Return to Seaford

 Well with nothing major around, I decided to return to Seaford, who knows maybe last weeks Hoopoe would reappear? ( Spoiler alert, it didn't😢). What a difference a week makes, last week was all about the Flycatchers and Warblers, this week was all about the Pipits and Hirundines! ( Another spoiler alert, I didn't take any pictures of the abundant, Swallows, Sandmartins  or Housemartins as life's to short to sort through 1000's of blurred pics of places where they used to be!!😂😏) Both Pipits and Hirundines were going through, mostly heading west in small groups, for pretty much my whole walk. 

I decided to go the "other way" round to last week, heading past the dung heap, sadly birdless, down the fence line by the Golf Course, where the first action was noted with a flock of Linnets, a flock of Meadow Pipits, a couple of Stonechats and a Whinchat! A Sparrowhawk appeared, causing a bit of consternation, but left without breakfast and a Peregrine was sat on the cliff, where I completely failed to get a picture!!

Sunrise over the barn

Belle Tout 

A Whinchat and some Linnets in poor light, that's my excuse anyway

Meadow Pipit

Sparrowhawk

Meadow Pipit

Peregrine.

I walked along the cliff, couple of Yellow Wagtails flew over as did more Pipits, There were also a couple of Yellow Wags in with the sheep but too distant for pics😢 Next bird of note was a Wheatear on the cliff edge, which posed ok!

Wheatear

Orangey!

Linnet

Wheatear

So headed down into Hope Bottom, lots of Goldfinch, a few Linnets another Wheatear and a couple of Blackcaps, uncharacteristically out in the open. Headed up Hope Gap, fairly quiet with a couple of Chiffies and a few Chaffinches about the best I could manage! Headed down past Harry's Bush, really quiet, the bottom hedge also quiet! Bit quiet all over, you noticing the theme!! Although the whole time I was pretty much surrounded by Hirundines so was quite an enjoyable stroll!

Couple of Blackcaps

Wheatear

I know so bored at Harry's Bush took pictures of Pigeons!!

The Beach proved slightly better about 15 Rock Pipits feeding with a couple of Pied Wagtails. These were spooked by another Sprawk or possibly the same one! Were also a couple of Reed Buntings in the bushes.

Pied Wagtail

Rock Pipit

Sparrowhawk

Reed Bunting

I walked a ways up the Cuckmere and back, 2 Redshanks, 2 Greenshanks and 6 Common Sandpipers, including a group of 4 together, was nice! Though the highlight was watching a Sparrowhawk getting extreme grief from a couple of Rooks and about 20 Swallows! They're not popular you know!😂There was also a Wall Butterfly which sunbathed nicely!

Wall Butterfly

Redshank

Sparrowhawk

Under attack!

and away

Greenshank

 

Common Sandpiper

Back at the beach, I intercepted a small Tit flock the only other bird with it was a nice bright Lesser Whitethroat

Great Tit

Goldfinch

Lesser Whitethroat

Greenfinch

Rock Pipit

Little Egret

I followed the cliff back to Hope Gap, Goldfinch, Linnets and Stonechat as expected the most obvious birds, although lots of Mipits still flying west along the cliffs, though not stopping to pose annoyingly!

Stonechat, highlighting the hazards

Common Whitethroat, only saw a couple today numbers markedly down on last week

Goldfinch on Teasel, several nice charms about

Linnet on Teasel!

On the west side of Hope Gap a small flock of Mipits had settled so I had a go at getting pictures! Although I was distracted by another Wheatear and Stonechats!

Meadow Pipit

Stonechat

Meadow Pipit

Stonechat

Meadow Pipit

Wheatear

At this point I met a couple coming the other way who had said they had seen "Hoards of Wheatears" along the fence line by the Golf Course, this seemed unlikely based on my experience of the day so far and when I got there. the number of Wheatears was zero!! I'm wondering if the Housemartins had stopped for a rest along the fence, they have the white rump as well, although I have seen big numbers of Wheatears up on the head a few times, 60+ on one memorable day even then they were in small groups scattered about rather than in a big group. There were however 3 Whinchat in the area, which i followed around for a while and got a couple of pics! 

Record shot of a couple of Yellow Wagtails with the sheep

Another Mipit, couldn't turn any of the ones I saw well or got pics of into Tree Pipits which was a shame

Whinchat

Showy Blue Tit

Giving me the old "back off" look

But still posing

Brighton

Headed back to the car via the dung heap, which had 2 Wheatears on it!

Wheatear on Dung!

Suspect this one's a Juvenile as was very tame!

So a pretty quiet walk, was hoping for big numbers of Wheatears and Yellow Wags and maybe a Wryneck, but no luck again😢 I lost count of the number of Mipits I saw altogether but would probably be in the low Hundreds, likewise the Hirundines! Noticeable increase in Robins and Dunnocks, though seemed less warblers in the bushes, especially Whitethroats all buggered off across the channel no doubt!