Fulmar 20 E
Little Egret 1 off Birling
Gannet 100 E and 250 W
Manx Sheawater 2 W (11.00 and 15.23)
Common Scoter 17 E and 6 W
Curlew 5 E
Arctic Skua 1 E and then flew inland
Yellow-legged Gull 1 Juv E
Mediterranean Gull 16 E and 1 W
Sandwich Tern 25E
Auk Sp. 15 E
Swift 3 N
(all three images taken by D.Cooper)
Adult Arctic Skua off Birling and then moved inland.
2014 Spring summary covering Ducks and Raptors.
Shelduck : 2014: 12/1 3 W and 30 W
Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 18 dates from 8/3 to 25/5. A total of 82 E and 23 W.
A party of Shelducks moving east past Birling.
Teal : 2014: Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 7 dates from 25/1 (7 E) to 22/4 (1 E), with a total of 182 E with daily maxs: 8/3 109 E, 9/3 25 E.
Garganey : 2014: Spring sea-watches: 16/4 2 E (pair) with Scoter and 18/5 3 E ( 1 pair settled briefly on the sea and then E and 1 female E with Scoter).
Gadwall : 2014: Spring sea-watches: Recorded on just 5 dates from 9/3 2 E, 29/3 2 E, 31.3 5 E,
22/4 2 E and 24/4 2 E.
(taken by DC)
Drake Gadwall taking a break on the sea off Birling before moving off east.
Wigeon : 2014: Spring sea-watches: Recorded on just 3 dates: 1/1 35 E and 6 W, 4/1 4 E and 8/3 2 E.
Pintail: 2014 : Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 9 dates from 8/3 to 5/5 with a total of 97 E with daily maxs: 8/3 40 E and 18/3 33 E.
Shoveler: 2014: Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 12 dates from 8/3 to 20/5 with a total of 195 E with daily maxs: 8/3 68 E, and 29/3 36 E.
Scaup: 2014: Spring sea-watches: 5 E (inc. 2 drakes) on the 25/2.
Tufted Duck: 2014: Spring sea-watches: Just one record 9/3 3 E.
Velvet Scoter: 2014: Spring sea-watches: Just recorded on 3 dates 5/4 5 E, 16/4 4 E and 17/4 3 E.
Surprising with the good numbers of Common Scoters moving this year, this was not reflected with Velvet Scoters with another poor Spring for this specie.
Common Scoter: 2014: Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 49 dates from 2/3 to 7/6. A total of exactly 9,500 moved E during this period with daily maxs: 29/4 604 E, 30/3 1,042 E, 31/3 902 E, 5/5 990 E.
Our best Spring movement since 1979 when a total of 19,319 moved E with an unprecedented peak of 13,293 E on 8/4/1979.
Eider: 2014: Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 12 dates from 25/2 (4 E) to 11/5 (1 female on the sea). A total of 57 of which 50 moved E with a daily max of 19 E on the 31/3.
Two female Eiders on the sea off Birling on the 22nd April.
Red-breasted Merganser: 2014: Jan-12/1 2 E and 4 W.
Spring sea-watches: Recorded on 16 dates from 2/3 to 4/5. A total of 155 E with daily maxs: 29/3 38 E, 30/3 27 E and 31/3 41 E.
Our best Spring passage since 2005 when a total of 281 moved E.
Goosander: 2014: Spring sea-watches: : 30/3 2 drakes flew in off the sea and headed N inland.
Our 14th record since 1960.
(taken by DC)
One of the two drake Goosanders which flew in off the sea
and headed off north inland.
Common Buzzard : 2014: Spring: Up to 2 recorded on 16 dates between 6/3 to 31/5 and probably related to local breeding birds from Friston Forest area. RHC recorded an exceptional arrival over Hodcombe area when on the 1/4, between the hours of 13.00 to 15.30, he estimated that between 18-20 individuals were involved, and these coincided with the arrival of 6 Red Kites.
Sparrowhawk: 2014: Spring: Singles recorded on 8 dates from 15/1 to 7/6.
Red Kite: 2014: Spring: Recorded on 4 dates involving 19 birds: 17/3 10, with 5 in off the sea and 5 W over the Top Fields. 30/3 1 over the Cornish Farm fields, 1/4 6 over Hodcombe between 13.00 hrs to 15.30 hrs, (this coincided with an arrival of Common Buzzards), and 4/4 with 2 over Hodcombe with 1 @ 12.30 and 1 @ 15.45.
Our 2nd best Spring to date, with the best being in 2011.
Red Kite - 1 of the 10 seen on the Headland on the 17th March.
Marsh Harrier: 2014: Spring: Just one sighting of a pale headed bird out to sea E off Birling on the 19/5.
Hen Harrier: 2014: Spring 21/5 1 Ad. female over fields E of Shooters Bottom. (JFC and DRC).
Although a late Spring date, in 1991 a large female was present in the Top Fields from 25/5 to 3/6, and in 2010 a male was seen on the 27/5, and in 2011 a male (perhaps the same bird) was seen on the 24/5.
Hobby: 2014: Spring: Singles recorded on 7 dates from 23/4 to 11/6 with probably six different individuals involved. Two of these were seen arriving in off the sea on the 26/4 and 11/5.
Kestrel: 2014 Spring: Singles just recorded on 5 dates from 16/2 to 18/4, and it appears that it no longer breeds on the Headland.
Peregrine: 2014: Present throughout the Spring, probably 3 pairs.
