31 May 2012 Beachy Head Cloud cover 3/8 - 5/8 Wind SW-W 2-3

RDME covered Birling lane and then to B/T old lighthouse and wood and back to Birling, Old Trapping Area, Shooters Bottom, Hotel Garden and Whitbread Hollow:

Red Kite 1 circling over the cliffs & then departed W
Sparrowhawk 1
Swift 56 W
Swallow 16 (11 W)
Lesser Whitethroat 3 singing
Chiffchaff 2 singing
Treecreeper 1 pair with 3 young in B/T wood
Corn Bunting 3-4

29 May 2012 Beachy Head Fine sunny & warm Wind Nil

RDME sea-watched from 06.10-07.10 and then covered Birling lane and around to old lighthouse the wood and back to Birling, Old Trapping Area and Whitbread Hollow:

Gannet 33 E, 12 fishing & 2 W
Common Scoter 10 E
Whimbrel 2 E
Black Headed Gull 10 W
Sandwich Tern 14 E
Commic Tern 4 E
Auk Sp. 2 E
Collared Dove 1
Tawny Owl calling in Whitbread Hollow
Wheatear 1 in song
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Long Tailed Tit 1
Corn Bunting 1

28 May 2012 Beachy Head Fine sunny & warm with sea-mist. Wind 0-1

 We sea-watched from 06.00-07.45 and then covered a number of sites on the Headland:

Gannet 44 E

Brent Goose 6 E

Common Scoter 90 E

Kestrel 1 E over Birling

Sanderling 3 E

Whimbrel 1 E

Arctic Skua 1 d/p E

Sandwich Tern 18 E

Commic Tern 3 E

Corn Bunting 4

Common Whitethroat at Birling 

Female Stonechat collecting nest material for its 2nd brood

Song Thrush at Belle Tout 

Red Admiral at Birling

27 May 2012 Beachy Head Sunny fine & warm E 1-2

We sea-watched from 06.25-08.45. Met up with PN and we then covered all the sites on the Headland apart for Shooters Bottom:

Gannet 60 E

Shelduck 2 W

Common Scoter 8 E

Bonxie 1 E

Mediterranean Gull 1 2ndS E

Little Gull 1 E

Sandwich Tern 13 E

Roseate Tern 1 Ad. E with 15 Commic Terns @ 06.45 (Our first record since 2005)

Commic Tern 121 E

Black Tern 1 E

Auk Sp. 2 E

Guillemot 1 on the sea

Razorbill 2 E

Swift 7

Swallow 12

Corn Bunting 6

Peacock 1

Orange Tip 1 East Dean Road

Wall Brown 2

Common Blue 8

Small Heath 10

Small Copper 1

Dingy Skipper 4

Green Hairstreak 1

Broad Bodied Chaser 1 female

Poppy field with East Dean in the background

David walking the poppy field

Green Hairstreak at Belle Tout

Female Broad Bodied Chaser at the Old Trapping Area

26 May 2012 Beachy Head Fine sunny & clear NE 6-7

We met up with RJF & JK and sea-watched from 06.55-09.25 and AQ also joined us. We then covered most of the sites on the Headland:

Gannet 40 E

Little Egret 1 off Birling

Shelduck 8 E

Garganey 2 (pair E with Shoveler)

Shoveler 20 E

Common Scoter 107 E

Ringed Plover 17 (10 E & 7 flew inland)

Bonxie 1 E

Mediterranean Gull 3 W

Sandwich Tern 16 E

Commic Tern 2 E

Little Tern 3 E

Guillemot 2

Swift 6

Sand Martin 1

Swallow 10

House Martin 12

Small Heath 4

Dingy Skipper 5

Grizzled Skipper 4

Green Hairstreak 1

Beautiful Demoiselle 1 Belle Tout wood (Surely a first for Beachy)

Bottle Nosed Dolphin 2 off Birling

 

Beautiful Demoiselle was a surprised find in Belle Tout wood.

 

Two of today's Grizzled Skippers in Shooters Bottom

Dingy Skipper in Shooters Bottom

23 May, 2012 Beachy Head Fine warm & sunny NE1-SW1-2

We sea-watched from 06.45-07.45 and then covered all the sites on the Headland including the Cliff Path:

Gannet 27 E

Common Scoter 7 E

Whimbrel 1 on beach then E

Sandwich Tern 7 E

Auk Sp. 1 E

Swallow 10

Wheatear 1

Reed Warbler 1 singing

Lesser Whitethroat 2 singing

Common Whitethroat 15

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 4

Willow Warbler 1 (acredula type)

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Corn Bunting 3

Wall Brown 3

Common Blue 2

Small Heath 6

Green Veined White 1

Small White 60

Large White 1

Dingy Skipper 1

Green Hairstreak 2

Red Admiral 1

Fox 2 adults with 3 pups.

Two of the three Fox-cubs at Birling

Meadow Pipit

Star-of-Bethlehem at Shooters Bottom

Green Hairstreak at Shooters Bottom

 Large White

21 May 2012 Beachy Head 8/8 to 3/8 cloud cover cool at first N 3-4

RDME covered virtually all the sites on the Headland and also the Cliff Path & Whitbread Hollow:

Hobby 1 over B/T wood
Peregrine 1
Quail 1 calling again
Swift 10
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 adult in Whitbread Hollow with young calling in the nest.
Sand Martin 1
Wheatear 1 female
Lesser Whitethroat 4 singing
Garden Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 6 singing
Long Tailed Tit 2
Corn Bunting

Dingy Skipper 4
Wall Brown 1

We now have details of the ringed sub-adult Greater Black Back Gull (ring no. JA559)  which was present on the beach at Birling Gap on the 7th April, 2012.
It was ringed at Herreholmen, Lyngdalm, Vest-Agder, Norway (which is the nearest and southern tip of Norway) some 933 km's to the NE, on the 1st July, 2009. There has been no other sightings since it was ringed. For those interested, there is a picture of the bird on this blog on the 7th April.

