2011: Spring Recorded from 1/4 (2). 17/4 13 arrived in off the sea with 7 arrived the next day. 25/4 30 were present in the area.
Breeding Season: Several pairs breeding around the Farms with 3 pairs at Hodcombe.
Autumn: Main movements: 1/9 1,000 E, 16/9 500 E, 19/9 1,000 mainly W, 25/9 500 E. Last seen 19/11 1 E, & 20/11 1 E over Birling. . Per B.H.Log.
(It is quite depressing when you compare the Autumn passage so far this century with the numbers logged back in the 1960's & 70's. The last big movement logged was in the year 2000 with 10,000 on the 10/9. Back in the early 1970's numbers estimated were far higher with 35,000 estimated on the 14/9/74, and in 1971, 55,000 were logged on both the 13/9 & 14/9. Mid-September has always been the height of the Autumn passage, although with the sheer numbers of birds being seen on some days, estimation is frequently quite crude).
RED RUMPED SWALLOW
2011: 30/4 1 around Hodcombe RHC 13/5 2 around Hodcombe RHC. Per B.H.Log
(Eleven records of 12 birds for Beachy Head, since 1960, and our first record of 2 together)
RED RUMPED SWALLOW
2011: 30/4 1 around Hodcombe RHC 13/5 2 around Hodcombe RHC. Per B.H.Log
(Eleven records of 12 birds for Beachy Head, since 1960, and our first record of 2 together)
HOUSE MARTIN
2011: Spring: Recorded on 6 dates from the 10/4 1 until 4/6 (3 arriving in off the sea).
None were recorded breeding around the Birling Gap Hotel this year.
Autumn: Recorded from 31/7 (1) to 5/11 (2). Passage was poor with our maximum days: 31/8 500 (197 trapped), 19/9 2,000 W, 1/10 300.
(This autumn had extremely poor numbers and probably our poorest autumn to date. If you compare this autumn passage to 1987, when an estimated 45,000 moved East on the 16/9 with 10.000 East on the 26/9, with a further 20,000 East on the following day).
SAND MARTIN
2011: Spring: Recorded on just 3 dates: 9/4 (1), 10/4 3, & 21/4 (1 in off the sea).
Autumn: Recorded from 2/7 (1) to 9/10 (2-3). Main movements: 13/7 40 E, 14/8 250+, 29/8 100, 1/9 80+ E. . Per B.H.Log.
(Sand Martins at Beachy are never as numerous as the previous two species of hirundines and with an earlier Autumn passage this species is often one of the first species to be seen moving in the Autumn. Numbers sometimes in the thousands have been recorded in past years with 7,000 on the 29/8/1963 was probably our best passage day).
