31st May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny periods N3 decreasing to 2

We covered all the usual sites on the Headland. At 07.15 an impressive arrival of between 300-500 Swifts at Birling, with numbers out to sea, over the cliffs and above the bungalows, also looking towards the Belle Tout lighthouse Swifts were coming in over there as well. Many coasted west along the cliffs and by 07.30 just a few lingering birds were left. Otherwise the area was quiet although a Hobby flew out of the edge of Belle Tout wood. Two Roe Deer were a surprise with only a couple of previous records during the last 50 years or so.

Kestrel 1
Hobby 1 Belle Tout wood
Peregrine 1
Swift Between 300-500 arrived in at Birling @ 07.15
Swallow 9
Common Whitethroat 10
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 2
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Goldfinch 5

Roe Deer 2

 

Spotted Flycatcher at Birling

Roe Deer near Cornish Farm

Chiffchaff in the Old Trapping Area.

Common Carder Bumblebee Bombus pascuorum in the Hotel Garden

29 May 2013 Beachy Head Fine warm and clear W 1

Covered virtually all the usual birding sites on the Headland and met up with RDME who had also covered the Whitbread Hollow area. Just a thin scattering of night migrants but the most unusual event was 7 Mute Swans moving E out to sea off Birling.

Grey Heron 2
Mute Swan 7 E off Birling
Common Scoter 40 E
Peregrine 1
Curlew 1
Commic Tern 20 E
Swift 1
Great spotted Woodpecker 1
Swallow 9
Rock Pipit 1
Song Thrush 1
Reed Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat c20
Garden Warbler 3
Blackcap 7
Chiffchaff 4
Willow Warbler 1
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Jay 1
Bullfinch 1 pair
Corn Bunting 1

 

 Seven Mute Swans moving E off Birling

 

Chiffchaff at Birling

27 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny clear becoming warm W-SW 2-3

As the wind had veered back towards the SW, we decided to sea-watch for an hour from 07.00-08.00 and a small movement was logged including 2 Black Terns. We then covered most of the sites on the Headland meeting up with several local birders, but the area seemed very quiet and most of the warblers recorded were probably breeding birds. Still small parties of Jays passing through the area.

Red-throated Diver 1 E
Black-throated Diver 1 E
Gannet 14 E
Shag 1 ad. W
Common Scoter 53 E & 10 W
Peregrine 2
Bonxie 1 E
Mediterranean Gull 2 ad's E
Sandwich Tern 22 E
Commic Tern 45 E
Black Tern 2 E
Auk Sp. 13 E
Swallow 15 (9 in off the sea)
Wheatear 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Common Whitethroat c30
Garden Warbler 3
Chiffchaff 5
Spotted Flycatcher 3
Jay 13+
Corn Bunting 1

Wall Butterfly 2
Small Heath 1
Dingy Skipper 1
Grizzled Skipper 1

At last, it must be summer

Fulmars off Birling

Meadow Pipit collecting food.

Wall on a wall

Dingy Skipper

 Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis taken by Roger Haggar.

Sawfly - Arge cyanocrocea taken by Roger Haggar

Hi Roger, did you see the Osprey going over ??

26 May 2013 Beachy Head Fine sunny and clear. N 2-3

A better day today for both birds and weather. We met up with PN at Birling and covered all the Headland sites meeting RKH and RES at Belle Tout. Small fall of night migrants with the best being 10 Spotted Flycatchers and an Osprey moving NE.

Common Buzzard 1 very high over the Top fields.

Osprey 1 NE @ 10.25

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 2

Collared Dove 2

Cuckoo 1 male

Whinchat 1 female

Wheatear 1

Song Thrush 1

Sedge Warbler 1 singing Chat Vale

Reed Warbler 3

Spotted Flycatcher 10

Jay 13 (6 W over Birling and 7 over Belle Tout)

Raven 3

Corn Bunting 1

Orange Tip 1

Wall 1 on the 25th

Small Heath 1

Green-veined White 2

Grizzled Skipper 2

Small White 4

Osprey heading NE over Shooters Bottom

 

Thirteen Jays seen today on the Head.

Wheatear at Belle Tout

Ten Spotted Flycatchers seen today with 7 at Birling.

Song Thrush at Belle Tout

Green-veined White - a Blog tick!!

Grizzled Skipper

Small Heath - nice to see some butterflies today.

 

Mystery picture 

25 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny and clear but cool becoming warm. N 4 decreasing to 3

Another cold windy early morning. After a walk up the lane seeing virtually nothing, we decided to visit Whitbread Hollow, Cow Gap and the Gully which was at least almost out of the wind and produced our first Sedge Warbler for the year. We then covered most of the usual sites on the Headland, but very little seen. Bob and Sarah also paid a visit to Whitbread Hollow:

Late news for the 23rd, RKH paid a visit to B/T wood and recorded 1 Hobby and 1-2 Spotted Flycatchers, unfortunately a film company was filming on the Head and all the usual car-parks were closed-off.

Common Buzzard 1 high over Whitbread Hollow.
Kestrel 1-2
Peregrine 3
Tawny Owl 1 calling in Whitbread Hollow.
Swift 19
Swallow 10
Sedge Warbler 1
Reed Warbler 1 singing in the Gully
Lesser Whitethroat 2 singing Gully/Cow Gap
Garden Warbler 3
Blackcap 4
Chiffchaff 2
Willow Warbler 1
Long-tailed Tit 1 Gully

Small Copper 3
Early Spider Orchid 20 counted in Cow Gap
Fox 1

Well marked Common Buzzard high over Whitbread Hollow.

 

Adult Peregrine over the Head.

 

Small Copper in Cow Gap

 Early Spider Orchid in the Gully.

22 May 2013 Beachy Head Overcast cool, Variable 1-2

We covered all the sites on the Headland including the Rides, and met up with RDME who had already covered Whitbread Hollow, Cow Gap and the Gully. We also did a short sea-watch from 09.30-10.15. Small arrival of night migrants which included 11 Spotted Flycatchers. DC and BK visited the Old Trapping area during the evening and had a male Cuckoo our first for the Spring.

Common Scoter 3 E & 25 W

Arctic Skua 2 E

Sandwich Tern 2 E & 4 W

Commic Tern 40 E

Auk Sp. 1 E

Collared Dove 1 flew out of B/T wood.

Tawny Owl 1 calling

Cuckoo 1 male near the Old Trapping area.

Great-spotted Woodpecker 1

Swallow 7

Whinchat 1 Cow Gap

Stonechat 7

Song Thrush 3

Reed Warbler 3

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat c38

Garden Warbler 4

Blackcap 7

Chiffchaff 9

Willow Warbler 4 (including 1 Northern race bird).

Spotted Flycatcher 11

Raven 1

Common Whitethroat at Birling

Spotted Flycatcher in Belle Tout wood

 

Spotted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area.

Male cuckoo near the Old Trapping Area.

A normal Willow Warbler in the Old Trapping Area

Doreen looking pleased, after seeing the Spotted Flycatchers.

Belle Tout wood, coming into summer plumage.

Cowslip bank leading up to the wood

 

Bluebells in Belle Tout wood

A good year for Early Purple orchids

 Early Spider Orchid

Chalk Milkwort