30th & 31st August 2010 Whitbread Hollow N/NE3 to 2 occasional fog

Birds ringed in brackets:

Sparrowhawk 1

Merlin 1 (PN)

Swallow 60

Reed Warbler 2 (1)

Lesser Whitethroat 6

Whitethroat 50 (11)

Garden Warbler 3 (3)

Blackcap 70 (27)

Chiffchaff 4 (1)

Willow Warbler 4 (1)

Spotted Flycatcher 1

30th August 2010 Beachy Head

RKH visited seeing a Merlin and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Hummingbird Hawk Moth at Belle Tout (Roger Haggar)

29th August Beachy Head W3

Hobby 1

Swallow 800

House Martin 90

Sand Martin 17

Yellow Wagtail 47W

Redstart 2

Whinchat 3

Wheatear 7

Grasshopper Warbler 2

Sedge Warbler 2

Reed Warbler 6+ (5) including an extremely dark first-year bird

Lesser Whitethroat 5 (3)

Whitethroat 60 (28)

Garden Warbler 10+ (9)

Blackcap 100 (65)

Chiffchaff 25 (15)

Willow Warbler 20 (7)

Spotted Flycatcher 3 (2)

Raven 2

28th August 2010 Beachy Head & Whitbread Hollow N1

Birds trapped by BHRG in brackets:

Kestrel 1

Black-tailed Godwit 8 NE (RJF, JWK)

Whimbrel 1

Cuckoo 1 juvenile Chat Vale (RKH)

Swift 1

Swallow 100+

House Martin 2

Sand Martin 120+

Meadow Pipit 10W

Tree Pipit 1, 3W

Yellow Wagtail 13W

Whinchat 15

Wheatear 35

Redstart 8

Robin 5

Grasshopper Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 17 (8)

Blackcap 60 (18)

Garden Warbler 2

Whitethroat 150 (12)

Lesser Whitethroat 11 (2)

Willow Warbler 50

Chiffchaff 4 (1)

Pied Flycatcher 4-5

Spotted Flycatcher 4

Raven 2-3

Common Whitethroat in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

Pied Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

Pied Flycatcher in Old Trapping Area (Richard Fairbank)

Whinchat in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

Common Redstart in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

Spotted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

Wheatear at Birling Gap

Whinchat at Birling Gap

Stonechat at Birling Gap

25th August 2010 Whitbread Hollow W1 mainly overcast

RDME went ringing in the hollow seeing the following (with birds trapped in brackets):

Sparrowhawk 2

House Martin 20

Robin 30 (14)

Redstart 1 (1)

Blackbird 20 (6)

Grasshopper Warbler 2 (2)

Reed Warbler 30 (14)

Lesser Whitethroat 20 (10)

Whitethroat 200 (64)

Garden Warbler 3 (2)

Blackcap 100 (52)

Chiffchaff 3 (1)

Willow Warbler 30 (14)

24th August 2010 Beachy Head W4 increasing to W5

RDME covered most of the top seeing:

Gannet a few very far out

Sparrowhawk 1

Swallow 40

Yellow Wagtail 3

Wheatear 4

Blackcap 2

Whitethroat 25

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Willow Warbler 18

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Starling 250

21st August 2010 Beachy Head SW4 Overcast

Little Egret 1 in flight over Birling Gap

Shag 1 juv. on sea then flew east

Fulmar 10W

Gannet 80W

Tufted Duck 1W drake at 7.05am

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 3

Bonxie 1E at 7am

Arctic Skua 1W

Sandwich Tern 2E

Swallow 8

Sand Martin 3

Whinchat 1

Whitethroat 5

Juvenile Herring Gull at Birling Gap

First-summer moulting into second-winter Herring Gull at Birling Gap

20th August 2010 Old Trapping Area

RES visited the Old Trapping Area seeing:

Redstart 1

Whitethroat 6

Willow Warbler 1

18th August 2010 Whitbread Hollow W4 to W3 cloudy becoming sunny

RDME went ringing seeing the following impressive numbers of migrants (with birds trapped in brackets)

Cuckoo 1

Redstart 3

Reed Warbler 7 (5)

Lesser Whitethroat 10 (2)

Whitethroat 100 (18)

Garden Warbler 10 (4)

Blackcap 10 (6)

Chiffchaff 10 (2)

Willow Warbler 150 (34)

Spotted Flycatcher 1 (1)

Pied Flycatcher 1 Hollow and RHC saw 2 in Hodcombe

17th August 2010 Whitbread Hollow W3-4 increasing to 5. Light rain from dawn to 7.30.

