24 August 2012 Beachy Head

Bob went ringing in Whitbread Hollow this morning and a small fall of migrants with birds ringed in brackets.

Met Office view

Low pressure is centred to the west of southern Ireland with a cold front stretching many hundreds of km southwest into the mid-Atlantic. An upper warm front lies across northern Scotland and an upper occlusion lies across western areas of the UK.

Tawny Owl 1
Tree Pipit 1 (1)
Song Thrush 2 (2)
Grasshopper Warbler 1 (1)
Reed Warbler 7 (7)
Lesser Whitethroat 3 (3)
Common Whitethroat 20 (9)
Garden Warbler 6 (6)
Blackcap 10 (6)
Chiffchaff 4 (2)
Willow Warbler 40 (32)

Common Blue 6
Meadow Brown 25
Red Admiral 1

23 August 2012 Beachy Head Sunny periods cool at first SW 1-2

Much cooler start to the day with small numbers of night migrants were well scattered all over the area.

We covered all the sites on the Headland from Birling to Icky Ridge. PN also covered most of the sites and kindly sent me his totals. Met up with RB in  Shooters Bottom who also provided me with his sightings and a number of birders were raptor watching, and their sightings are also included in the totals. RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow and the birds ringed are included in brackets. Small numbers of hirundines were present with 3 Swifts but otherwise diurnal migration was minimal.

Met Office view

A ridge of high pressure extending from the Azores lies through the English Channel and will amplify across the south of the UK. Low pressure in the Atlantic will track east and deepen to affect all parts this weekend bringing rain and strong winds.

Marsh Harrier 1 over the Top Fields
Sparrowhawk 3-4
Common Buzzard 3 soaring over the Top Fields
Osprey 1 departed S out to sea @ 11.10
Hobby 1
Peregrine 1
Swift 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1-2
Sand Martin 20 W
Swallow c50
Nightingale 1 Shooters Bottom
Common Redstart 2
Wheatear 1
Sedge Warbler 1 (1)
Reed Warbler 3 (1)
Lesser Whitethroat 6 (1)
Common Whitethroat 80 (22)
Garden Warbler 8 (7)
Blackcap 16 (7)
Willow Warbler 85 (29)
Spotted Flycatcher 3
Starling 1,000 in the Top Fields
Bullfinch 1

Small Tortoiseshell 4
Common Blue 50
Chalk Hill Blue 40
Small Copper 1
Comma 1
Red Admiral 15
Speckled Wood 4

Sparrowhawk at Birling

 Some of today's Willow Warblers at Birling

First for the blog

15 Red Admirals seen today

Good numbers of Common Blues present

21 August 2012 Beachy Head Cloudy & humid Wind SW 0-1

Arrived at Birling in cloudy humid conditions and completely calm. Felt ideal conditions for a fall of migrants but after walking the lane at Birling it was virtually birdless. We then covered all the areas on the Head and just small numbers of night migrants were found. We also walked the rough field and also The Rides (no sign of the Melodious Warbler). Met up with various birders included RKH, RES & PN who were also birding the Headland. Bob was ringing and birding in Whitbread Hollow and like us had only a few new migrants. Other than a few hirundines, there was no sign of any diurnal migration although 5 Tree Pipits had been grounded. Birds ringed are included in brackets.

Met Office view

Low pressure is centred to the south of Iceland, with an associated occlusion just to the west of Ireland. High pressure lies over northeast Europe. Near the bottom of the chart is marked the system that passed over the Azores yesterday as Hurricane Gordon.

Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1
Sand Martin 2
Swallow 35
Tree Pipit 5
Common Redstart 2
Wheatear 2
Sedge Warbler 1 (1)
Reed Warbler 1
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Common Whitethroat 35 (3)
Garden Warbler 1
Blackcap 13 (3)
Chiffchaff 7 (2)
Willow Warbler 58 (7)
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Raven 2
Goldfinch 50

Red Admiral 6

Banded Snail hundreds & hundreds and probably thousands in the rough field.

Kestrel near Birling

 Tree Pipit in the Rides

 

 

 

 

Common Redstart in the Old Trapping Area

Autumn Ladies Tresses at Birling

Small Tortoiseshell 1 of 12 seen on the 18th.

