15 May 2012 Beachy Head Bright at first then 3/8 cloud cold W3-SW4

RDME covered Birling lane onto Belle Tout lighthouse and scrub then to Belle Tout wood, Shooters Bottom  &,Old Trapping Area:

Swallow 13

Stonechat 5

Wheatear 5

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Chiffchaff 1

Spotted Flycatcher 2

The following pictures were taken at Belle Tout on the 13 May by Roger Haggar

Holly Blue 

Green Hairstreak 

Male Orange Tip

Hairy-footed Flower Bee

13 May 2012 Beachy Head Sunny Clear Wind 0 - SW2

In fine calm conditions very few new migrants seen after covering most of the usual sites:

Sparrowhawk 1

Whimbrel 8 came in over Birling and headed inland.

Collared Dove 6 W

Swallow 10

House Martin 1

Alba Wagtail 1 in off the sea

Stonechat (first young seen out of the nest).

Wheatear 2

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 30

Blackcap 2

Chiffchaff 3

Painted Lady 1(first for the year)

View to Seaford Head from Birling

Not what we wanted to find, sat on top of a gorse bush at Birling

Lesser Whitethroat at Belle Tout

Swallow at Belle Tout

 

Chiffchaff at the Old Trapping Area

 Whimbrels coming in over Birling and flying inland

Blackbird still in the Hotel Garden

 

Male Linnet near Birling

 

Puff Ball near Birling

Painted Lady at Belle Tout

12 May, 2012 Beachy Head.Fine sunny NNE 1-3

We covered all of the Headland sites, met up with RDME at Belle Tout who had been carrying out survey work and had covered Whitbread Hollow & Cow Gap. Also met up with SL:

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 2

Collared Dove 3

Swift 9

Sand Martin 1

Swallow 71

House Martin 3

Yellow Wagtail 5 N

Wheatear 9

Reed Warbler 2

Lesser Whitethroat 6

Common Whitethroat 30

Garden Warbler 2

Blackcap 16

Chiffchaff 3

Willow Warbler 6 (Several Northern types)

Spotted Flycatcher 8

Long Tailed Tit 2

Tree Creeper 2

Goldfinch 7

Linnet Approx. 50

Redpoll 1 W

Corn Bunting 2

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Wall Brown 6

Small Heath 1

Small Copper 1

Dingy Skipper 1

Silver Y moth 1

Hare 1

Fox 1

Spotted Flycatcher, 8 were seen today.

Male Blackcap in Belle Tout wood 

Garden Warbler at Birling 

Willow Warbler showing characters of P.t.acredula in Belle Tout wood.

Skylark in rough field

Early Spider Orchid

Excellent year for the Early Purple Orchids

 

Pale Variety of the Early Purple Orchid

Chalk Milkwort

Small Heath Butterfly

Wall Brown along the Cliff Path

Can anyone name this??

9 May 2012 Beachy Head Drizzle cool & misty S-SW 2-4

We sea-watched from 06.25-08.40 and then walked from Birling to B/T lighthouse and Belle Tout wood the field and back to Birling. Thick sea-mist over the rest of the Headland:

Red Throated Diver 1
Gannet 100 E (25% were immature type birds)
Grey Heron 1 on Birling beach
Brent Goose 11 E
Common Scoter 41 E
Bar Tailed Godwit 1 E
Whimbrel 9 E
Pomarine Skua 3 E @ 06.50
Arctic Skua 4 E
Sandwich Tern 4 E
Auk Sp. 6 E
Swift 1
Alba Wagtail 1 N
Wheatear 3

8 May 2012 Beachy Head Early drizzle becoming fine Wind Nil

We joined RDME in the sea-watch hut in early drizzle from 05.40-07.10 and then went and covered a number of sites before returning for a further sea-watch 09.20-12.05 after the drizzle had cleared. RKH & RES joined us for some of the time:

