Beachy Head 27th December, 2009.

Brief visit with DC & Doreen and walked the lane at Birling, looked at Belle Toute wood and then walked the pathway to under the old lighthouse before driving over the Headland. My first visit for sometime owing to being diagnosed with a form of blood cancer and not the best way to end my 50th anniversary of watching at Beachy Head. (First visit made with Tony & Barry in early March 1960, and I still have my bird log of this visit).

Needless to say not to many birds present and very few passerines seen. A Fulmar was present off Birling, the grey phased Tawny Owl was showing fairly well in its usual roosting tree in Belle Toute wood, and a pair of Stonechats were on the eastern side of the wood. On our short walk we did see 4 Song Thrushes which was an encouraging sign for this species which has gone through a drastic decline in numbers over the last 50 years at Beachy.

Well to all my many friends ( including some sadly no longer with us including a very good friend Brian Whitby), which I have enjoyed birding with over the last 50 years at Beachy I hope to see you from time to time during 2010, although with 6 months of cancer treatment ahead of me, I will have to take it a day at a time.

JFC.