29th September, 2011 Beachy Head Fine sunny & hot SE1

RDME went ringing in Whitbread Hollow but generally quieter day with birds ringed in brackets:

Tawny Owl 1

Common Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 20 (10)

Chiffchaff 30 (17)

28th September, 2011. Beachy Head. Fine sunny & hot but with smog inland. SE1

Only arrived on the Headland during the late morning and briefly met up with GG at Birling.

RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow. The following are our combined totals with birds ringed in brackets:

Sparrowhawk 2

Merlin 1

Hobby 1-2

Tawny Owl 1

Swallow 100

Common Redstart 1

Common Whitethroat 5 (2)

Blackcap 120 (27)

Chiffchaff 45 (6 trapped)

Goldcrest 2

Common Blue 1

Small Heath 1

Red Admiral c10

Meadow Brown 4

Common Darter 2

Hobby over Belle Tout Wood

Chiffchaff at Birling

Common Darter at Birling

27th September, 2011 Beachy Head. Clear at first becoming misty.

RDME was trapping in Whitbread Hollow today and PN & MN covered a number of sites on the Head. The following are their combined totals with birds ringed in brackets:

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 1

Tawny Owl 1

Swallow 120

House Martin 70

Wheatear 2

Ring Ouzel 1

Grasshopper Warbler 2 (2)

Reed Warbler 3 (1)

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 7 (3)

Blackcap 260 (73)

Chiffchaff 230 (37)

Willow Warbler 1

Goldcrest 13 (2)

Clouded Yellow 1

Red Admiral 1

25th September, 2011.Beachy Head Fine warm with some cloud cover. SSW 1-2

Met up with JK at Birling and covered a number of sites on the Head, although we did twitch the Grey Phalarope at nearby Princes Park during the morning:

Grey Heron 12 high S. over the Seven Sisters and out to sea until lost to sight.

Sparrowhawk 4

Kestrel 1

Merlin 1 female/immature type E over Birling.

Peregrine 2

Swallow 500 E

House Martin 80 E

Meadow Pipit 80

Whinchat 1

Wheatear 1

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 6

Chiffchaff 20+

Goldcrest 2

Firecrest 3 (1 Icky Ridge, 1 Shooters Bottom & 1 B/T wood).

Tree Creeper 1 B/T wood.

Raven 1

Party of 12 Grey Herons flying high over the Seven Sisters heading

straight out to sea, until lost to sight.

Chiffchaff in the early morning light at Birling.

Maybe one of our last Lesser Whitethroats for the year

24 September, 2011.Beachy Head. Fine warm & sunny.S-SW 1-2

We met up with JK at Birling and covered all the sites on the Headland including the rough field and we also did a short raptor watch.

RDME & SM were ringing in Whitbread Hollow and the following are combined totals with birds ringed in brackets:

Sparrowhawk 2

Merlin 1 female/immature

Tawny Owl 1

Curlew 4 E

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Sand Martin 1

Swallow 400 mainly E.

House Martin 120

Meadow Pipit 100

Yellow Wagtail 2 E

Pied Wagtail 6 E

Whinchat 5

Stonechat 17

Wheatear 1

Grasshopper Warbler 1 in Shooters Bottom

Reed Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 12 (4)

Blackcap 220 (74)

Chiffchaff 200 (10)

Goldcrest 5 (1)

Firecrest 1 on Icky Ridge

Raven 2

Corn Bunting 3

Whinchat in Chat Vale

Record shot of our first Firecrest of the Autumn on Icky Ridge.

Raven over Chat Vale

23rd September, 2011. Beachy Head Sunny W2

RDME was trapping in Whitbread Hollow and had large numbers of Blackcaps & Chiffchaffs.

PN covered a number of sites on the Headland and also recorded large numbers of Chiffchaffs.

The following are combined totals with birds ringed in brackets:

Tawny Owl 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Common Redstart 2 (1)

Whinchat 1

Song Thrush 1 (1)

Grasshopper Warbler 2 (1)

Reed Warbler 2 (2)

Common Whitethroat 7 (7)

Blackcap 550 (141)

Chiffchaff 550 (73)

Willow Warbler 1 (1)

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Goldcrest 4 (1)

Siskin 6

22nd September, 2011 Beachy Head Sunny periods, W 3-4

Covered the majority of the sites on the Head & RDME was ringing in the Hollow. Following are our combined totals with birds ringed in brackets.

