the cliffface!!

Wall Butterfly

Wheatear, sowing the "White Arse" the name supposedly comes from

Common Whitethroat

Kestrel, saw a Sparrowhawk as well but no other raptors

6.14 miles walked, some nice birds seen, but fair to say not the migrationfest I'd hope for, probably restart again on Monday when I'm back at work!!Grrrrr😢 Mind you there could have been hundreds of birds there and I just missed em, after all 4 Spoonbills apparently flew over Seaford Head at 7 am and I missed them!

Arriving home there was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth whizzing around our Buddleia a bugger to to get pics of which are mostly blurred