Black Throated Diver 1 E
Gannet 42 E
Shag 2 E (our first for the year)
Brent Goose 5 E
Shelduck 3 E
Eider 2 E (drake and sub-adult drake)
Common Scoter 147 E
Whimbrel 5 W
Curlew 1 W
Pomarine Skua 3 E (2@ 09.50 & 1 @ 09.55)
Arctic Skua 3 E
Bonxie 2 E
Mediterranean Gull 8 E (2 1stS's. 1 Ad & 5 2nd S's)
Black Headed Gull 42 E
Sandwich Tern 12 E
Commic Tern 11 E
Auk Sp. 3 on the sea
Swallow 10 in off the sea
Black Redstart 1 at Birling
Wheatear 1
Song Thrush 2
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Garden Warbler 1
Blackcap 2

7 May 2012 Beachy Head Sunny clear mild E-S 1-2

We sea-watched 05.45-12.45 & 14.00-15.00. During our break, we covered the field. RDME also sea-watched and covered the Headland and Whitbread Hollow. Both AQ & RHC also joined us on the sea-watch:

Red Throated Diver 7 E

Black Throated Diver 8 E

Great Crested Grebe 2 E

Gannet 136 E

Brent Goose 13 E

Shelduck 8 E

Common Scoter 278 E

Red Breasted Merganser 3 E

Common Buzzard 2

Hobby 2 off Birling

Peregrine 3 

Avocet 4 E

Grey Plover 1 E

Bar Tailed Godwit 39 E

Whimbrel 20 E

Pomarine Skua 5 E

Arctic Skua 7 E

Bonxie 2 E

Mediterranean Gull 4 1stS's (1 E & 3 W)

Little Gull 3 E

Black Headed Gull 29 E

Sandwich Tern 98 E

Commic Tern 27 E

Little Tern 4 E

Auk Sp. 22 E

Razorbill 1 on the sea

Tawny Owl 2

Swallow 4 in off the sea

Yellow Wagtail 3

Whinchat 3

Wheatear 29 (Most if not all were Greenlands)

Reed Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 4

Common Whitethroat 25

Garden Warbler 1

Blackcap 3

Chiffchaff 4

Raven 2

Adult male Whinchat

Adult female Whinchat

Adult female Wheatear

6 May 2012 Beachy Head Drizzle cold & clear N 2-3

We sea-watched from 07.00-07.30 and then met up with RJF,JK& MK and covered virtually the whole of the Headland:

Great Crested Grebe 1 E
Gannet 6 E
Hobby 5 (1 in off the sea @ 07.20, 1 in over Birling @07.55, 1 sat on top of the cliffs at B/T, & 2 chasing a Swift over Shooters Bottom). This is our largest single Spring day number.
Peregrine 1
Commic Tern 8 E
Auk Sp. 1 E
Turtle Dove 1 near Birling
Tawny Owl 2
Swift 5
Swallow 12
Yellow Wagtail 44 in sheep field at Birling.(Our largest Spring day count).
Common Redstart 1 female at Birling
Whinchat 4 in rough field at Birling
Wheatear 22+
Common Whitethroat 30
Garden Warbler 1
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 4
Long Tailed Tit 2
Corn Bunting 2

RJF, JK & MK also covered several sites on the Headland on the 5/5:

Hobby 1
Swift 3
Short Eared Owl 2 in the Old Trapping Area
Black Redstart 1
Wheatear 14
Garden Warbler 5
Common Whitethroat 20
Lesser Whitethroat 1

Yellow Wagtails 

Bluebells in Belle Tout wood

 

 

 

Common Whitethroat a new arrival

Turtle Dove another new arrival

Whinchat 1 of 4 seen today (taken by Richard Fairbank)

Tawny Owl, the old faithful

(Taken by Richard Fairbank)

One of the 5 Hobbies seen today

Hobby in flight over Shooters Bottom

 

One of at least 22 Wheatears seen today

 

 

Some of the Yellow Wagtails seen in the sheep field.