9th October, 2011. Beachy Head. Overcast with showers becoming sunny & warm. W 2-3 to 4.

We arrived at Birling and after dodging an early shower started to cover the Head. Strange sort of day, started slowly birds picked up in Shooters Bottom, little seen in the Hotel Garden but then became very busy along the Cliff Path. Met GG briefly and we then met up with SL who had been doing a sea-watch at Birling for over 2 hours and had seen good numbers of birds. We quickly returned to Birling with him and did a sea-watch for a further hour. The following totals are our combined totals including both sea-watches :

Brent Goose 415 W

Wigeon 33 W

Common Scoter 23

Red Breasted Merganser 11 W

Sparrowhawk 2

Kestrel 1

Merlin 1 along the Cliff Path

Hobby 2 together along the Cliff Path

Peregrine 2

Curlew 1 W

Arctic Skua 8 E

Arctic/Pomarine Skua 2 E (SL)

Great Skua 52 E (probably a day record).

Med Gull 3 E

Sandwich Tern 12

Commic Tern 10 chiefly W (probably all Commons)

Auk sp. 6 E

Guillemot 1 E

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Sand Martin 2-3

Swallow 50 W

House Martin 12+

Meadow Pipit 150 (100 W)

Alba Wagtail 13 W

Whinchat 1

Wheatear 11

Ring Ouzel 7

Blackbird 12

Redwing 70

Song Thrush 2

Blackcap 5

Chiffchaff 19

Goldcrest 4

Tree Creeper 1

Raven 1

Goldfinch 170 (100 W)

Siskin 150 W in several flocks along the Cliff Path.

Linnet 200 (100 W)

Lesser Redpoll 1

Corn Bunting 4 (2 W)

Chiffchaff along the Cliff Path.

Maybe the last of this year's Whinchats.

Raven over the Old Trapping Area

Siskins moving over the Cliff Path

Speckled Wood at Belle Tout wood.