Birds

This one is less about the birds, but more to illustrate how much chalk there is that could come away at any time. There are several big cracks visible, together with loose lumps balanced on ledges and wedged behind the cracked areas. The walkway & beach below has been fenced off since winter's storms brought down big chunks of the cliffs.

Creating a new album to bring together Seaford's recent public artworks, I discovered that I hadn't previously uploaded these two collages. This is the second batch of exotic birds to decorate our town, produced by an anonymous artist. The one at the top left has now disappeared and one of the railway station birds has had its head knocked off and the hedge has grown up showing less of the remaining birds. The Steyne Road hoarding bird became detached and was propped against a nearby building for a while, but has now disappeared.

Same pose different perch - www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/43479290 The Sussex Ouse is a river that finds its way to the sea at Newhaven. Another example of mindless environmental contamination - an upturned traffic cone, or the base of one.

I hadn't seen a Little Egret perched on a tree before- an upturned road cone in the Ouse at Newhaven - but not a tree. Same pose different perch - www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/43579344

There are hundreds of Canada Geese already on the Cuckmere water meadows, so I am always pleased to see other wildfowl as winter approaches.

The colouring doesn't look right for an adult, so I suspect that this is a young Grey Heron.

I am not sure what species of dove this is. It doesn't seem to have a collar and it is a different colour from other doves I have seen. It could be a young bird, yet to acquire its full colours. It was standing beside a path close to Battle Abbey and didn't seem to have any companions. Perhaps it was a visitor from Normandy 950 years after the rest.

I have previously seen a Kestrel perched on the street lights here, where the A259 cuts through the South Downs National Park at Bishopstone, so I was ready with a faster ISO and a telephoto lens - while waiting for my bus home - the first one of which I missed while taking this beautiful birds portrait.

Seaford Head is a well-known nesting location for Kittiwakes.

Although this cropped-down telephoto shot is a bit blurred, I was pleased to see that I could make out two chicks, for the first time.

A bit difficult to see - they were on the move - the light wasn't brilliant. The top-right shows them in and among the seed heads on the tree - it is a large Yucca I think. The big picture shows them taking off and the final one shows them swirling around ready for another nibble at the seeds.

This was the first time I have seen anything but the local Gulls, Cormorants and Little Egrets on the beaches since the spring. So it was good to find these smart-looking visitors.