The Nick of Time!

 The news that the Vulture had turned up in Sussex yesterday ,filtered through to me too late to act or at least too late to get off my lazy arse and go for it at any rate😀News that had roosted overnight meant a reprieve.  However with news of Rouzels and big Vis-Mig at Seaford yesterday and the thought of spending three hours staring at a tree on the off chance the bird would stick it's head out decided me that I would head to Seaford, I had a cunning plan that I would be in the area and could react if the news broke and a best case scenario that the bird would fly low over Hope Gap while I was counting to many Ouzels to count, didn't quite come fully to fruition but there you go!!😲😊

Firstly the weather was rubbish gloomy with the odd short shower although I largely escaped being soaked, secondly the number of birds was much reduced from yesterday's reports although that may have been down to my lack of ability! Several treks up and down Hope Gap produced three Ring Ouzels all flyovers, also had flyover what I'm 99.9% sure was a Jack Snipe, a flock of 50 Redpolls and several smaller flocks of Goldfinch and Linnets went over as did a few Swallows and even fewer Redwings. The most numerous birds seem to be Song Thrushes but they were very flighty, acouple of Goldcrests that I couldn't get pics of big surprise! A Green Woodpecker and a few Long-tailed Tits were about the best posers for photography wise but the conditions mean the quality is poor, apologises!

Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker

Long-tailed Tit

Song Thrush

Song Thrush

I decided to try the area around the Beacon keeping a whether eye to the sky but no massive Vultures were on show, The scrub around the Beacon contained even more Song Thrushes and a nice male Ring Ouzel posed okish on a berry bush.

Ring Ouzel

Ring Ouzel

Ring Ouzel

Trekked back to Hope Gap had another posy Ouzel but was awkward with the light, more Goldfinches about as well but still quite quiet, still no Vulture didn't it know the plan!!???

Ring Ouzel maybe first winter?

Part of one of the Goldfinch flocks

Same Rouzel and friend

I decided to head down to the Cuckmere this would keep the sky on view for when the Vulture arrived 😀 as I headed down to the Cottages some Curlews flew up out of the valley right over my head , I checked the phone and news was the Vulture was on the move, with the Cuckmere valley spread out below me I expectantly started to scan and blow me there the bugger was !!!!!!😁😁Incredibly distant but pretty much unmistakable surrounded as it was by corvids which it dwarfed , this sighting corresponds with the report of it circling above East Dean!

Curlew

Bearded Vulture as viewed from Seaford Head,possibly the only birder to have it on his Seaford Head list although I don't actually have a Seaford Head list ,though I may start one now 😆

Stonechat

So now a decision to be made chase the Vulture or carry on down the Cuckmere, with the Vulture ticked I decided to carry on ,I reached the river a Kingfisher flushed up and flew up stream to quick as usual!! Lots of Geese and Gulls spread out over the valley and lots of Skylarks, Rock Pipits and Meadow Pipits, I was just about to begin working through the Gulls for Caspo's and Yellow-legs 😂😂Yeah right !! when I noticed some commotion with a bird being harassed by a few corvids ,got the bins on it male Hen Harrier!!😲 wasn't expecting that!! It flew diagonally across the valley and everything went up Geese, Gulls, Starlings, Egrets the lot!! seemed to much for a Hen Harrier so criminally I took me eyes of it to see if the Vulture had appeared no sign and of course the Harrier had either scarpered are dropped into the grass, I scanned for ages but couldn't refind!! 

Hen Harrier

Hot Pursuit

The advantage of all this scanning was I refound the Kingfisher and for once the bugger hadn't seen me, I went into full stealth mode (Bent over Slightly) and was able to watch it fishing and grab a few shots, a nice Female.

As I headed back up towards the head a few finches were in the bushes and a Little Egret gave a nice fly past

Greenfinch

Chaffinch

Little Egret

I got back to the car, checking the phone it seemed the Bearded Vulture was sitting in a field at Beachy this decided me, I would nip round and see it! Typically got to site to hear the words ,was here a minute ago!! Bugger😢luckily the next words I heard were "I think that's it" Bins on it yep!! It went really high and out to sea!! Ten minutes later to the relief of those present it returned, to cut a long story short over the next half hour, in various locations I had views of it with a Buzzard , a Peregrine and various corvids, it never came particularly close so the pics are record shots, a Peregrine gave a flypast as well and an Ouzel dropped into the bushes in front.

