First Time at Sheepcote

 I have lived in Sussex for 14 years and was visiting regularly for the two years previous to that and for some reason I have never been to the Sheepcote Valley despite the fact that there is often good birds there and I only live 20 minutes away!! With a Wryneck reported earlier in the week and a weather forecast that suggested I would only have about 3 hours  I decided today was the day. Arrived at sunrise and set off down what looked like a decent path, first impressions were that it was much bigger than expected and it all looked like good Wryneck habitat, which made finding one quite difficult!! proceedings started well with the first major bush containing a Reed Warbler, two Blackcaps a Whitethroat and a Whinchat sat on top! 

Sunrise

Moon still up!

Heard a Stonechat and soon tracked it down

Reed Warbler

Not exactly showing well

Whinchat, had to take the pics through the bush

After that things went downhill! I wandered far and wide, the bushes were very quiet a few Whitethroats, couple of Willow Warblers, few Chiffies, there were 3 Kestrels hunting the area, but it was a bit of a slog.

Lots of Rabbits

Blackbird

Painted Lady

A lot of the action was like this!

Willow Warbler, the most posy bird of the trip had a right old preen

Kestrel, there seemed to be two hunting together and another over the other side of the site

Brighton

Kestrel

The local Magpies objected to the pair!

I had reached the end, so headed up to the high ground adjacent to the Golf Course, more open country here, two Wheatears and a Whinchat along here, I hung around the area where the Wryneck had been a couple of days previously, but frankly it was like looking for a needle in a needle stack!!

Whinchat

Wheatear, these were very flighty!

Whinchat

One of the Kestrels paid another visit

I had been watching the rain go up the channel and eventually a shower came inland, luckily I had my waterproof!! This livened things up a bit with more birds flitting about the bushes, couldn't find anything rare though!

Another Willow Warbler

Common Whitethroat

Flock of Sparrows in the Car Park

That was that, ultimately not a bad wander was disappointed how few "local birds" there were, a couple of Robins and Dunnocks, some Blackbirds, but no finches at all, thought there would have been some Linnets and Goldfinches, I imagine it would be a cracking place with a nice fall of migrants!