20 May 2012 Beachy Head Overcast cool N 4-5

We birded around the Birling sites and then the Cliff Path:

Red Kite 1 drifted E over Belle Tout
Sparrowhawk 1
Hobby 2 over Belle Tout
Collared Dove 1
Swift 29
Swallow 12
House Martin 5
Wheatear 1
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Corn Bunting 1

Swift over Birling

Red Kite over Belle Tout

19 May 2012 Beachy Head Overcast becoming sunny SW 3 - 1-2

Met up with RDME and we sea-watched from 05.25-08.30. RDME then walked the lane at Birling and onto Whitbread Hollow. We covered most of the sites on the Headland including the Cliff Path and The Rides. Met up with SL & MD:

Gannet 102 E

Brent Goose 12 E

Shelduck 2 E

Eider 1 drake E

Common Scoter 100 E

Velvet Scoter 1 E

Red Breasted Merganser 1 E

Honey Buzzard 1 high N over Top Fields @ 10.15 to 10.20

Sanderling 3 E

Curlew 2 W

Pomarine Skua 1 E @ 06.22

Arctic Skua 6 E

Bonxie 1 E

Mediterranean Gull 3 W

Little Gull 1 E

Black Headed Gull 6 E

Sandwich Tern 86 E

Commic Tern 249 E

Little Tern 1 E

Black Tern 7 E

Auk Sp. 6 E

Swift 7

Bee-Eater 1 heard calling over Whitbread Hollow @ 10.15

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Rides

Swallow 15

House Martin 1 N

Wheatear 1

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Blackcap 2

Chiffchaff 4

Long Tailed Tit 1

Tree Creeper 1

Corn Bunting 1

Wall Brown 6 along Cliff Path

Holly Blue 1

Small Heath 1

Small Copper 1

Dingy Skipper 1

Green Hairstreak 2 Old Trapping Area

Stoat 1

Field Mouse-Ear Good clump in flower along road verge near Old Trapping Area

Field Mouse-Ear near Old Trapping Area

We met up with RDME at Birling and sea-watched from 05.55-08.55. We covered a number of sites on the Head prior to sea-mist rolling in near mid-day. Also saw RES at Belle Tout:

Gannet 147 E

Little Egret 1 flew inland over Birling

Grey Heron 1 flew inland over Birling

Shelduck 2 E

Common Scoter 226 E

Hobby 2 ( 1 in off the sea @ 07.20 & 1 over cliff edge near B/T @ 09.45)

Quail 1 calling (for its 2nd day)

Avocet 1 E @ 06.55

Ringed Plover 1 E

Grey Plover 5 E

Bar Tailed Godwit 4 E

Whimbrel 1 E

Turnstone 1 E

Pomarine Skua 2 (1 @ 06.40 & 1 @ 07.42)

Arctic Skua 2 E

Mediterranean Gull 1 1stS E

Black Headed Gull 14 E

Sandwich Tern 38 E & 4 W

Commic Tern 133 E

Little Tern 1 E

Black Tern 4 E (Our first for the year)

Auk Sp. 5 E

Guillemot 1 E

Swallow 9 (4 in off the sea)

Wheatear 1

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 20

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 4

Tree Creeper 1

Raven 1

Serin 1 male spent 5 minutes at Birling before disappearing, also performed a song display flight.

Corn Bunting 2

 

Corn Bunting near Belle Tout

17 May 2012 Beachy Head Overcast cool SE1-E2-3

We sea-watched from 06.10-07.55 and then covered virtually all the sites on the Headland with the exception of the Cliff Path.

Red Throated Diver 1 E
Gannet 110 E
Shelduck 1 E
Common Scoter 60 E
Sanderling 6 E
Bar Tailed Godwit 20 E
Bonxie 2 E
Sandwich Tern 2 E
Commic Tern 5 E
Auk Sp. 2 E
Quail 1 calling
Swallow 3
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Common Whitethroat 20
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 1
Corn Bunting 1

Swallow on Belle Tout lighthouse wall

15 May 2012 Beachy Head Bright at first then 3/8 cloud cold W3-SW4

RDME covered Birling lane onto Belle Tout lighthouse and scrub then to Belle Tout wood, Shooters Bottom  &,Old Trapping Area:

Swallow 13

Stonechat 5

Wheatear 5

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Chiffchaff 1

Spotted Flycatcher 2

The following pictures were taken at Belle Tout on the 13 May by Roger Haggar

Holly Blue 

Green Hairstreak 

Male Orange Tip

Hairy-footed Flower Bee

13 May 2012 Beachy Head Sunny Clear Wind 0 - SW2

In fine calm conditions very few new migrants seen after covering most of the usual sites:

Sparrowhawk 1

Whimbrel 8 came in over Birling and headed inland.

Collared Dove 6 W

Swallow 10

House Martin 1

Alba Wagtail 1 in off the sea

Stonechat (first young seen out of the nest).

Wheatear 2

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 30

Blackcap 2

Chiffchaff 3

Painted Lady 1(first for the year)

View to Seaford Head from Birling

Not what we wanted to find, sat on top of a gorse bush at Birling

Lesser Whitethroat at Belle Tout

Swallow at Belle Tout

 

Chiffchaff at the Old Trapping Area

 Whimbrels coming in over Birling and flying inland

Blackbird still in the Hotel Garden

 

Male Linnet near Birling

 

Puff Ball near Birling

Painted Lady at Belle Tout