Bearded Vulture

Peregrine

BV with Buzzard

Rear View

A moment alone

BV with Peregrine

The bird went higher and higher once again and headed out to Sea and at time of writing I don't think it's been seen since, hopefully it's made it safely back to France and she will find a mate next spring. An awesome sight in the sky !! So it's been in Britain for months and I saw it in the last half hour it's all in the timing 😀😀😀😀 Phew !!!

Phalaropes Galore!!

 On Monday I survived 3 and a half hours in the dentist chair being "tended to" by a direct descendant of Tomás de Torquemada (C'mon, when you clicked on this blog you didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition!! No-one  expects the ............ etc etc 😉😁😁😂) in all honesty as root canals go it went fairly smoothly and I hardly felt a thing!! To celebrate my triumph over pain we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to Hampshire to see the Wilson's and Grey Phalaropes that I had been seeing awesome pictures of on the internet. So yesterday (13/10/2020) we managed to get on the road quite early, so organised I even made a flask of tea!! A brief stop for fuel and supplies (donuts) and we arrived 2 and a bit hours later, 2 lots of 50mph average speed cameras on the M27 and a lot of traffic the reason for the delay 😢😢.

Looking where the Birdguides dropped pin was, I parked at the Keyhaven end of the reserve (wrong decision!!) and after a few minutes getting kitted up, humming and hahring about whether to take the scope (I did, a decision I came to regret with Camera, Big Lens, Bins and the scope the weight is large and I didn't take the bloody thing of me shoulder once!! 😔) we set of , first bird of note was a Marsh Harrier that flew across the small harbour which spooked a Curlew which gave us great flight views of that as well!

The Harbour by Margie

View from the Path by Margie

Marsh Harrier 

Spooked Curlew

We continued along the path, various Pipits were along the Seawall and the ditches, mainly Meadow with a few Rock Pipits one of which posed ok.

Lagoon by Margie

Rock Pipit

Rock Pipit

At this point I noticed that there were quite a few cows around with very few (none😲😢) fences between us and them ,my wariness of large quadrupeds is well documented but it is also inversely proportionate to the quality of the birds on offer so I pushed on regardless.(should also be noted that encourage and soothing words from Margie helped the situation "stop being a wuss", "they are not interested in you", and "man-up" being her favourites!!😂😂) luckily at this point we came across a small group of birders pointing Cameras ,Scopes and Bins at a reed filled ditch, however the Wilson's Phalarope was behind the said reeds and although we got tantalising glimpses as it powered along behind them couldn't get a picture, I being very smart noticed a clear patch up ahead and got into position, some birders laid flat on the ground to get the ultimate shot, Margie and I considered it, however  the inevitable loss of dignity as we would have tried to get up again dissuaded us, although it is highly unlikely considering the amount of gear I had on that I could of got down there anyway!!😂. After a slightly tense wait ,where we thought it had turned around , the ruffled water and the moving reeds parted and the bird appeared and it has to be said gave stonkingly good views. With magnificent self-control I have limited myself to three photos of the bird, what a stunner

Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson's Phalarope

The bird continued along the ditch once again disappearing behind a screen of reeds, so we moved on to the next small group of birders where we enjoyed equally stunning views of one of the two Grey Phalaropes present, bonkers how confiding these birds are.!! 

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

As well as fantastic views of the 2 Phalaropes we were also be treated to a fabulous display by a large flock of Swallows which as well as swooping all around us were landing on the fences and bushes in good numbers, I'm useless at judging numbers and it's impossible to give a sense of what it's like with the big lens on but I will say there were at least a hundred but possibly many more!

