30 September 2013 Beachy Head Overcast mild E- SE 2-3

 We covered all the usual sites on the Headland meeting up with a number of Beachy regulars. Good diurnal passage over the first hour with a fall of Chiffchaffs and 4 Ring Ouzels.

Grey Heron 1 E over Birling
Wigeon 20 E
Skylark 3 E
Swallow 300 E
House Martin 20 E
Meadow Pipit 330 E
Grey Wagtail 1 E
Alba Wagtail 33 E
Ring Ouzel 4
Common Whitethroat 4
Blackcap 10
Chiffchaff 50
Raven 1
Linnet 100 E

Grey Heron moving E over Birling.

26 September 2013 Beachy Head Overcast cool NE 3 increasing to 5

With a cool NE wind blowing hopes were high for Eastern migrants but once again Beachy failed to deliver and the area was very quiet even thou a number of Beachy regulars were working the sites on the Headland.

Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1
Curlew 1
Swallow 200
House Martin 40
Meadow Pipit 100 E
Alba Wagtail 5 E
Whinchat 2
Wheatear 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Common Whitethroat 2
Blackcap 6
Chiffchaff 21
Raven 2

 

Whinchat at Birling

25 September 2013 Beachy Head Misty all morning humid NE 1

We arrived to misty conditions. Covered a number of sites on the Headland but area generally quiet. Sun broke through around 9.00 am for about 15 minutes when a party of Chiffchaffs and a few other migrants including a Garden Warbler passed through the Hotel garden but when the mist re-appeared the area again became quiet. After 3.5 hrs. we called it a day. Bob and Sarah were ringing in Whitbread Hollow and although still reasonable numbers of Blackcaps it was generally much quieter than yesterday.

Birds ringed in brackets.

Sparrowhawk 1

Tawny Owl 2

Meadow Pipit 30 E

Yellow Wagtail 1

Wheatear 1

Common Whitethroat 19 (3)

Garden Warbler 1

Blackcap 300 (63)

Chiffchaff 50 (5)

Willow Warbler 1 (1)

Spotted Flycatcher 2

Raven 1

Male Blackcap at Birling - Inserted especially for Bob in case he

hasn't seen enough already!!

Spotted Flycatcher at Birling

Chiffchaff in the Old Trapping Area

 Spotted Flycatcher in the Hotel Garden

Autumn Ladies Tresses - still some out at Birling.

24 September 2013 Beachy Head Fine sunny and warm becoming misty Variable E 1-2

A beautiful calm sunny morning after a drive to Beachy in mist. Covered all the usual sites on the Headland including the fields around Birling Sewage Plant and met up with a number of Beachy regulars. Good numbers of House Martins over the cliffs at Birling during the early morning but otherwise a small fall of Chiffchaffs and our first Firecrest of the Autumn. RDME was trapping in Whitbread Hollow still good numbers of Blackcaps but fewer other migrants but also trapped 2 Firecrests.

Birds ringed in brackets.

Sparrowhawk 2

Tawny Owl 1

Sand Martin 1

Swallow 300

House Martin 700

Meadow Pipit 50

Dunnock 40 (small influx noted)

Whinchat 2

Stonechat 15

Wheatear 2

Sedge Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 3

Common Whitethroat 50 (9)

Blackcap 500 (83)

Chiffchaff 60 (2)

Willow Warbler 1

Firecrest 3 (2) 

Spotted Flycatcher 3

Greenfinch 2 (still very scarce this year)

House Martins gathering over the cliffs at Birling

Chiffchaffs at Birling

Whitethroat at Birling

 

Spotted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area

22 September 2013 Beachy Head Overcast humid and misty. N 0-1

Arrived at Birling in humid misty conditions. We covered all the usual Headland sites and met up with PN at the Old Trapping Area. Generally fewer migrants seen on the Headland than yesterday, but still reasonable numbers of hirundines.

Sand Martin 30

Swallow c1,500 mainly W

House Martin c200

Whinchat 5

Wheatear 1

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 2

Common Whitethroat 35

Chiffchaff 31

Willow Warbler 2

Migrant Hawker 3

 

Reed Warbler at Birling - looking quite drab but taken in misty conditions.

