Clutching at Hammers

 With car unilaterally deciding it was going no further without a new clutch😢 I was pretty much left with no choice but a local walk this morning. I had vowed never to do this again after the last few pretty dismal walks around the area, but at least as I set out at 6.30 the sun was shining and the sky was blue, who knows with Wheatears landing in numbers on the coast I might find a local one!! 

I made the mistake of looking at Birdguides, three Little Gulls, Slav and Black-necked Grebes at Dunge 😢😢😢 bound to be a Mega turn up tomorrow in my car less state 😂😂😂 Oh well best foot forward! Nice Blackbird singing at the bottom of Orchard Way was a reasonable start, I was going to cross the top of the Kemps fields to Langton Lane in the hope of a Bullfinch, but it was a boggy quagmire, so I stuck to the road and headed to Bullfinch Lane.

Blackbird

Shared this more for the Blue Sky than the birds, lovely and sunny but a bit nippy in the wind

The top of Bullfinch Lane was quiet, in general today things were quiet, numbers of  Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens and Blackbird seemed low, didn't see or here any Greenfinches, whereas normally on this route at this time of year would expect a couple, likewise no sign of any Song Thrushes. House Sparrows were a bit thin on the ground, though I did run into a few Great and Blue Tits at several places around the walk. Heard several Green Woodpeckers, though only brief flight views were obtained!! Lots of singing Chiffchaffs around the place, though I never managed to actually see, let alone get pics of one!😂 It was also nice to hear Chaffinches singing in a couple of places, no longer a common bird around here, didn't get pics of them either, though at least managed to get them in the bins!!

At my usual diversion from the path, there were a couple of Meadow Pipits on the wire and a Linnet alighted briefly!! No sign of any Wheatears on the Horse Paddocks or even any Pied Wagtails, which was a surprise!!

Linnet

Wolstonbury Hill, might go up there tomorrow!! Might not!! It's a few miles 😁

Meadow Pipit

Carried on down the lane, things improved when I hit the open bit with a Red Kite over my head and Skylark singing well in the fields! 

Red Kite

Predictably there were no Wheatears on these fields either!! Though I was pleased to hear, the faint song of a distant Yellowhammer. I managed to locate the bird, halfway along Yellowhammer alley, went full ninja and got close enough to get a few shots!!!

Yellowhammer predictably at the back of the hedge!

Yellowhammer Alley, the hedge seems to get shorter every year, when I first came to HHP I struggled to see over it, now its only waist high. 

I hung around the area for a while but couldn't find another Yellowhammer, it's still early so hopefully they will return when the hedge "leaves up" a bit. I don't no who farms this area, it's difficult to find out, be nice to know if they have any sort of plan to safeguard the Hammers!! 

Herring Gull

Skylark

Grey Heron

Greylag Geese

HPP Church

I crossed the Brighton Road into Bedlam Street and walked down past the Ponds. Greylags and Mallards in the fields and a Pied Wagtail on a farm building roof the best I could do here!

Greylag Goose

Pied Wagtails

A few Daffs

I retraced my steps, no sign of the Yellowhammer on the walk back, but a couple of Mistle Thrushes flew over, one landed at the top of a tree and started singing! Plenty of Skylarks singing as well, so a pleasant enough loiter!

Mistle Thrush

Skylark

Had quite a few on the ground, but none near the path, so pics were difficult, for pics of much more cooperative Skylarks, check out last weeks post from Seaford. Seaford Skylarks plus

Lured by a brief glimpse of a Kestrel, I head back up the diversion, still nothing of interest on the Paddocks and the Kestrel had vanished😏 but one of the Linnets posed very nicely!!

Linnet, most posy one of these I've had in a long time!

Back on the main road and still quite early I made the slightly foolish decision to head down Langton Lane, to check out the Dung Heap, completely forget just how far it was to the Dung Heap!!😱😂 

Langton Lane was just as quiet if not quieter than Bullfinch Lane😢The only moment of excitement, a Sparrowhawk flying across in front of me!

Sparrowhawk

Big un as well, 1st year female probably

I reached the Dung Heap, guess what? It was quiet!! No Wheatears 😢 a few Dunnocks, a Blackbird and a couple of Robins, with a Pied Wagtail the best of it!!

Pied Wagtail, sat on the Dung Heap digger

The Dung Heap looking large and steamy, have had some good birds here in the past, nothing rare obvs but Wheatear and Whinchat, worth keeping an eye on as Spring progresses!

This area used to hold Yellowhammer as well and after a bit of scanning, managed to find one hurrah and even better it posed ok, double hurrah!!!😂😂

Started off high in a tree

Soon dropped into the hedge, from where it popped up occasionally!! Bit of patience and my uncanny ability to become one with the hedge produced some reasonable shots! These are pretty heavily cropped so not as close as it would appear!! The light was kind as well!

A little cracker!! That was about it, the walk home was largely bird less, though I did hear but not see a Bullfinch, having made the frankly mental decision to cut a cross the fields, laziness trumping common sense and I got boots, socks and trousers covered in mud to prove it!!! 12000 plus steps done , will do me average good!!

Spectacular showing of what I think is Blackthorn Blossom from Langton Lane!

So, as expected fairly quiet, but a couple of highlights, the Linnet was excellent, Yellowhammers are always good and a Red Kite close over not to shabby!! To celebrate when I got home I made a Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake, which is very tasty!!