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 1

Tawny Owl 1

Skylark 80

Swallow 250 (150 W)

House Martin 250

Tree Pipit 1W

Meadow Pipit 200

Pied Wagtail 10 (3W)

Common Redstart 1

Whinchat 2

Wheatear 4

Grasshopper Warbler 1 (1)

Lesser Whitethroat 1 (1)

Common Whitethroat 4 (1)

Blackcap 100 (35)

Chiffchaff 160 (48)

Willow Warbler 1 (1)

Raven 2

Siskin 30 (20 W)

Linnet 200 (100 W)

Corn Bunting 9

Speckled Wood 6

Comma 2

Meadow Brown 2

Comma 2

Hare 1

19th September, 2011.Beachy Head. Sunny & warm. W-SW 1-2

Visited most of the sites on the Headland meeting up with GG, RK PN, MN & RKH.

RDME was again ringing in Whitbread Hollow and the following are our combined total with ringing numbers in brackets:

Fulmar 1

Sparrowhawk 3

Kestrel 2

Merlin 1 female/immature

Hobby 2

Curlew 5 E

Tawny Owl 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Sand Martin 2

Swallow Approx 1,000 mainly W

House Martin Approx 2,000 mainly W

Meadow Pipit 250 (50 W)

Whinchat 5

Wheatear 2

Ring Ouzel 1 in the Hollow.

Sedge Warbler 1 (1)

Reed Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 12

Blackcap 150 (37)

Chiffchaff 280 (54)

Willow Warbler 2 (1)

Goldcrest 1

Raven 1

Corn Bunting 6

Clouded Yellow 1

Red Admiral 6

Adult male Stonechat in heavy molt in Shooters Bottom.

Spider with prey at Birling

18th September, 2011. Beachy Head. Cloud cover 1/8th increasing to 7/8ths, Cold at first becoming hot. NW to SW 2-3

RKH & RES covered a number of sites on the Headland and RDME & SM were trapping in Whitbread Hollow and the following are their combined totals with birds ringed in brackets:

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Sand Martin 4

Swallow 500+

House Martin 100

Song Thrush 1 (1 re-trap)

Grasshopper Warbler 1 (1)

Common Whitethroat 13 (5)

Garden Warbler 1 (1)

Blackcap 250 (64)

Chiffchaff 155 (36)

Willow Warbler 3

Goldcrest 1 (1)

Bullfinch 1

17th September, 2011 Beachy Head. Overcast with odd showers. SW 6

Sea-watched from 07.00-09.15 & 10.15-11.45. We then looked in Belle Tout wood and walked the rough field:

Fulmar 1 W

Sooty Shearwater 1 W @ 10.42 DC

Balearic Shearwater 1 light phase W @ 07.20 DC, JFC. BK.

Gannet Approx. 40

Brent Goose 27 W

Common Scoter 9E & 3W

Ringed Plover 1W

Curlew 1W

Bonxie 2 (1E & 1W)

Med Gull 1ad. E

Lesser Black Back Gull 81 (61 E virtually all juvs. & 20 in field)

Sandwich Tern 2 W

Common Tern 21 W

Arctic Tern 2 W

Sand Martin 1

Swallow 150 SE

Meadow Pipit 100 in rough field.

Whinchat 2

Wheatear 3

Sedge Warbler 1

Linnet 80

Corn Bunting 8

Hare 1-2

16th September, 2011 Beachy Head.Sunny & warm SE

RDME & PF were ringing in Whitbread Hollow this morning.

PN covered Birling Gap Area to Belle Tout. Following are combined totals with birds ringed in brackets.

Sparowhawk 3

Kestrel 3

Peregrine 2

Sand Martin 4

Swallow 500 E

House Martin 45 E

Whinchat 1

Wheatear 1

Ring Ouzel 1 with a further 2 seen by N.Pope in Shooters Bottom.

Grasshopper Warbler 1 (1)

Common Whitethroat 13 (6)

Blackcap 75 (26)

Chiffchaff 71 (15)

Willow Warbler 3

15th September, 2011 Beachy Head. Sunny cool becoming hot. Wind Nil..

RDME & SM went trapping in Whitbread Hollow & met up with RHC. Also PN & GG were birding on the Head. PN visited the Hotel Garden area, Old Trapping Area, Shooters Bottom & Belle Tout wood. Good numbers of migrants seen and so many birds in the Hollow, the nets were closed very early to cope with the numbers. Birds ringed are included in brackets.

