Seaford Head

 Decided my first  trip to the coast of the Autumn, should be Seaford Head, so last Saturday I dragged myself out of bed early and arrived just before Sunrise! Turned out colder than I expected a real Autumnal feel to the weather and I was glad of the last minute decision to go with a sweat shirt! I was hoping for some evidence of migration, did find some returning Whimbrel, a couple of Lesser Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler and a nice yellow Willow Warbler, lots of local birds with loads of Common Whitethroats, Linnets and Stonechats. A flock of eight Cattle Egrets flew up the Cuckmere Valley, I was standing next to a herd of Cattle at the time but sadly the Egrets completely ignored them and headed up the east side!! The other highlight was distant pod of Bottlenose Dolphins very distant and by the pics possibly Harbour Porpoise though there was at least five and, don't think I've seen so many together before. 

A few (😁) pictures of the day below! 

Pre-sunrise Belle Tout, told you I got up early!!

Sunrise

The set aside, winter bird food field is looking very pretty

First Stonechat of the morning

First Common Whitethroat of the morning!

Dunnock

Cormorant along the Cliff

1st Winter Herring Gull

Another moulting Stonechat, nice walking along the cliff on one side the seabirds on the other the passerines got to keep ya wits about ya!

Distant Gannet, was vey pleased that the new cameras tracking locked on and got in focus pics, bodes well for next years Seawatching! 

Herring Gull

Young Gull, Think a Herring Gull, I'm open to other opinions, think it's a different bird to the one above

This gorgeous Linnet posed well on the cliff edge

Rock Pipit

Peregrine

Fulmer

 

Skylark, heard several but none really showed well

Oystercatchers

Whimbrel

Couple of the Dolphins

Little Egret

Curlew,saw several

Another Dolphin

Little Egret

Common Whitethroat

Jersey Tiger Moth

Cattle Egret

Common Blue

Whimbrel

These cows apparently weren't good enough for the Cattle Egret!

Grey Heron

The mouth of the Cuckmere

Young Goldfinch

A very posy Linnet

Equally posy Meadow Pipit

Raven

Sedge Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Couple of Goldfinch

Another Common Whitethroat

Finished how I started with Belle Tout

A very enjoyable, walk around, so many Whitethroats and Stonechats was lovely to see, no Wheatears or Whinchats as yet, but have seen them reported down the coast since, so hopefully next week will produce!