8th March 2015 Beachy WSW3

We spent 15 minutes seawatching but saw very little so decided to cover Birling, Belle Tout, the rough field, Chat Vale, the Old Trapping Area and the Hotel Garden that produced the first flush of passerine migrants with 20 Stonechats providing the numbers but there was also an increase in Meadow Pipits, a few Chaffinches moving over, a couple of alba Wagtails arriving in off the sea and best of all a Firecrest at Birling.

Red-throated Diver 1E
Great Crested Grebe 1 on sea
Buzzard 1 originally sat in Belle Tout wood
Red-legged Partridge 2
Mediterranean Gull 1E ad
Razorbill 1E
Auk sp. 1E
Stock Dove c.20
Woodpigeon c.250
Skylark c.50
Meadow Pipit c.20
alba sp. 2 in off
Stonechat 20 including 2 males seen to fly off high north from near the Old Belle Toute lighthouse
Firecrest 1
Raven 4+
Chaffinch c.10
Yellowhammer 2
Corn Bunting c.20

Firecrest at Birling

An early Spring migrant whose passage peaks in March.

Female Stonechat in the Hotel Garden

Another early Spring migrant. There was a good arrival of this species today this being the 20th we saw between Birling Gap and the Beachy Head Hotel - exceeded in Spring only by 24 seen on the 4th March 2002. How many went unseen today in Whitbread Hollow and Cow Gap?