Marsh Harrier 1

Sparrowhawk 2

Common Buzzard 3

Tawny Owl 1

Short Eared Owl 1

Wheatear Approx. 100 on the Head per RHC

Song Thrush 1 (1)

Grasshopper Warbler 4 (3)

Reed Warbler 2 (1)

Lesser Whitethroat 6

Common Whitethroat 58 (10)

Garden Warbler 1 (1)

Blackcap 410 (84)

Chiffchaff 316 (65)

Willow Warbler 7 (4)

Goldcrest 1

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Raven 2

Whiskered type Bat sp. 1 in the Hollow

14th September, 2011. Beachy Head. Sunny periods W 3-4

Visited the Head today after the recent stormy weather. Met up with RDME at Birling & RHC was sea-watching. Also saw PN & MN. Covered all the areas on the Head and the following are our combined totals:

Sparrowhawk 2-3

Common Buzzard 1

Kestrel 1

Red-legged Partridge 1

Skylark 60

Sand Martin 5

Swallow 300 mainly W.

House Martin 60 W

Meadow Pipit 400 ( 300 in the fields & 100+ W)

Yellow Wagtail 35

Grey Wagtail 2 W

Alba Wagtail 2

Common Redstart 1

Whinchat 3

Wheatear 14

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 35

Blackcap 3

Chiffchaff 60

Willow Warbler 6

Siskin 13 N

Linnet 85 (55 W)

Corn Bunting 10

Common Blue 3

Small Heath 3

Small Copper 1

Painted Lady 1

Comma 1

Red Admiral 2

Meadow Brown 10

Crimson Speckled Moth 1 (our 2nd record this Autumn).

Hare 1

RHC & EHC had a juv. Sabines Gull for 45 minutes on the 12th, feeding off Birling before departing E. This is our first record for Beachy since regular watching commenced in 1960.

One of today's Sparrowhawks seen on the Head.

Another Crimson Speckled Moth found today in the rough field.

10th September, 2011. Beachy Head. Warm, overcast S1-2

Met up with RJF at Birling. We covered the Headland and did a raptor watch for about an hour. RJF walked over the Headland and into the Hollow etc. We also met up with GG & SL whilst doing the raptor watch. Our combined totals as far as possible as follows:

Honey Buzzard 1 seen and photographed by Bob Izzard around 08.30. It flew S. out to sea.

Sparrowhawk 3

Osprey 1 S out to sea from B/T. GG & SL.

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 3

Collared Dove 3 (Our first since June).

Swift 2

Skylark 60

Sand Martin 20

Swallow 250

House Martin 10

Tree Pipit 12

Meadow 150 (57 E)

Yellow Wagtail 70+

Grey Wagtail 9 (5 W)

Alba Wagtail 5 E

Common Redstart 3

Whinchat 8

Wheatear 40

Grasshopper Warbler 1

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 3

Common Whitethroat 60

Blackcap 30

Chiffchaff 10

Willow Warbler 10

Goldcrest 1

Spotted Flycatcher 2

Raven 2

Siskin 1

Linnet 100

Corn Bunting 18

Hare 1

9th September, 2011. Beachy Head. Overcast, misty & humid. W 4 decreasing to 2

After the last few days which have been stormy, visited today and misty over the Headland although quite good visibility out to the sea. Met up with RDME & RHC at Birling & GG at Belle Tout wood.

Sea-watched with RHC for 1.25 hrs and then covered most of the Headland sites, RDME visited the Hollow area. Our combined totals as follows:

Fulmar 2

Gannet 15 W

Little Egret 3

Kestrel 1

Arctic Skua 1 W

Sandwich Tern 8 W

Commic Tern 12 W

Swallow 8

Yellow Wagtail 20

Whinchat 2

Wheatear 30

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 20

Blackcap 25

Chiffchaff 15

Willow Warbler 7

Raven 1

Siskin 15

Linnet 80

Hare 1

RHC has sea-watched most days this week & seen the following:

Manx Shearwater 5 W on the 5th.

Balearic Shearwater 2 W on the 5th & 1 W on the 6th.

Shags - 3-4 daily.

Osprey 1 off Birling on the 8th.

4th September, 2011.Beachy Head. Dull & overcast. S 1 to 2

We met up with RJF & JK at Birling and we then covered most of the usual sites. Generally the area was very quiet:

Fulmar 1

Shag 3 immatures off Birling.