RDME ringed in the hollow seeing (catching in brackets) the following migrants:

Redstart 1 (1)

Whinchat 1 (1)

Sedge Warbler 1 (1)

Reed Warbler 2 (1)

Lesser Whitethroat 5 (2)

Whitethroat 45 (11)

Garden Warbler 2

Blackcap 15 (6) including a male retrapped that had been ringed in 2003 !!

Willow Warbler 20 (10)

RKH made a brief visit to the Old Trapping Area seeing:

Redstart 2

Pied Flycatcher 1

Raven 2

Male Redstart in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

16th August 2010 Beachy Head WNW4-5 becoming N3 Sunny

RDME covered the whole area today from Birling to Whitbread Hollow being rewarded with pockets of good numbers of migrants:

Sparrowhawk 1

Buzzard 1 on the ground in Cow Gap

Kestrel 1

Sand Martin 25NE

Swallow 50

Nightingale 1 calling from tamarisk hedge at Birling Gap Lane

Whinchat 4

Pied Flycatcher 5 ex. (2 Old Trapping Area, 2 Icky Ridge & 1 Cliff Path)

Redstart 3 (fem Old Trapping Area, fem Icky Ridge, male Hollow)

Sedge Warbler 1

Garden Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Whitethroat 40

Willow Warbler 55

Raven 1

Pied Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area

Willow Warbler in the Old Trapping Area

Pied Flycatcher at Icky Ridge

15th August 2010 Beachy Head NE3-4 Overcast with rain at dawn

Kestrel 3
Whimbrel 1 in the rides
Black-headed Gull 40W high
Cuckoo 1 (RJF)
Swift 6E
Swallow 7
House Martin 26E
Song Thrush 1
Blackbird 5
Wheatear 8
Whinchat 2
Redstart 1
Whitethroat 20
Lesser Whitethroat 4
Blackcap 5
Garden Warbler 2 Willow Warbler 8
Raven 2


Stoat 1

Wheatears at Belle Toute (Roger Haggar)

14th August 2010 Beachy Head Calm & overcast

Peregrine 1

Kestrel 3

Sand Martin 3

Swallow 40

Stonechat 6

Whinchat 1

Redstart 2

Yellow Wagtail 3S

Meadow Pipit 15

Tree Pipit 3h

Reed Warbler 3

Willow Warbler 50

Whitethroat 45

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 2

Garden Warbler 3

Raven 2

Linnet 30

Redstart in the Old Trapping Area

Redstart in the Beachy Head Hotel Garden

12th August 2010 Whitbread Hollow

Total numbers of migrants seen in Whitbread Hollow today by Beachy Head Ringing Group followed by numbers trapped for ringing in brackets:

Marsh Harrier 1 imm. flew east
Tree Pipit 1
Nightingale 1
Wheatear 1
Reed Warbler 8 (5)
Lesser Whitethroat 4 (2)
Whitethroat 30 (5)
Garden Warbler 3 (3)
Blackcap 10 (9)
Chiffchaff 2
Willow Warbler 50 (27)

Also 1 Common Shrew (in the ringing hut!), a Stoat chasing rabbits on the field and a Southern Hawker (RDME).

11th August 2010 Beachy Head

RDME & RKH covered the top today seeing the following:
Sparrowhawk 1 female
Wheatear 2
Whinchat 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1

Whitethroat 29
Willow Warbler 28
Raven 1

Whinchat in the Old Trapping Area (Roger Haggar)

9th August 2010 Whitbread Hollow

Numbers of birds present in Whitbread Hollow today with the number of bird's ringed following in brackets.

Quite a few retraps today suggesting not too much had moved on overnight (RDME).

