Cows on Down Level

Out on Down Level, between Rickney and Hailsham on the Pevensey Levels. These curious bullocks still find occasional passers-by fascinating, as they did back in August.

Saw my first four Fieldfares of the Autumn, and must have flushed at least a dozen Snipe.

Jackdaw 'mumuration' at Hill Road, Eastbourne

Every Autumn the Jackdaws that live on Foxholes Brow, the woods above Hill Road Eastbourne, engage in communal roosting behaviour. This is similar to a Starling mumuration.  On Saturday there must have been close to a thousand birds, one of the largest flocks I seen in nine years of living here.

The Jackdaws collected in the tree tops along the skyline, with more birds arriving all the time.

Every few minutes the majority of the birds would burst into flight, all calling excitedly as they did so.

This pattern repeated , diminishing in size as the light faded, until the birds were settled in their night-time roosts.

Norfolk Day 5: West Runton and Horsey

After all the sunshine, the weather broke and we had cloud.

Goldfinch in the scrub at the top of the cliffs at West Runton.

Greater Black-backed Gulls, Cormorants and two Shags.

Greater Black-backed Gulls and a Herring Gull.

Cormorant.

A Six-spot Ladybird.

On to Horsey Gap for Grey Seals.

About a dozen Grey Seals on the beach. The females will be giving birth in November

The view towards Horsey Mere.

Starlings.

Norfolk day 4: Titchwell and Blickley

Visited RSPB Titchwell Marsh on a beautiful sunny day.

Feeding Gadwall.

Large roost of Golden Plover.

Redshank.

Black-tailed Godwit, the second bird had just caught a worm.

Snipe.

Snow Bunting!

Dunlin

Early Autumn colour at Blickling Hall.

Blickling Hall with a marvellous sky.

Norfolk day 3: Cromer

Visited Cromer beach and pier on a mild and cloudy day.

Starlings in their astonishing Autumn plumage.

These Moluccan Cockatoos were at an a rescue centre. Former pets, they got very excited by any attention, coming forward for strokes, displaying and trying to grab my camera with their feet.

Norfolk Day 2: Salthouse and Stiffkey

Another early trek out to Salthouse Beach to look for Snow Bunting. No luck again, but a great sunrise more than compensated.

Greylag Geese. 

Black-headed Gull.

Later in the day we visited Stiffkey Marsh, a beautiful open landscape.

Curlew.

Brent Geese.

Yet more Geese. There was a constant passage of skein after skein. 

Brent Geese feeding on the salt marsh.

Black-bellied Brent Geese.

Little Egret.

Birch trees.