8 August 2012 Beachy Head Heavy drizzle, cool WSW 3

Spent almost 3 hours checking most of the sites on the Head in heavy drizzle which ended with a very soggy JFC. Small numbers of night migrants logged but still no Lesser Whitethroats on the Headland this Autumn apart for a couple ringed in Whitbread Hollow:

Sedge Warbler 2
Reed Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat 16
Garden Warbler 1
Willow Warbler 11

7 August 2012 Beachy Head 5/8ths cloud, cool W 1 increasing to 4

Fall of migrants in Whitbread Hollow although only a handful of migrants were seen on the Head when we covered most of the sites between Birling lane and the Hotel Garden. Met up with both RK & RES briefly. Bob was birding and ringing in Whitbread Hollow birds ringed shown in brackets:

Common Scoter 10 E

Kestrel 1

Sandwich Tern 2 E

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Sand Martin 3

Nightingale 1

Stonechat 6

Wheatear 2

Grasshopper Warbler 1 (1)

Sedge Warbler 6 (5)

Reed Warbler 2 (1)

Common Whitethroat 27 (9)

Garden Warbler 7 (7) 

Blackcap 2 (1)

Chiffchaff 1

Willow Warbler 57 (36)

Long Tailed Tit 1 (1)

Bullfinch 1

Raven 3

Wall Butterfly 1

Red Admiral 1

Male Stonechat with his overcoat on.

 

Willow Warblers at Birling

5 August 2012 Beachy Head Fine & Warm with odd showers S to E 1-2

Fine calm early morning with small numbers of common returning migrants although with the conditions it felt like there should have been many more Willow Warblers on the move. We covered all the sites on the Head from Birling to the Hotel Garden and Bob was ringing in Whitbread Hollow. Birds ringed are in brackets.

Common Scoter 15 E

Swift 10 W

Green Woodpecker 5 which included 4 juvs.

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Swallow 8

Nightingale 1 in Whitbread Hollow

Stonechat 8

Wheatear 5

Sedge Warbler 4

Reed Warbler 6 (3)

Lesser Whitethroat 1 (1)

Common Whitethroat 20 (2)

Garden Warbler 2 (2)

Blackcap 9 (2)

Chiffchaff 5 (4)

Willow Warbler 37 (15)

Raven 1

Linnet 60

Bullfinch 3

Brown Argus 1

Chalk Hill Blue 140

Small Copper 1

Silver Spotted Skipper 1 male Shooters Bottom (first for the year).

Small Skipper 8

Red Admiral 1

Marbled White 3

David & Brenda paid a visit to the Head during yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately no sign of any Balearic Shearwaters with just a few migrants seen including 1 Sedge Warbler, 5 Willow Warblers, 120 Swifts and 50 Sand Martins.

Reed Warbler at Birling

Sedge Warbler at Birling

Willow Warbler at Birling

Swift over the Hotel Garden

 

 Male Silver Spotted Skipper in Shooters Bottom, our first for the year.

Female Chalk Hill Blue in Shooters Bottom.

 Brown Argus in The Old Trapping Area

3rd August 2012 Whitbread Hollow Cloud 7/8 (rain later), wind SW3 (with gusts), warm

Bob & Sarah went ringing in Whitbread Hollow and finally a few passerine migrants were on the move. Birds ringed in brackets:

 

Green Woodpecker 2 (1)

Grest Spotted Woodpecker 1
Grasshopper Warbler 1 (1)
Lesser Whitethroat 1 (1)
Whitethroat 1 (1) – the only one?!
Garden Warbler 1 (1)
Blackcap 15 (10) – 70% of those ringed were adults – worrying - perhaps an early indication of a poor breeding season?
Chiffchaff 2 (1)
Willow Warbler 15 (7)
Bullfinch 1 (1)

Small Copper 3

Gatekeeper 4
Dark Arches moth 1

2nd August 2012 Beachy Head 3/8 cloud, SW 3/4 gusting 5

RDME made a visit today in the windy conditions covering Birling Lane, Belle Tout Wood, Shooter's Bottom and Whitbread Hollow. Passerine migration clearly still not underway!

Gannet 20E in a couple of glances at the sea

Whitethroat 5

Phyllosc sp. 1(!) (Liz Charlwood mentioned they have had ones and twos of Willow Warblers)
Starling 200 opp Wood
Jackdaw 100+ opp Wood
Raven 1

30th July 2012 Beachy

RDME made an evening visit to Whitbread Hollow and found a Frog near a willow in the main mistnet rides

29th July 2012 Beachy W4 partly overcast

Calm and overcast conditions at dawn unfortunately failed to deliver the hoped-for fall of Willow Warblers and migrants were virtually non-existant despite RDME and RK both covering sites on top of the Head and Cow Gap and Whitbread Hollow being walked. A brisk westerly wind enticed a sea-watch from 6.45am to 8.00am.

Manx Shearwater 1E at 6.54am
Gannet 30W
Scoter 10E, 4W
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1
Bonxie 1E
Mediterannean Gull 1 juv.
Auk sp. 1E
Curlew 2W
Whimbrel 1W
Collared Dove 1
Swift 16 S
Swallow 4
Chiffchaff 2
Whitethroat 10
Corn Bunting 1 singing

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at East Dean Cricket Pitch

Dusky Sallow Moth courtesy of Bob Edgar at Birling Gap

Dark Green Fritillary in Whitbread Hollow

Cargo ship passing Beachy sharing the same initials as an ex-County birder with one of the most impressive national self-found lists of all time that includes a first for Britain