3 Aug 2014 Beachy Head Overcast becoming warm and sunny. SW 1

Yet another beautiful calm morning and we met up with JK and covered all the main birding sites on the Headland. Conditions seemed perfect for a good fall of Willow Warblers, but once again very few were seen and just the odd new night migrants were found. Diurnal migration was once again at a standstill and for a few minutes we looked over the Headland from the Old Trapping Area and not a single bird could be seen flying in the sky from our viewpoint overlooking a great distance.
The highlight of the day was a pair of Yellowhammers, and when I think back to the 1970's, when we had a breeding population of around 35 pairs, and when I used to visit Shooters Bottom the bushes were often very busy with Yellowhammers and they became a nuisance bird as they caught your eye and took your attention away from looking for new migrants. How things have changed, sadly not for the better.

Little Egret 4 off Birling
Sparrowhawk 3
Yellow-legged Gull 1 juv Birling field.
Swallow just 2
Meadow Pipit 20
Reed Warbler 4
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Common Whitethroat 14
Chiffchaff 2
Willow Warbler 8
Raven 1
Greenfinch 3
Yellowhammer 1 pair
Corn Bunting 8

 

 

 

Male Yellowhammer 

When they were once common on the Headland, I never used

to bother to try to photograph them.