Adult Female Greater Spotted Woodpecker trapped in Whitbread

Hollow on the 20th. (pictures taken by Bob Edgar)

20 August 2012 Beachy Head Overcast, cool with sea fog SW 1-2

Arrived at Birling in cool misty conditions. No sign of any new arrivals of night migrants around Birling with mainly left-overs from yesterday and the misty conditions prevailing prevented any diurnal migration. We covered the area around Birling and were joined by PN. With an improvement in the visibility, we decided to visit The Rides to try to see yesterdays Melodious. With the aid of tape play-back we had the good fortune to attract out the Melodious and the three of us all obtained some good views over the next 15 minutes before the mist returned and the Melodious was lost to view. We then returned to other sites on the Headland and were joined by Geoff & Mick. We all then tried our luck again for the Melodious but with no luck. We also met up with RHC who like us felt there had not been any new arrivals in Hodcombe this morning but just a few left-overs. RDME was ringing and birding in Whitbread Hollow and the birds ringed are included in brackets.

Met Office view

Low pressure remains almost stationary to the northwest of Ireland, with an occlusion wrapped around its centre. Troughs revolving around it indicate concentrations of showers. The decaying cold front across central UK and extending southwest across the Bay of Biscay marks the dividing line between warm air to the south and cooler air to the north:

Fulmar 1
Peregrine 1
Lesser Black Back Gull 25 of the race graellsii resting in a field before flying out to sea.
Tawny Owl 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 (1 ad. female)
Swallow 35
Yellow Wagtail 1
Sedge Warbler 3
Reed Warbler 2 (2)
Melodious Warbler 1 still present in the Rides
Lesser Whitethroat 3 (1)
Common Whitethroat 35 (8)
Blackcap 4
Chiffchaff 4 (1)
Willow Warbler 60 (5)
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Raven 2

Sedge Warblers at Birling

Spotted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area

Further Pictures taken on the 18th August

Chiffchaff at Birling

Whinchat in the Hotel Garden

 

 

Osprey which headed out to Sea

19th August 2012 Beachy E2 Clear

For the second time in as many weeks a front straddling the UK prompted a fall of Willow Warblers enjoyed by the early risers as many Willow Warblers were seen quickly heading inland soon after dawn. The top was again well-covered including the Cliff Path and the rides above Whitbread Hollow with PN & MN and RHC kindly supplying numbers of migrants and Bob, Sarah and Jake were ringing in Whitbread Hollow. Birds ringed in brackets. Pied Flycatchers made a good showing but the best was saved to last in the form of an elusive Melodious Warbler found late in the afternoon.

Low pressure remains west of Ireland, with a series of showery troughs moving northwards across western parts of the UK in the flow. A waving front lies north-south across England marking the dividing line between the hot, humid air in the southeast and the fresher air to the north and west.

Peregrine 2
Hobby 1
Tawny Owl 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 3
Swift 17
Swallow c.95
House Martin 50
Sand Martin 12W
Yellow Wagtail 15W
Tree Pipit 3
Wheatear 3
Whinchat 2
Redstart 4
Reed Warbler 5 (4)
Sedge Warbler 3
Whitethroat 320 (40)
Lesser Whitethroat 4
Garden Warbler 11 (11)
Blackcap 16 (6)
Grasshopper Warbler 1
Melodious Warbler 1 ex. very briefly at 3.45pm and again at 4.45pm but no further sign by 6pm
Willow Warbler 300 (30)
Chiffchaff 3 (2)
Pied Flycatcher 13
Spotted Flycatcher 5
Long-tailed Tit c.6
Crossbill 1 juv. S over rides
Bullfinch 1

Southern Hawker 1
Rush Veneer Moth 1
Dingy Footman 1
Autumn Ladies Tresses c.60

Pied Flycatcher at Birling

Chiffchaff at Birling

Willow Warblers at Birling

Pied Flycatcher at Birling

Holly Blue at Birling

Pied Flycatcher at Belle Tout

Pied Flycatcher trapped and ringed in Whitbread Hollow (pictures by Jake Everitt)

Swarm of insects at the Old Trapping Area

Emperor at Icky Ridge

Melodious Warbler above Whitbread Hollow