Beachy Head 24th August, 2009.

Cow Gap Beach where 2 Desert Wheatears have been found the first a male in April, 1966, the second Sussex record, and the second in November/December, 1997 was the fourth Sussex record.

Beachy Head road closed for the skateboard ramp.

Two images of the Pied Flycatcher trapped in Whitbred Hollow.

Two images of a Spotted Flycatcher in the Rides.

A Whinchat near Shooters Bottom.

Common Whitethroat in the Rides.

Arrived at 06.30 hrs to a fine calm morning with just a light Easterly breeze. As the road was still closed due to the skateboarding competition, I again drove to the Hotel Garden and Icky Ridge and then walked Cow Gap and the Hollow, before driving round to Birling. Covered virtually the whole area in almost 6 hrs and walked into Chat Vale from Belle Toute. Met up with RDME & MB who were ringing in the Hollow. They had just netted a Pied Flycatcher which I was able to photograph in the hand, although it was fairly un-cooperative. They had ringed 51 in total including the Pied Flycatcher, 1 Nightingale, only 1 Willow Warbler, 6 Whitethroats, 3 Garden & 4 Reed Warblers and 23 Blackcaps.

Migrants were pretty thin on the ground and I saw the following:

Sparrow Hawks 3-4

Sand Martin 2

Swallow 70

House Martin 9

Whinchat 4

Wheatear 1

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 5

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 35

Blackcap 5

Willow Warbler 12

Spotted Flycatcher 2

Pied Flycatcher the trapped bird in the Hollow.