Swallows

Swallows having a breather

The Grey Phalarope flew further along the ditch to the end pool where it joined the second Grey Phalarope and  we had even better views in open water, although it has to be said they didn't seem to like each other much keeping a good distance between themselves and squabbling when they got to close subsequently I never  got a shot of the two together. Though Margie managed a record shot

The two Grey Phalaropes together by Margie

By now I was getting slightly bored of taking Phalarope pictures (as no doubt you are of looking at them😍😂) Lucky then, that I could hear Bearded Tits calling in the Reedbed and so decided to investigate, Margie who by now was taking pics of the scenery (which is fantastic by the way) joined me and we headed into the gorse/bramble/reed area . The reedbed held a lot of Reed Buntings and even more Chiffchaff ,I saw a couple of Beardies but they stayed buried in the reeds or were flitting quickly across the top, though I include one record shot but it ain't great😢

Reed Bunting lots of these about they spend most of the time chasing each other about

Bearded Tit told you it was a bad pic!

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

The Reedbed by Margie

    

The Reedbed with Isle of Wight in the background by Margie

The Phalarope Lagoon by Margie

We decided to explore this area more, it was alive with small birds ,mainly Linnets, Goldfinch, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Blackbirds (couldn't find an Ouzel😢) and Greenfinch, but there were also Pipits running around as well, at this point the Swallow flock decided to descend and adorned the bushes all around us a fantastic site but as before the big lens doesn't lend itself to this kind of action😕😢

Swallow sorting out it's feathers before the big push south

Goldfinch on Teasel Classic!

Reed Bunting

We headed back to the Phalarope pool and grabbed a few more shots(just couldn't help myself sorry) and then headed further along the seawall.

The tide was fully in by now and the light made the views even better, not many waders on the jetty type thing a few Turnstones and some Dunlin and there were a few bits and bobs on the seawall scrub, Stonechats, Goldfinch and some Meadow Pipits ,couldn't find any Dartford Warblers despite reports from another birder although we did find the Spotted Redshanks he told us about, thanks very much also managed a record shot of a distant Kingfisher

Meadow Pipit

Turnstones waiting for the tide to turn

Common Redshank

Turnstone

Stonechat

Grey Heron

Kingfisher

Spotted Redshank

Different Goldfinch on different Teasel

Spotshank

Margie was very much enjoying herself with the landscape and down on the seashore ,which she got some nice pics of seaweed Her pics below

The Needles

Swallow silhouette by Margie 

We decided to walk back through the gorse/bramble area ,to cut off the corner, much the same fare, though a Wheatear on a cowpat was nice, also felt like I was being watched were the cows making their move!!😱

Wheatear on Poo!

Posy Mipit

Watcher

Making it's moooove! (Margie made me write that)

We arrived back at the Phalarope pool to find ,you will be glad to know, the two Grey Phalarope had disappeared although you may feel some trepidation when you hear that they had been replaced by the Wilsons!!!! Your fear would be justified as I filled me boots!!😀😀😀😀

Sorry!! a few 😀 pics below

With the weight of equipment taking it's toll and Margie making "subtle" hints about having had enough, apparently there was no part of her that wasn't aching!! We decided enough was enough happy in the knowledge that we had had a great day as we headed back towards the car ,my guard down I realised the cows had outflanked us!!! 

Bugger!

So the alternative walk three miles back the other way or go through the cows, luckily laziness overpowered fear and I casually strolled through whistling a happy tune, though Margie suggests it was a slightly different experience from her point of view😆 Anyway we made it safely through the gate although it was touch n go for a minute there!!

I let you live this time Evans, maybe next time !!

Once past the gate we headed back to the car, a flock of Wigeon sped by and as we approached the car three Buzzards were frolicking over the carpark and a Marsh Harrier was working the Reedbed behind which brought us neatly full circle.

Wigeon

Marsh Harrier

Buzzard

So that was that, I managed ,through a mixture of sleight of hand and fat shaming to snaffle two of the three donuts although my triumph was somewhat spoiled by Margie pointing out that this was probably the reason I had to spend so much time at the Dentist, she can be very cruel sometimes😢 The drive home was as long and tiresome as the mornings trip, but over 5 hours there and back in the car couldn't spoil what was a fantastic day!!