Desert Wheatear and Snow Buntings

Two birds that tend to occupy the beach when in the south of the UK. First up on Thursday 1st of December  was the very confiding Desert Wheatear that was feeding just above the shingle at Normans Bay in East Sussex. When we arrived the bird was happy to pose but soon shifted into a much more mobile mode. A bird that truly blends in with its habitat, we could have stayed longer to get the bird in a more isolated pose but numbers of birders and photographers were going up, therefore it was time to go.

 

This Black Redstart turned up just to see what all the fuss was about.

Today, the second bird was just as confiding, a Snow Bunting at East Head, Wittering. We started the day looking for the reported Stone Curlew at Ella Nore but it was the proverbial needle in the haystack. So, in pleasant sunshine we took a walk to East Head. Martin found the bird a couple of hundred metres back from the head on the west side of the spit. Another bird that truly matches its surroundings and is also difficult to isolate. Never mind, two year ticks in December and the weather remains clement.

To cap it all another bird turned up on my local patch - right next to Groyne No.4 so I just had to go and have a look.

Perfect camouflage