25 September 2012 Beachy Head Overcast with blustery showers SW 8

Decided to go to Birling to do a sea-watch from 07.05-08.35 and were joined by Chris Ball. We also visited Hodcombe and Belle Tout wood but other areas were blown out with the gale force wind.


Met Office view
The weather system affecting the UK has two low pressure centres, one in the North Sea and the other near the North Yorkshire coast. The isobar pattern is very tightly packed over eastern Scotland, where severe gales have been reported. Rain along the many fronts and troughs has been very heavy and persistent in places.

Red Throated Diver 1 E
Fulmar 1
Manx Shearwater 1 E
Gannet 75 E
Brent Goose 1 W
Common Scoter 6 E & 2 W
Merlin 1 probable E out to sea
Arctic Skua 1 juv. E
Common Tern 2 E
Arctic Tern 1 E
Auk Sp. 2 E

Migrant Hawker 2
Common Darter 6

22 September 2012 Beachy Head Fine and sunny cool at first becoming warm N2-3

Fine & sunny on arrival with a cool N breeze. Small arrival of night migrants but no real evidence of any continental birds involved. Hirundines especially House Martins were moving W but otherwise little diurnal migration logged. Several Sparrowhawks were seen and a Merlin.

We met up with JK and RJF at Birling and covered virtually all the sites on the Head. Also saw PN, MN and RK at Belle Tout wood. 

Met Office view

A cold front lies through the English Channel, with high pressure over the UK to the north of it. Two areas of low pressure are approaching the UK, one currently between Iceland and Greenland and the other presently lying west of Portugal. Further west still, high pressure dominates the weather in the north Atlantic.

Sparrowhawk 3-4

Kestrel 2

Merlin 1

Golden Plover 1 over the Top Fields

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Sand Martin 8

Swallow c100+

House Martin c1,000 ( 600 W)

Alba Wagtail 2 W

Meadow Pipit c40N

Wheatear 2

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 10

Blackcap 12

Chiffchaff 25

Willow Warbler 2

Goldcrest 2

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Jay 1 flying over the Top Fields

Raven 2

Goldfinch 30

Siskin 2 W + 7 heard

Red Admiral 3

Small White 25

Meadow Brown 15+

Speckled Wood 7

Migrant Hawker 3

Grey Squirrel 1 in the Hotel Garden

Wheatear at Belle Tout

Spotted Flycatcher at Belle Tout wood

Jay over the Top Fields

Female Migrant Hawker at Belle Tout wood

21 September 2012 Beachy Head Cloudy 3/8-7/8 NW light

Bob and Sarah went ringing in Whitbread Hollow and again good numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps but otherwise very little variety. Reasonable numbers of hirundines were seen in the Hollow. Birds ringed are shown in brackets.

Tawny Owl 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Swallow c100
House Martin c800
Song Thrush 4 (4)
Garden Warbler 1 (1)
Blackcap 125 (54)
Chiffchaff 125 (48)
Goldcrest 5 (3)

Red Admiral 2
Comma 1

20 September 2012 Beachy Head Overcast with sunny periods, mild NW-W 1

Another calm morning, but very little diurnal passage taking place. Good numbers of both Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were seen on the Headland although distribution was patchy but very few other migrants were seen. RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow and like us mainly had Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs with little variety. Birds ringed are shown in brackets. We covered most of the areas on the Headland with PN and briefly saw GG at The Old Trapping Area.

Met Office view

Much of the UK will be cloudy today, as a warm front bearing rain moves in from the Atlantic. Northern Scotland should stay in the colder air ahead of this front, with further sunshine and showers likely. Meanwhile, southern Britain should also be drier, under the influence of high pressure to the south.

Kestrel 2
Oystercatcher 24
Tawny Owl 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Sand Martin 1
Swallow 150
House Martin 200
Meadow Pipit 300
Lesser Whitethroat 1 (1)
Common Whitethroat 10 (1)
Blackcap 285 (79)
Chiffchaff 150 (46)
Willow Warbler 2 (2)
Goldcrest 2
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Goldfinch 25

 

Goldcrest in The Old Trapping Area

 

 Migrant Wrens are just beginning to appear at Beachy

19 September 2012 Beachy Head Fine sunny, cool at first becoming warm NW1 - 2

Small numbers of night migrants present on the Headland chiefly in the Birling area with the Hotel Garden and The Old Trapping area being virtually birdless. An early morning passage of House Martins W but otherwise little diurnal migration was taking place. After the initial movement, House Martins were seen in fair numbers feeding over the cliffs. A good size flock of Meadow Pipits were present at Cornish Farm.

