Of Birds & Cake the Blog of Paul: Seaford Stroll

Ignoring yesterday's reported Shrikes and Wrynecks, due to laziness, I was just going to have a wander around the patch today, but large totals of migrants on the coast yesterday and a forecast of showers this morning, sent me down to Seaford Head in the hope of bushes dripping with Warblers and Flycatchers!!! Shows what I know, arrived before 6AM, walked down Hope Gap, sod all!!😢😢😂 couple of Chiffies and Whitethroats but very quiet, not even any finches or tits!! Plenty of Rabbits though!

Belle Tout under moody skies!!

One of many Rabbits on site!!

Hope Bottom wasn't much better, so I headed west towards the golf course, things improved along the cliff with 3 Wheatears and there were a few Yellow Wagtails in the sheep field. At the golf course there was a Whinchat in with the Stonechats and Whitethroats.

Stonechat

Common Whitethroat

Stonechat

Whimbrel, think it's a juvenile not much of a head pattern

Yellow Wagtail with Sheep, typically the most distant Sheep possible !!!😏

Wheatear

Whinchat

Stonechat

Wheatear

Linnets, couple of flocks went along the cliff!!

More Yellow Wags

Linnet

Showers out to sea, luckily came in further east

I tried Hope Gap again with the same result, Harry's Bush was similarly depressing, although from here I could see a large herd of Cattle reasonably close to the path down the Cuckmere, so with a view to getting a bit closer to some Yellow Wagtails I headed up the path next to the channel. Another few Wheatears along here and another Whinchat, a Common Sandpiper flew towards the sea and a Greenshank went the other way!

Yellow Wagtail still not very close

Rock Pipit several in the jumble of Rocks below the coastguard cottages

Common Sandpiper

Wheatear

Whinchat

Showed alright at least

I arrived at a nice muddy patch. lots of Pied Wagtails, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Greenshank feeding. A Green Sandpiper flew in, there were a couple of Skylarks and a few Pipits as well. There were a few Yellow Wagtails in with the Cattle though distant again!😢 I had positioned myself behind a low bush and the birds came fairly close.

Green Sandpiper arriving

Common Sandpiper

Yellow Wagtail with cow, makes a change from sheep, but still as distant

Little Egret

Whinchat and Wheatear

Skylark

Getting a bit closer

Yellow Wagtail

Green Sandpiper double photobomb

Rock Pipit

Greenshank

Pied Wagtail

Think this is a Juvenile Skylark

Wheatear

The closest a Yellow Wagtail came

I gave up hoping the Yellow Wags would come as close as the other species and headed back, not a lot more happened really, although a large flock of Starlings landed in a bush right next to me and some more Stonechats entertained, could feel rain in the air as I reached the car. So decided to head home!