Goodish Friday!

 I decided against a Seawatch today, with no wind, I felt a wander around Seaford Head would be more productive, managed to get up early and arrived pre-sunrise, the Moon was doing it's thing quite spectacularly!

The Moon!

There was a nice Pied Wagtail in the car park, I kitted up, though it was cold, thinking ahead, given the forecast, I wore as little as I could get away with, although a rookie error in that I only had my heavy duty winter hat, with no sun hats in the car at all, which eventually would lead to the terrible choice between heat stroke or sunburn!!😲Yes I know it's only April, but my Welsh genes don't care😂🌞!!!

After a quick check of the dung heap, little dung and no birds of interest😢 I headed towards Hope Gap, fairly quiet, although a Wren was giving it large and the Sun rose in a fairly pleasing way!

Pied Wagtail

Wren

Sun's Up!!

Hope Gap, had several Chaffinch's, Dunnocks, Robins, a couple of Chiffchaffs calling and a few Greenfinch also doing their whiny call/song. Several Blackbirds and four Song Thrush were along the path, but couldn't find any interesting Warblers. Stonechats at the bottom as per usual, scanning around a pale blob on the slope leading to the cliff looked interesting, closer examination revealed my first Wheatear of the year, hurrah!

Chaffinch

Stonechat

Belle Tout

Wheatear

Wheatear

Disaster!!!😱😲 I had climbed up the slope to get a bit closer to the Wheatear, turning back down the slope I stepped in a Rabbit hole and went, as the French say, Cul sur Mésange (arse over tit😂) now obviously being, supremely athletic and nimble, I managed to twist as I fell, putting in a couple of moves that Olga Korbut in her pomp would have been proud of, might have been a Triple Salchow in there as well,😂 saving the Camera and the Bins from damage. All Birders know Bins come first!!!" Getting up and having a quick look around, luckily there were no witnesses, so my dignity remained intact!! Saving the Bins had come at a price a sore shoulder, hip and butt!! Probably dislocated shoulder and a couple of broken ribs, shrugged it off, obvs and carried on birding!!😀 The Wheatear had flown off west so decided to follow it, heading towards the Golf Course, was a very pleasant walk with Larks ascending and Pipits descending in beautiful Sunshine and Blue Skies, some even showed ok as well!! There was also the strange sight of seven Shelducks flying around and landing on the cliff!

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Dunnock having a sing!

Two of the Shelduck

Skylark

Stonechat

The atmosphere changed a bit, the field behind the barn, full of sheep and their gambolling lambs also contained a sheep that was fairly obviously dead!! Ravens were doing what they do and filling their boots, interesting to watch the pecking order with the Crows, patiently waiting their turn, not approaching until the Ravens flew off. Pretty gruesome stuff, no real clue as to what the sheep died of and there was no sign of an orphan lamb so maybe during birthing a lamb, although that is speculation! (On my return, the farmer turned up on his quad bike, took a look and rode off, presumably to arrange removal, which is a shame from the point of view of the Corvids!!) Clearly a Raven cannot kill an adult sheep and they were just taking advantage of the situation.

A few pics below, Scroll past quick if you are a bit squeamish although they are not that bad!!!

Nature in the raw, not all singing Skylarks!

I carried on along the cliff, more of the same really lots of Skylarks and Pipits and a flyby by a Peregrine.

Skylark

Peregrine

Meadow Pipit

Bearing in mind recent events, me butt still hurt at this point, I decided not to follow this Meadow Pipit past the sign!😂

Brighton

Goldfinch

Linnet

I spotted another or possibly the same Wheatear on the Golf Course, but it disappeared before I could get a pic😢. I mooched around the beacon, not much different, though a Chiffchaff showed well, of course I missed that pic but got it skulking in the bushes, obviously claiming I was going for the  typical behaviour shot😂

Goldfinch

Chiffchaff

Linnet

Greenfinch lot's of these about

Skylark

I retraced my steps, back to and then up Hope Gap, again more of the same, with a nice Song Thrush pumping out a tune! 

Meadow Pipit

Couple of Jackdaws

Song Thrush

Few songsters to rival them to be fair!!

Pair of Robins

I headed down past Harry's Bush very quiet except for the very noisy Rookery, followed the bottom path to the Cuckmere, several Greenfinches along here but the light was terrible so no pics. Got to the mouth of the Cuckmere, very quiet although a Rock Pipit showed well, bumped into another birder, who had seen more or less the same as me, we saw a Gannet out to sea and a Great Crested Grebe on the sea, I had been scanning the sea pretty regularly during my walk and had spotted very little moving, so seemed like the right decision not to do a Seawatch! 

Greenfinch

Rook

Belle Tout

Pretty sure this isn't a European Wildcat, god knows where it comes from, do people live in the Coastguard Cottages?

Rock Pipit

Decided to head back along the Cliff for a final trek up Hope Gap, before heading home. The constant scanning the sea finally paid off with a small flock of Brent Geese, going past distantly!😏 More Skylarks and Mippits  along this stretch as well!

Brent Geese

Skylark

Once again I try for a few flight shots, why do I bother 😢😂

Dunnock had a sing off with a Linnet

Linnet

Dunnock

Belle Tout, yes I know this is the third pic but it's interesting to see the different light! Alright it's not that interesting but I like em!!😂

As I reached the bottom of Hope Gap a Kestrel was flying around and landing in various places giving some great views!!

Kestrel

Meadow Pipit  desperately trying not to look like Kestrel food!

Kestrel wondering if I might be Kestrel food!

The other Birder I had seen at the Cuckmere was here as well (Yes despite talking to him for five minutes I completely forgot to get his name) I assumed his intense binocular use was aimed at the Kestrel, when he said "I've got a Restart"!!  I scanned the area he indicated where I had fabulous views of a male Stonechat!! This didn't bode well especially when he said "hmm that Stonechat, has me doubting myself!!😲😂". Now I wasn't gonna be too harsh considering the various mis-ids I've had down the years, I was just thinking up a devastatingly witty comeback, when a glorious  Common Redstart appeared in me Bins!!! Hurrah!! A superb male as well, double hurrah!!! We enjoyed great views for about 5 minutes before it flew across the valley and disappeared!

Common Redstart

Stonechat (not the male that caused the moment of confusion)

Redstart

Linnet

What a cracker, just a bit too distant for great pics, bit of heat haze as well!! With heat building, various bits of me throbbing, from the fall, obvs, the Redstart weren't that exciting😱 We headed back up to the car park, another pointless scan of the Dungheap, final birds were a House Sparrow and yet another Linnet singing!! 

Female House Sparrow

Linnet

Back at the car I checked Birdguides, Cuckmere Haven, "Osprey in off the sea" five minutes ago, Dang!! I grabbed me bins and scanned the valley from the Car Park, a host of Gulls in the air in the distance, but sadly no sign of an Osprey😢 Still a pretty good morning all in all!!!