We covered all the sites on the Headland including walking the rough field and briefly met up with RKH at the Old Trapping Area. Both PN & RES were also birding the Headland.

Met Office view
The UK lies in northwesterly flow, with air descending from polar regions to give a chilly dawn period for many. Much of the UK will see fewer showers today as an area of high pressure gradually builds to the southwest.

Common Buzzard 2
Sparrowhawk 3-4
Kestrel 1
Hobby 1
Peregrine 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Sand Martin 6
Swallow 150
House Martin 500 (250 W)
Meadow Pipit 420 (20 W & 400 Cornish Farm fields)
Common Redstart 1
Whinchat 1
Wheatear 6
Song Thrush 2
Grasshopper Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat 4
Blackcap 22
Chiffchaff 27
Willow Warbler 2
Goldcrest 1
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Raven 1
Siskin 2

Hummingbird Hawk Moth 1
Migrant Hawker 1

Juvenile male Great Spotted Woodpecker at Birling

Spotted Flycatcher at Birling

Common Whitethroat - Just 4 seen today

1stW male type Common Redstart in Shooters Bottom

Chiffchaff at Birling

Four Wheatears were seen today

16 September 2012 Beachy Head Overcast but dry W 3-4

Arrived at Birling to a dull overcast day but quite windy which made birding difficult. Generally very few migrants present on the Headland although Meadow Pipits were seen in good numbers. Virtually no diurnal migration was recorded apart for 115 Meadow Pipits W. The BHRG were ringing in Whitbread Hollow and had excellent numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps but otherwise just small numbers of other migrants. We met up with JK & RJF at Birling and covered most of the Headland sites and also briefly met up with RES and RKH. Birds ringed are shown in brackets.

Met Office view
High pressure across much of western Europe at the moment, as well as very few isobars, indicates settled weather with very light winds. Northern parts of the UK however, as well as Scandinavia, have closely spaced isobars, indicating strong winds here. A weather front to the north of Scotland is a band of cloud and rain, which will move southwards across the UK today.

Sparrowhawk 1
Common Buzzard 1
Tawny Owl 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Sand Martin 7
Swallow 70
House Martin 30
Tree Pipit 1
Meadow Pipit c400 (115 W)
Yellow Wagtail 1 W
Robin 15
Song Thrush 5 (3)
Whinchat 1
Wheatear 3
Common Whitethroat 5 (3)
Blackcap 350 (148)
Chiffchaff 313 (103)
Goldcrest 2 (1)
Spotted Flycatcher 1 (1)
Long Tailed Tit 3
Raven 2

Red Admiral 15
Comma 3
Grey Squirrel 1 on the old Belle Tout lighthouse.

Goldcrest trapped and ringed in Whitbread Hollow (taken by Jake Everitt)

Spotted Flycatcher trapped and ringed in Whitbread Hollow (taken by Jake Everitt)

15 September 2012 Beachy Head Fine sunny & warm W to S 1-3

Another fine clear day, with only small numbers of warblers present although the first good arrival of Meadow Pipits of the Autumn and still a large flock of around 300 Yellow Wagtails still present. Early morning saw some diurnal migration at long last, with House Martins being the most prominent and I counted 400 moving W along the cliff edge in about 10 minutes. We met up with JK at Birling and covered all the Headland sites, RKH, RES, RK, PN & MN were also covering the Head and kindly gave me their records and GG was raptor watching.

Sparrowhawk 3

Common Buzzard 5 soaring over the Top Fields

Kestrel 2

Merlin 1

Peregrine 2

Great Spotted Woodpecker 6+ (including a party of 5).

Sand Martin 8

Swallow 150+

House Martin c1,000+ (400 W along cliff edge in about 10 minutes).

Tree Pipit 8

Meadow Pipit 135

Yellow Wagtail 320 (20 W & flock of c300 at Cornish Farm).

Grey Wagtail 4 W

Whinchat 2

Wheatear 5

Sedge Warbler 2

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 12

Garden Warbler 2

Blackcap 6

Chiffchaff 20

Willow Warbler 5

Goldcrest 1

Spotted Flycatcher 3

Siskin 2 W (Our first for the Autumn)

Linnet 50

Corn Bunting 8

Raven 1

Migrant Hawker 4

Stoat 1

Banded Snail-Still hundreds in rough field.

Banded Snail - Hundreds are still present in the rough field

Male Migrant Hawker

12 September 2012 Beachy Head Cool at first becoming sunny and fine W 1 increasing to 3

Cool start but then became fine and sunny. We covered all the sites on the Headland briefly meeting up with RK and RDME was trapping in Whitbread Hollow. Reasonable numbers of the common night migrants present but virtually no diurnal migration with only 10 Swallows being seen. Birds ringed are in brackets.

