29 June 2013 Beachy Head Overcast with sunny periods but cool in the NW 3-4 wind

We covered a number of the sites on the Head including the Cliff Path. Impressive Swift passage W otherwise quiet.

Common Scoter 8 on the sea
Peregrine 1
Swift 1,320 W during the morning - Our largest daily movement since 2004.
Stonechat 4 including a second juv. for the year.
Common Whitethroat 12
Raven 7 (Family party of 5 and a pair)

Small Tortoiseshell 1
Common Blue 3
Speckled Wood 3
Large Skipper 7

Pyramidal Orchid several coming out in flower

Good passage W of Swifts this morning

Common Whitethroat near Birling

Male Stonechat - Only 4 pairs breeding this year compared with

12 pairs in the 1960's.

Raven - Family party of 5 seen today plus 1 other pair.

Adult Raven in wing moult.

 Pyramidal Orchid - Just coming into flower.

Common Spotted Orchid

Bee Orchid

Cream-spot Tiger Moth at Birling

25 June 2013 Beachy Head Fine and sunny NE 2

We visited the Head and covered all the usual sites and nice to see some butterflies on the wing.

Common Scoter 105 on the sea
Peregrine 1
Collared Dove 2 W over Birling
Swift 3
Stonechat 3 including 1 juv.
Common Whitethroat Just 8 seen on the Head.
Starling 100 virtually all juvs.
Goldfinch 4
Linnet 15
Corn Bunting 7

Common Blue 10
Adonis Blue 1 very worn near B/T wood
Small Heath 5
Speckled Wood 1
Large Skipper 2
Dingy Skipper 1

Bee Orchid 15 of the normal variety
Common Spotted Orchid 1

Fox 1

Beachy looking towards Seaford Head

Nice crop of Poppies in the rough field.

Part of the Common Scoter flock

Corn Buntings - 7 were seen today.

Male Linnet another breeding specie which is in decline at Beachy

Green Woodpecker - just a single pair on the Head.

A worn Dingy Skipper

Male Common Blue

A very worn Adonis Blue

Large Skipper

 

Bee Orchids - 16 were found today of the normal variety.

Silver Y moth.

15 June 2013 Beachy Head Fine and clear but cold. SW 6+

With a strong SW wind we decided to perform a sea-watch and joined RHC between 07.00-09.00. Owing to the strong wind the only site covered was Belle Tout wood and just 1 Song Thrush singing here.

Fulmar very few probably no more than 5 different birds.
Gannet c35 E
Common Scoter 107 E
Whimbrel 1 W
Arctic Skua 3 E
Mediterranean Gull 3 E (including 1x1st S)
Kittiwake c50+E
Sandwich Tern 10 E
Auk Sp. 9 E ( Razorbills & 2 Guillemots i/d)

11 June 2013 Beachy Head Overcast cool light drizzle and mist E to S 1-2

We met up with RDME at Birling who was birding the sites on the Head and he also visited Whitbread Hollow/Cow Gap area. We performed a short sea-watch of about 20 minutes before covering the Headland sites and also checked the rough field in case the Short-eared Owl was still present.
The Silent Spring, unfortunately has now continued into the summer. There appeared to be very few breeding birds present with only a few Whitethroats and Linnets seen. Birling Gap and Belle Tout area were almost birdless with just the odd Whitethroat and Chaffinch singing:

Common Scoter 15 E
Kestrel 1
Tawny Owl 1
Stonechat 3-4 pairs
Reed Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat 15-20
Garden Warbler 2
Blackcap 3
Chiffchaff 1
Jay 1
Linnet 12
Corn Bunting 2

Wall butterfly 1
Weasel 1
Roe Deer 1

8 June 2013 Beachy Head Fine and sunny but with a strong NE wind

RKH and RES visited a number of sites on the Headland but the only migrants seen were 10 Swifts arriving in off the sea. They spent some time by the side of Belle Tout wood which was sheltered and proved productive for insects and they recorded the following:

Hairy Dragonfly 1
Variable Damselfly 1
Azure Dameslfly 1
Wall Butterfly 4
Green Hairstreak 1

Late news from Paul Forsdick of a Short-eared Owl seen on a fence post near Birling Gap on the 31st May and the 3rd June. (Our first June record although we have had a number of records in May).

Male Hairy Dragonfly (taken by Roger Haggar)

Male Variable Damselfly (taken by Roger Haggar)

Species of Gelechioid moth - Alabonia geoffrella (taken by Roger Haggar)

Hoverfly bee-mimic Merodon equestris (taken by Roger Haggar)

6 June 2013 Beachy Head Fine and sunny but will a cool NNE 4-5 wind

Arrived at Birling to a stiff cold NNE wind. After walking the lane we decided to go into Whitbread Hollow to escape the wind and we also covered Cow Gap and the Gully. We returned to the Headland and birded the Hotel Garden, Old Trapping Area and Belle Tout wood. Very quiet on the bird front with a Spotted Flycatcher and 3 Swifts in off the sea were the only migrants recorded. Very few butterflies seen, although our first Common Blues and Green Hairstreaks for the year.

Common Blue in Cow Gap

Green Hairstreak at Belle Tout

Hoverfly bee mimic called Volucella bombylans.

2 & 3 June, 2013 Beachy Head Fine sunny but with a cool NE 2-3

On the 2nd both RJF & RKH birded most of the usual sites on the Headland including the Cliff Path. After the arrival of Spotted Flycatchers and small numbers of other night migrants on the 1st, it was back to normal with only a thin scattering of migrants:

Common Scoter 20 E
Swallow 12
House Martin 12
Yellow Wagtail 1
Wheatear 1
Jay 5
Corn Bunting 2

We visited the Head on the 3rd and covered all the usual sites. Extremely quite and the only true migrant seen was a Hobby which appeared to come in over Shooters Bottom and then flew off high N until out of sight.

Kestrel 1
Hobby 1 N
Peregrine 2
Sandwich Tern 2 E
Commic Tern 9 E
Swallow 10
Rock Pipit 1 collecting food
Common Whitethroat 10

Small Heath 1
Wall 1

Peregrine over Belle Tout wood

Jay near the Old Trapping Area on the 2nd. (Taken by Richard Fairbank)

Lady Orchid - very rare in Sussex and in flower near Shooters Bottom

Hoverfly - Xanthogramma citrofasciatum taken on the 2nd by

Roger Haggar at Belle Tout. This hoverfly is classified as scarce

 with only a few records in our patch according to the distribution map.

1 June 2013 Beachy Head Sunny but cool N 2-3

We covered virtually all the Headland sites including the Rides and also met up with RK, RKH & RES. We also called in to Hodcombe and saw Roger & Liz. A good arrival of Spotted Flycatchers and also  2 Red Kites 

Grey Heron 1 E off the Hollow

Red Kite 2 high over the Top Fields

Kestrel 2

Collared Dove 2

Turtle Dove 1 at Birling (our first for the year).

Swift 2

Swallow 20

House Martin 9

Sedge Warbler 1 singing

Reed Warbler 5 singing

Common Whitethroat 10

Blackcap 2

Garden Warbler 1

Chiffchaff 2

Spotted Flycatcher 27 (This Spring so far, we have recorded 56 Spotted Flycatchers compared to just 40 Willow Warblers).

Goldfinch 30

Corn Bunting 3

Red Admiral 1

Wall 2

Small Heath 3

Dingy Skipper 2

Grizzled Skipper 1

 

Two of today's 27 Spotted Flycatchers seen on the Headland.

Grizzled Skipper near Belle Tout

Crab Spider at Belle Tout.