26th November, 2011. Beachy Head Overcast SW 4

DC visited the Headland today and sea-watched for nearly an hour before visiting virtually the whole area including Cow Gap, the Gully and Whitebread Hollow, but the area was very quiet:

Diver sp. 1E

Little Egret 2
Fulmar 2W, 3
Gannet 3W, 2E, 2
Brent 2W
Scoter 2W, 1E, 20 on sea
Curlew 6
Auk sp. 3E
Red-legged Partridge 1
Mistle Thrush 4
Skylark 20
Goldfinch 15
Linnet 5

Chalk Cliffs at Birling

Curlews off Birling Gap.

Herring Gull at Birling Gap.

Mistle Thrush at Belle Tout.

22nd November, 2011.Beachy Head Misty at first becoming sunny & warm (18C/66F) No wind.

RDME covered Whitbread Hollow, Cow Gap, Belle Tout wood & Birling lane:

Common Scoter 24 on the sea off Birling

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Black Redstart 2 at Birling

Song Thrush 1

Blackbird 40 (mainly in Whitbread Hollow/Cow Gap).

Redpoll 12 E

Goldfinch 9

Bullfinch 3

20th November, 2011. Beachy Head. Fine sunny & warm SE to NE 1

We met up with RJF at Birling and covered all the Headland, briefly meeting up with GG at Belle Tout. Another fine warm day:

Little Egret 1 off Birling.

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 3

Golden Plover 1 heard over the Top Fields.

Skylark 70

Swallow 1 E

Black Redstart 1

Stonechat 4

Chiffchaff 2

Goldcrest 2

Tree Creeper 2 Belle Tout wood.

Goldfinch 150 E

Redpoll 7 W

RedAdmiral 1

One of two Tree Creepers seen in Belle Tout wood today.

Male Stonechat near Birling.

Toadstall sp.in Shooters Bottom.

19 November, 2011 Beachy Head. Clear SE 2

DC & BK covered most of the Headland and recorded the following:

Little Egret 1

Sparrowhawk 1

Merlin 1

Kestrel 1

Lapwing 1

Stock Dove 23 E

Woodpigeon 250 E

Swallow 1 E

Stonechat 4

Black Redstart 1 Birling

Chiffchaff 2

Goldcrest 1

Raven 2

Goldfinch 180 E

Redpoll 2 heard

Chaffinch 20 E

Bullfinch 1

Black Redstart at Birling

16th November, 2011. Beachy Head.Overcast, dull mild. E 1-2

We met up with RDME in Whitbread Hollow and covered the Gully and beach below Cow Gap. Cow Gap, Whitbread Hollow and Holywell. Also several sites on the Head:

Grey Heron 1 off Holywell

Common Scoter 19 on the sea off Birling.

Sparrowhawk 3+ in Whitbread Hollow area.

Peregrine 1

Rock Pipit 1

Ring Ouzel 1 Cow Gap

Blackbird 12

Chiffchaff 1

Goldcrest 5

Raven 2

Goldfinch 105 E

Redpoll 1

Sparrowhawk over Whitbread Hollow

Grey Heron off Holywell

15th November, 2011 Beachy Head. Sunny but hazy, mild. NE 2-3

In very pleasant conditions we covered most of the sites on the Head:

Sparrowhawk 1 which caught a Starling near Belle Tout.

Kestrel 1

Stock Dove 49 S to SE.

Woodpigeon 410 S

Skylark 100 in rough field.

Meadow Pipit 7 E

Black Redstart 1 at Birling

Stonechat 1

Redwing 1

Song Thrush 1

Chiffchaff 3

Goldcrest 1

Goldfinch 100 E

Redpoll 1 W

Red Admiral 1

Fox 1

Three Chiffchaffs seen today

Black Redstart taken in the early morning light.

Common Toadflax still fully out in the rough field.

14th November, 2011 Beachy Head Low cloud with mist and cold. SE 3

RDME visited the Head this morning but with low cloud and mist virtually no diurnal migration was seen. Covered the Birling Gap to Belle Tout but the rest of the area was in the mist:

Stonechat 1

Black Redstart 1 up the lane at Birling.

Chiffchaff 1

Goldcrest 3

Tree Creeper 1

Goldfinch 40 E.

13th November, 2011. Beachy Head. Fine, sunny & mild. ENE 3-4

In fine sunny conditions, we covered the sites from Birling to Shooters Bottom. Diurnal migration was good especially Pigeons and also several late migrants were recorded:

Little Egret 3 off Birling

Grey-lags 2 high E off Birling.

Peregrine 2

Golden Plover 2

Stock Dove 206 chiefly S.

Woodpigeon Approx. 6,300 mainly S.

Short Eared Owl 1 Birling area.

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Skylark 100

Swallow 2 W

Pied Wagtail 5 E

Black Redstart 1

Stonechat 3

Wheatear 1

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 4

Goldcrest 3

Treecreeper 1

Starling 450

Chaffinch 17 E

Goldfinch 500 E

Siskin 4 E

Linnet 50 E

Lesser Redpoll 22E & 8 W

Reed Bunting 2 E

Snow Bunting 1 in rough field

Red Admiral 3

About 6,300 Woodpigeons were on the move today.

Over 200 Stock Doves moved South today over the Head.

Snow Bunting over the rough field.

Skylark over Birling

Three Little Egrets off Birling

Two Grey-lags moving East off Birling, may have been

genuine migrants

Surely our last Wheatear and Swallows of the year.

Adult Goldfinch - 500 moved East today.

Treecreeper in Belle Tout wood.

Great Black Back Gulls on the beach at Birling.

3rd winter Lesser Black Back Gull over Birling

Blackberries in blossom in mid-November!!

12th November, 2011 Beachy Head. Dull & Overcast mild. E 1

We only had under 3 hours on the Head today and covered Birling Gap lane, Belle Tout wood & the Hotel Garden. RDME SM & PF were ringing in Whitbread Hollow and this will be their last day of ringing this year. The following are our combined totals with birds ringed in brackets:

Little Egret 1

Sparrowhawk 2

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 3

Woodpigeon 70 S

Tawny Owl 4

Wren 9 (2)

Robin 26 (4)

Blackbird 37 (11)

Fieldfare 1

Song Thrush 1

Chiffchaff 10 (3) Small late arrival.

Goldcrest 10 (2)

Starling 120 W

Goldfinch 150 E

Siskin 6 W

Lesser Redpoll 100 (77)

Bullfinch 2 (1)

Ten Chiffchaffs arrived on the Head today.

Scandinavian Chiffchaff P. collybita abietinus at Birling Gap

With its insipid toned upperparts, lack of yellow to its underparts, subdued supercilium and somewhat overall tristis-like appearance surely as good as this form gets!

Tawny Owl again showing in Belle Tout wood