Thursday 29 September 2011

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)

Wednesday 28 September 2011

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

Tuesday 27 September 2011

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

Sunday 25 September 2011

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

Saturday 24 September 2011

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

Friday 23 September 2011

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

Thursday 22 September 2011

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

Monday 19 September 2011

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

Sunday 18 September 2011

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

Saturday 17 September 2011

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

Friday 16 September 2011

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

Thursday 15 September 2011

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

Wednesday 14 September 2011

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.

Saturday 10 September 2011

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









Friday 9 September 2011

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.

Sunday 4 September 2011

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.

Saturday 3 September 2011

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.

Friday 2 September 2011

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


Thursday 1 September 2011

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)