Met Office view

A weak ridge of high pressure covers the southern half of the UK, but low pressure to the west of the UK will bring a series of fronts across the UK today giving rather cloudy and cool conditions for many. Tropical storm Michael has now lost its tropical characteristics so is now a post-tropical depression.

Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1
Tawny Owl 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker up to 6
Swallow 10
Grey Wagtail 3 over the Hollow
Common Redstart 1 male
Whinchat 1
Wheatear 14
Common Whitethroat 40 (9)
Blackcap 100 (29)
Chiffchaff 90 (32)
Willow Warbler 22 (9)
Goldcrest 1
Raven 2

Grey Squirrel in The Old Trapping Area
Migrant Hawker 5

Greater Spotted Woodpecker in Shooters Bottom

 

 

 

 

Chiffchaffs in The Old Trapping Area

 

Common Whitethroat in the Hotel Garden

Kestrel over the Hotel Garden

Female Common Blue at Belle Tout

9 September 2012 Beachy Head Hot sunny all day N 1

Another fine sunny and hot day. A few new arrivals, but generally birding was rather hard-work and after the first couple of hours, very few migrants could be found. Hirundine numbers were poor considering the time of the year, otherwise little diurnal migration was recorded other than numbers of fly-over Yellow Wagtails.  We again covered the Headland sites with JK. We also met up briefly with SL & GG who kindly gave me their sightings and Pete & Mim were also birding on the Headland and covered most sites. The local highlight was a Nuthatch coasting W along the cliff edge (perhaps returning to Corsica - in my dreams) and a Beachy tick for DC and JK.

Met Office view

Low pressure to the west of the UK will bring a weather front across western parts of the UK today, as well as strengthening winds as the day goes on. Warm air from the continent, will spread northwards ahead of the front, bringing the risk of a few showers, but also some very high temperatures in the south and east of the UK. High pressure across much of Europe is bringing dry, settled conditions.

Sparrowhawk 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Swift 1
Sand Martin 12
Swallow 150
House Martin 30
Yellow Wagtail 65 (Chiefly fly-overs)
Grey Wagtail 1
Common Redstart 3
Whinchat 3
Wheatear 35
Sedge Warbler 7
Reed Warbler 2
Lesser Whitethroat 6
Common Whitethroat 35
Blackcap 6
Chiffchaff 1
Willow Warbler 8
Nuthatch 1 flying W over The Old Trapping Area (Our 12th record since 1960, the last was one in Hodcombe in 2011).
Raven 1
Corn Bunting 6

Yellow Wagtails at Belle Tout - A flock of c400 have been seen in the last few days.

Migrant Hawker - good influx at Beachy during this last week

Insects at the Old Trapping Area - where are the Flycatchers when you need them.

8 September 2012 Beachy Head Sunny, cool at first becoming hot Wind W 1

Another hot sunny day after a cool start with a heavy dew. Very similar migrants as to yesterday and probably birds are taking advantage of the abundant berry supply. The large flock of Yellow Wagtails were again seen this time at Cornish Farm and other than some hirundines feeding over the Headland little diurnal migration was logged. We met up with JK and covered virtually all the sites on the Head and PN, MN, RES and SL were also birding the Head. GG was raptor watching and RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow, with the birds ringed are included in brackets.

Met Office view

High pressure is centred close to the coast of Belgium. A weakening warm front lies along the west coast of Scotland, with an area of low pressure centred to the west of Ireland. Of note is the distinct lack of isobars across much of central Europe and northwest Africa, indicating relatively homogenous mean sea level pressure across a wide area.

Little Egret 1 off Birling
Common Scoter 6 E
Sparrowhawk 2
Common Buzzard 3
Hobby 1-2
Peregrine 2
Mediterranean Gull 3 w/p adults E
Tawny Owl 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Sand Martin 12
Swallow 350
House Martin 100
Tree Pipit 1
Yellow Wagtail 400 (35 seen around Belle Tout and a flock of up to 400 present at Cornish Farm).
Common Redstart 3
Wheatear 11
Grasshopper Warbler 2 (1)
Sedge Warbler 1
Reed Warbler 7 (2)
Lesser Whitethroat 8 (2)
Common Whitethroat 80 (12)
Garden Warbler 3 (2)
Blackcap 160 (51)
Chiffchaff 35 (10)
Willow Warbler 7 (1)
Goldcrest 4 (3) Our first for the Autumn.
Raven 3

Comma 1
Red Admiral 7
Hummingbird Hawk Moth 1

 

 

 Grasshopper Warbler showing well at Belle Tout