Saturday 23 July 2011

23rd July, 2011 Beachy Head. Part cloudy, clear & cool. NE2-3 vearing to NW

We first carried out a sea-watch from 06.45-07.30. We then covered virtually all the sites on the Headland including walking through the rough field. The following were recorded:

Great Crested Grebe 2 E
Fulmar just 1
Gannet 35 off shore
Grey Heron 1 W
Common Scoter 10 E
Sparrow Hawk 1
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1
Arctic Skua 1 2nd. summer with boldly barred under-wings, lingering off shore.
Med Gull 1 juv. off shore.
Black Headed Gull 12 W
Yellow Legged Gull 1 juv. S out to sea until lost to sight still going out.
Sandwich Tern 60 W
Arctic Tern 1 juv feeding off Birling.
Guillemot 2 on the sea.
Stock Dove 1
Cuckoo 1-2
Swift 13 W
Sand Martin 12 W
Swallow 35 mainly W
Pied Wagtail 10 feeding in rough field
Stonechat 10 (including the male & female rubicola race)
Grasshopper Warbler 1 in the Old Trapping Area.
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Common Whitethroat 23
Blackcap 2 at Birling
Willow Warbler 3 (all 1st W. birds).
Starling c400 virtually all juvs.
Corn Bunting 1 singing

Butterflies:
Speckled Wood 3
Peacock 1
Marbled White 3
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Brown Argus 4
Chalk Hill Blue 20
Small Heath 1
Small Skipper 2
Comma 1
Small White 8
Red Admiral 12
Meadow Brown 10
Gate Keeper 50+

Also:
Emperor Dragonfly 1 male
Migrant Hawker 5
Tachina Grossa 2 in the Hotel Garden
Seal 1 off Birling
Harbour Porpoise 2 off Birling
Fox 1
Hare 1

Juvenile Yellow Legged Gull which flew south out to
sea near the Belle Tout lighthouse until lost to sight.








Cuckoo near Belle Tout wood.

Female Blackcap in heavy moult


Brown Argos

Male Chalk Hill Blue

Comma


Migrant Hawker


Two Tachina grossas in the Hotel Garden

Chrysotoxum festivum

Dusky Sallow moth