Little Egret 1

Sparrowhawk 3

Kestrel 2

Peregrine 3-4

Red-legged Partridge 1

Skylark 60

Sand Martin 4

Swallow 40

Tree Pipit 3

Yellow Wagtail 28

Grey Wagtail 2

Whinchat 4

Grasshopper Warbler 1

Sedge Warbler 2

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 17

Blackcap 5

Chiffchaff 2

Raven 2+

Starling 400

Corn Bunting 4

Whinchat at Birling

Yellow Wagtail at Cornish Farm.

One of the three immature Shags seen of Birling today.

3rd September, 2011 Beachy Head. Mist at first becoming sunny & warm SW 1

Thick mist when we arrived and until it cleared it was slow going. RKH phoned to say that with RES they had located a Wryneck in Shooters Bottom, which after photographing, proved to be a different bird to the one photographed there last week-end. We covered all the areas on the Head including the rough field and also did a 30 minute raptor watch:

Little Egret 2 off Birling

Sparrowhawk 2

Common Buzzard 2

Kestrel 2

Merlin 1 female/immature per AGC & PN

Hobby 1 Juv. over the Top Fields.

Sandwich Tern 1+

Wryneck 1 a new individual in Shooters Bottom.

Sand Martin 20

Swallow 500

House Martin 200

Tree Pipit 1

Yellow Wagtail 4

'Alba' Wagtail 3 feeding above B/T wood.

Whinchat 2

Wheatear 40 (our best day this year).

Grasshopper Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 20

Garden Warbler 2

Blackcap 20

Chiffchaff 2

Willow Warbler 4

Raven 6 soaring with Rooks.

Linnet 40

Speckled Wood 4

Clouded Yellow 2

Small Heath 8

Painted Lady 1

Migrant Hawker 3

Not too many more Willow Warblers to come now.

Our best day for Wheatears this year, with 40 being seen.

Wryneck in Shooters Bottom.

The darker iris, wholly pink bill, more extensive white

ground colour to its submoustacial stripe, fewer dark-centered

scapulars and larger pale spotting to its wing coverts reveal

this to be a different individual to that photographed at the same

site the previous week-end.

2nd September, 2011.Beachy Head. Warm & sunny with sea-mist. Wind 0-1

Generally quiet today with only a few hirundines in misty conditions. Met up briefly with PN & MN and I covered all the usual sites on the Head. RDME & JE were ringing in Whitbread Hollow and the following are our combined sightings with numbers ringed in brackets:

Fulmar 1

Little Egret 5 E off Birling.

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 1

Greenshank 1 over the Head.

Sandwich Tern 1

Tawny Owl 1

Swift 1

Skylark 25 in rough field.

Swallow 60

House Martin 80 E

Meadow Pipit 50

Whinchat 3

Wheatear 4

Song Thrush 1

Grasshopper Warbler 2 (2)

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 5 (4)

Lesser Whitethroat 2 (2)

Common Whitethroat 55 (4)

Blackcap 52 (38)

Chiffchaff 5 (1)

Willow Warbler 6 (1)

Corn Bunting 1

Small Heath 10

Painted Lady 1

Red Admiral 1

Small Copper 4

Comma 2

1st September, 2011. Beachy Head. Sunny & bright. NE 4-5

Briefly met up with RDME & Martyn K at Birling and then visited the rest of the Head. Windy conditions made observing difficult although even in the sheltered spots few migrants were recorded. Good numbers of Hirundines were moving E over the Head.:

Sparrowhawk 1

Merlin 1 at Birling per RDME (our first for the Autumn).

Yellow Legged Gull 1 Juv. E off Birling.

Swift 1

Sand Martin 80+ E

Swallow c1,000 E

House Martin 300 E

Tree Pipit 1

Yellow Wagtail 7 (3 E).

Whinchat 1

Wheatear 3

ReedWarbler 2

Common Whitethroat 24

Garden Warbler 1

Blackcap 10

Chiffchaff 6

Willow Warbler 5

Corn Bunting 2

RedAdmiral 4

Silver Y moth 1

Hare 1

Swallow, approx. 1,000 moved East over the Head this morning.

Record shots of two Yellow Wagtails feeding above Belle Tout wood.

Silver Y Moth at Birling.

JFC birding at Belle Tout. (DRC)