Brilliant Buntings!!

 Last Monday when I was at work a Cirl Bunting was found 22 minutes from my house, typically in this situation the bird shows brilliantly until Friday night then buggers off, leaving me wandering about the empty location!! Of course I could have gone down during  the evening after work, but obviously I work so hard, I'm exhausted and struggle to get off the sofa.😢  Hopefully no one from work will read this as they might not recognize the description in the  last sentence😂😂. 

So it was with some trepidation that I headed down to Portslade, arrived at just after 7AM, parked under the A27 and headed up the track, I'd not been here before and was pleasantly surprised as I headed past the Horse Paddocks, through very pleasant countryside to the location where the bird was reported, nice to hear a few Chaffinches and to see several Swallows flying in and out of the stables. A birder coming back down the track alleviated my fears by confirming the birds presence and as I arrived at the site the bird was singing strongly from atop a hawthorn tree!! This was only the 2nd time I've seen one so pretty happy. Pics were difficult, the bird seemed instinctively to hide behind any twig available and when it did come right out and go for it, the light was wrong!!!

Margie, had decided not to come, she was gutted when she found out there was Donkeys!!😂

Chaffinch, heard several singing 

Cirl Bunting, the star bird, playing hard to get.

But came out and had a sing

With such an early success, I decided to explore the area  and headed off up the track, it soon opened up into  Downland, Skylarks singing all over the place and then the unmistakable song of Corn Buntings, loads of em!! I walked for a mile or so great views of the Corn Buntings several of which were chasing each other about, this is always handy as they tend not to notice the ninja like birder trying to get a pic!!! Some of said pics below!! Nice to see a couple of Hares as well!

Goldfinch, saw several. We've had youngsters in our garden for a couple of weeks, but didn't see any with the small flocks I saw.

Corn Bunting, this one was a bit distant

Skylark

Stonechat

Corn Bunting have a sing

Nice to see them in the fields

Hare, nicely camouflaged 

With Margie at home was down to me to get some scenery pics, did em on me phone, came out alright

The walk back was pretty much the same species, lovely to hear so many Corn Buntings and plenty of other farmland species. Heard a couple of Yellowhammers, but they were on the ridge, distant and I couldn't get a pic. First time in this area will certainly visit again.

This Hare hadn't read the camouflage memo! 

Nice male Linnet, saw a few Linnets but this was the only one I got closeish to.

They did show well!!!

Skylark

Common Whitethroat, several seen

I know you are thinking too many Corn Bunting pics, but as Einstein said everything is relative and relative to the amount I took there are hardly any😃! I arrived back at the Cirl Bunting site, a few other birders present, the bird was singing but being awkward, stayed about half an hour, got a few pics but was hard work, before the bird flew off into the distance, which apparently it is prone to do!! 

Started off buried in a bush 

When it did come out, the light was awkward!

Swallow, I walked back with another birder and we had nice views of Swallows flying into the stables, this one posed on the stable door, also heard and saw a couple of Greenfinch

So a pretty successful morning, discovered a new place close to home and the star bird showed well. Cirl Buntings are doing ok in their Dorset heartland, spreading out, be nice to think in a few years they will be back breeding in Sussex where they belong!!