Nightingale 1

Reed Warbler 8 (5)

Lesser Whitethroat 3 (2)

Whitethroat 15 (5)

Garden Warbler 3 (2)

Blackcap 10 (5)

Chiffchaff 2 (1)

Willow Warbler 100 (30)

8th August 2010 Beachy Head ENE3 becoming W3

Numbers included in brackets relate to birds ringed in Whitbread Hollow:

Marsh Harrier 1 fem-type, hunting over top fields before departing high east

Sparrowhawk 2

Peregrine 3

Kestrel c.5

Sand Martin 204W

House Martin 2

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Hollow

Swallow 20

Redstart 1 female

Wheatear 4

Stonechat 3

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Tree Pipit 2 (RJF)

Grasshopper Warbler 2 (1)

Sedge Warbler 7 (5)

Reed Warbler 8 (6)

Whitethroat 57 (15)

Lesser Whitethroat 2(1)

Blackcap 21 (7)

Garden Warbler 4 (3)

Willow Warbler 161 (49)

Chiffchaff 1

Raven 2

Painted Lady 1

Red Admiral 1

Peacock 1

Silver-spotted Skipper 1 Chat Vale

Willow Warbler in the Old Trapping Area

7th August 2010 Birling Gap Seawatch 6.15am - 8am SW4

Heron 1

Little Egret 1W (RDME)

Gannet 100 feeding off Cow Gap

Fulmar 20 feeding off Cow Gap.

Balearic Shearwater 1W(dark phase) at 6.40am ex.

Shag 1W juv.

Scoter 6W, 8E

Peregrine 2

Kestrel 3

Auk sp. 1E

Sandwich Tern 5E

Cuckoo 1

Swallow 8

Whitethroat 27

Willow Warbler 10

Bullfinch 1 male Hollow

Red Admiral 1

Gatekeeper 10

Meadow Brown 10

Chalkhill Blue 30

Toad 1 (RKH & RES)

Willow Warbler at Birling Gap

Toad in Shooters Bottom (taken by Roger Haggar)

3rd August 2010 Birling Gap Seawatch 7pm - 8.45pm WSW3-4 Overcast

Gadwall 1W

Oystercatcher 4W

Sandwch Tern 1E

Harbour Porpoise 2

2nd August, 2010. Whitbread Hollow, Beachy Head.

RDME had an excellent morning in Whitbread Hollow and saw and ringed the following migrants, with the migrants ringed in brackets:

Nightingale 4 (2)

Grasshopper Warbler (6)

Sedge Warbler (1)

Reed Warbler 15 (6)

Lesser Whitethroat (4)

Common Whitethroat 12 (6)

Garden Warbler (6)

Blackcap 10 (6)

Chiffchaff 8 (4)

Willow Warbler 60 (41)

Pied Flycatcher (2) (1sty male & female).

1st yr.female & male Pied Flycatchers. (taken by Bob Edgar)

Nightingale (taken by Bob Edgar)

1st August 2010 Beachy Head Calm and Overcast becoming WSW2-3

Bob Edgar's ringing totals are included in brackets and his Hollow numbers have been added to those recorded in the area generally:

Sparrowhawk 1

Peregrine 1

Stock Dove 3

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Swift 2W

Swallow 8

Sand Martin 4

Wheatear 1 (RES)

Stonechat 11

Nightingale h croaking Chat Vale

Grasshopper Warbler 3 (1)

Reed Warbler 11 (6)

Sedge Warbler 2

Garden Warbler 2 (1)

Blackcap 5

Whitethroat 50 (3)

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Willow Warbler 50 (18)

Chiffchaff 2 (1) RDME notes that it is interesting how they have suddenly disappeared from the Hollow after the recent daily totals

Raven 2

Corn Bunting 2

Comma 1

Red Admiral 1

Marbled White 1

White-lettered Hairstreak 1

Silver-spotted Skipper 2

Jacob Everitt had a stroll round the edges of Horseshoe Plantation that produced the following: 25+ Silver-spotted Skipper, 5 Large Skipper, 8 Comma, 3 Large White, 6 Small White, 1 White Letter Hairstreak, 5 Small Copper, 20+ Common Blue, 50+ Chalkhill Blue, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Marbled White, 15+ Meadow Brown, 3 Small Heath and 10+ Gatekeeper. Also a single fresh Dingy Skipper! Lovely few hours butterflying!

Sedge Warbler at Birling Gap

First-year Sedge Warbler at Birling Gap

Reed Warbler in Cow Gap Gully

Silver-spotted Skipper and Flesh Fly (Roger Haggar)

Meadow Grasshopper in Chat Vale (Roger Haggar)