Mysterious wooden birds appear in Seaford and Newhaven

A number of mysterious bird figures have appeared in Seaford and Newhaven. 

Monday 05 September 2016

People in Seaford and Newhaven have been left scratching their heads after mysterious wooden artworks appeared in the towns overnight. The brightly-painted bird figures, which have been seen dotted around both towns, are thought to have appeared sometime before last Sunday (September 4). Walking bird on Exceat Bridge. Photo by Shirley Lowe. 

At least six figures have been seen so far including in Steyne Road and Blatchington Pond in Seaford as well as at Denton Corner and near the A259 roundabout in Newhaven. Another figure - a blue spotted bird (pictured) - has been seen on Exceat Bridge. While unusual some residents are drawing comparisons to another mysterious wave of street art seen in Peacehaven around this time last year. 

In last year's wave of mysterious art works 10 bins in the town were painted yellow and blue to appear like Minions, the iconic characters from popular children's film Despicable Me. Despite the 'Binions' popularity, no one ever came forward to claim responsibility prompting some to think the same artist - or artists - may also be responsible for the sudden appearance of the birds .

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Does climate change herald sad end of cliff top kittiwake colony in Seaford?

Rising sea temperatures could threaten the future of the popular kittiwake colony at Splash Point in Seaford, according to the RSPB.

There is evidence of a link between rising sea temperatures and a reduction in the numbers of the birds’ main food source, sand eels.

If the colony cannot adapt to find another supply of food it will struggle to survive, the conservation charity warned.

In other parts of the country the impact of rising sea temperatures is already being felt.

Seabird declines are particularly serious in the Northern Isles of Scotland and some colonies in the South East have also been badly affected.

In the early 1990s there was a colony of almost 3,000 pairs of kittiwakes at Langdon Cliffs near Dover in Kent, but this colony has declined alarmingly and in the last few years only a few tens of nests have been recorded.

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