Fine looking Sedge Warbler in Shooters Bottom

Migrant Hawkers mating in Shooters Bottom

21 September 2013 Beachy Head Overcast but mild N 1 to W 2-3

We covered a number of sites on the Headland including Cornish Farm track and field. Met up with a number of Beachy regulars. BHRG were ringing in Whitbread Hollow.
Reasonable numbers of migrants present on the Head with good numbers of Meadow Pipits in the fields, and a Wryneck was seen above Belle Tout wood, but other than hirundines, little evidence of any diurnal migration. Large numbers of migrants in Whitbread Hollow with good numbers being ringed with also good numbers of hirundines present in the Hollow.

Late News from yesterday was 2 Common Cranes seen circling and then departed W over the Head towards Birling during the morning.

All birds ringed today are included in brackets.

Grey Heron 1 over the Head
Sparrowhawk 2
Common Buzzard 1
Peregrine 1
Tawny Owl 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
Wryneck 1
Sand Martin 45
Swallow 1,200 (including 700 in the Hollow)
House Martin 520 (including 500 in the Hollow)
Meadow Pipit c300+ in the Top fields.
Yellow Wagtail 8
Grey Wagtail 1
Common Redstart 3 (1)
Whinchat 5
Wheatear 3
Grasshopper Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Reed Warbler 8 (7)
Lesser Whitethroat 2 (1)
Common Whitethroat 65 (9)
Blackcap 750 (132)
Chiffchaff 750 (116)
Willow Warbler 4 (2)
Raven 1

20 September 2013 Beachy Head Fine clear sunny becoming warm Wind N 1-2

We covered all the usual sites on the Headland and also the fields around Birling sewage plant, meeting up with PN at Shooters Bottom. With the fine calm weather,we hoped for a reasonable fall of migrants, but only small numbers were seen and other than a few hundred House Martins, no sightings of any real diurnal migration.

Common Buzzard 2 over the Top fields
Kestrel 1
Sand Martin 1
Swallow 100
House Martin 400
Meadow Pipit 250
Common Redstart 3
Whinchat 4
Wheatear 7
Reed Warbler 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Common Whitethroat 30
Blackcap 10
Chiffchaff 20
Raven 1

Whinchat in Shooters Bottom - one of four present here.

Female Common Redstart in the Old Trapping Area.

Lesser Whitethroat in the Hotel Garden

Northern Wheatear

18 September 2013 Beachy Head Early drizzle becoming overcast but dry and mild. N 1-2

We covered virtually all the main Headland sites meeting up with both RKH and PN. Just low numbers of migrants logged and no diurnal migration seen. Considering it is now the main passage time for hirundines when often thousands can be seen on the Head on a day in mid-September, we recorded only 10 Swallows all morning.

Kestrel 1
Swallow 10
Meadow Pipit 50
Common Redstart 1
Whinchat 2
Wheatear 9
Common Whitethroat 10
Chiffchaff 5
Raven 2-3

15 September 2013 Beachy Head Fine mild and sunny with later cloud. Wind W 0 increasing to 6

We covered all the main sites including fields around Cornish Farm on the Headland, and RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow. Small fall of night migrants on the Head including 120 Meadow Pipits of which 50 moved W and a male Marsh Harrier flew out to sea. Blackcap numbers very high in the Hollow and a reasonable fall of Chiffchaffs  as well.
Birds ringed in brackets:

Marsh Harrier 1 S out to sea @ 07.10
Kestrel 1
Dunlin 1 in off the sea
Tawny Owl 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
Sand Martin 5
Swallow c50
Meadow Pipit 120 (50 W)
Yellow Wagtail 6
Common Redstart 1
Whinchat 2
Wheatear 10
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Reed Warbler 2 (1)
Lesser Whitethroat 3
Common Whitethroat 64 (5)
Blackcap 600 (65)
Chiffchaff 100 (22)
Willow Warbler 18 (6)
Spotted Flycatcher 2

Clouded Yellow 1
Red Admiral 1
Speckled Wood 2
Migrant Hawker 2

Chiffchaff in the early morning sunlight at Birling

 

Wheatears

Lesser Whitethroat at the Old Trapping Area

Whinchat in the Hotel Garden (taken by BK).

