Field trip to the Seven Sisters

Today I took some of my Birds of the Seven Sisters to the Cuckmere Wildlife Festival where they have a book stand in their marquee, and I took a walk down to the Coastguard Cottages – something I haven’t done for years. I spotted Linnets in the shrubs, and Goldfinches flying over. I then heard a “kyip! kyip!” and looked up to see a Peregrine appear from the cliff and fly across to the farmland beyond.

Having delivered the logbooks, I headed back to the Seven Sisters Visitor Centre to check out the new venue and top up the logbooks.

I didn’t have my dog with me so felt a bit strange walking down along the river, but it did mean I could have a proper look around and do some drawings. A lovely male Stonechat perched on a bramble, and there were Little Egrets dotted along the far shore, as well as preening in a tree. Skylarks and Dunnocks occupied the fenceposts, and lots of Goldfinches gathered in the twiggy branches. Swallows skimmed over the water and reeds

I saw a male Blackbird with his beak crammed full of grasshoppers, so presumably had a late brood to feed. His mate hopped along the edge of the water, pecking at small insects in the pools. It was quite thundery and close and the grasshoppers were a constant whirr in the tall vegetation.