 

Female Migrant Hawker at Belle Tout

12 September, 2013 Beachy Head. Overcast mild Wind N 1

In what appeared to be almost perfect conditions for a fall of migrants, again we were disappointed with very low numbers of night migrants present on the Headland and again virtually no sign of any hirundine movement and not a single Pipit was seen even thou we covered some of the fields. We covered all the main sites on  the Headland and also the fields around Birling sewage plant.
Bob was again ringing in Whitbread Hollow and had considerably more birds than we saw on the Headland. Birds ringed are shown in brackets.

Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
Sand Martin 1
Swallow 15
Yellow Wagtail 7 E
Robin 18 (3)
Common Redstart 1 male
Stonechat 12
Wheatear 9
Reed Warbler 2
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Common Whitethroat 40 (11)
Garden Warbler 1 (1)
Blackcap 350 (80)
Chiffchaff 60 (11)
Willow Warbler 2 (1)
Raven 1
Bullfinch 2

9 September, 2013 Beachy Head Cloudy cool with heavy showers. N 0-1 to SW 3

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse!! Birding up the lane at Birling, no migrants and got caught in a heavy shower and quickly had to retreat back to the car. Decided to try the Old Trapping Area and Hotel Garden but only a few migrants in the area. Also covered Shooters Bottom, Belle Tout and the fields around Birling Sewage Plant. Today's effort -  not worth the petrol money.

Sparrowhawk 1
Peregrine 1
Swallow just 10
Wheatear 1
Reed Warbler 1
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Common Whitethroat 15
Blackcap 3
Chiffchaff 3
Willow Warbler 3
Raven 1

8 September 2013 Beachy Head Sunny periods, cool SW 3-4

 Cooler morning with a stiff  SW breeze. We met up with RJF, JK and Frank Lambert at Birling and also saw a number of the other regular birders. RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow. Generally a quiet morning on both the Headland and in the Hollow although Blackcap numbers are now building up in the Hollow and virtually no sign of any hirundine movement. We covered all the usual sites including Cornish Farm area and Belle Tout field but only recorded 6 Skylarks and no Meadow Pipits or Corn Buntings.
Birds ringed in brackets.

Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1
Tawny Owl 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
Yellow Wagtail 10
Common Redstart 2
Whinchat 5
Wheatear 8
Grasshopper Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 2+
Reed Warbler 3 (2)
Lesser Whitethroat 2 (1)
Common Whitethroat 25 (7)
Blackcap 120 (35)
Chiffchaff 8 (5)
Willow Warbler 2
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Raven 1

Clouded Yellow 1

 Male Common Redstart in the Hotel Garden

5 September, 2013 Beachy Head Fine sunny becoming very hot. Wind very light

Another fine and hot day with virtually no wind. We covered all the main sites on the Headland including the fields around Birling sewage plant and we met up with GG in The Old Trapping Area. RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow. Good scattering of common night migrants throughout the area with an excellent number of Reed Warblers present in the Hollow. Hirundine numbers continue to build up on the Head with House Martins now becoming the most numerous.

Birds ringed in brackets.

Sparrowhawk 2

Kestrel 3

Tawny Owl 1

Great-spotted Woodpecker 1

Sand Martin 13

Swallow 280

House Martin 400

Yellow Wagtail 48

Pied Wagtail 4

Common Redstart 2

Whinchat 5

Wheatear 12

Sedge Warbler 2 (2)

Reed Warbler 21 (12)

Lesser Whitethroat 7

Common Whitethroat 80 (3)

Garden Warbler 4 (1)

Blackcap 43 (27)

Chiffchaff 6

Willow Warbler 12

Spotted Flycatcher 3

Bullfinch 2

Migrant Hawker 1
Autumn Ladies Tresses - Could be as many as 300 showing.

Willow Warbler at Birling - Not to many more to come.

 

Whinchat literally on the cliff edge at Birling

Garden Warbler posing nicely in the Hotel Garden.

Reed Warbler in the Hotel Garden

A distant male  Common Redstart in Shooters Bottom

Two of today's Wheatears.

Part of a flock of Yellow Wagtails in the top fields.