12th February, 2011 Beachy Head. Fog & drizzle at first becoming sunny. WSW 2

Went to Beachy and we met RDME briefly at Birling. Early morning fog and drizzle delayed the sea-watch until 08.45 - 09.15. We then did most of the Headland including the cliff-path. The following were recorded:

Red Throated Diver 1 E

Great Crested Grebe 10 on the sea

Brent Geese 10 E

Wigeon 30 E

Auk sp. 17 E & 5 on sea

Skylark c25

Grey Wagtail 1

Black Redstart 1 ad. male still at Birling.

Stonechat 1 male

Fieldfare 1

Mistle Thrush 1

Long Tailed Tit 9 in Belle Tout wood.

Gorse in flower

Male Black Redstart still present at Birling.

Our first Stonechat for the year.

Dunnock

9th February, 2011. Overcast & mild SSE 1

Doreen & myself sea-watched from 07.30 - 10.30 and we then did the lane at Birling & Belle Tout wood. RDME joined us for some 20 minutes at Birling & he had also visited Holywell.

Following seen:

Red Throated Diver 51 (19 W, 28 E & 4 on sea)

Great Crested Grebe 10 E & 2 on sea

Gannet 50 (with at least 4 immatures seen)

Grey-lag Geese 5 E (with a party of Brents).

Brent Goose 701 E

Wigeon 6 E

Teal 14 E

Common Scoter 2 E

Curlew 5 E

Med. Gull 2 (1 ad. E & 1 ad s/p on sea).

Common Gull 400

Lesser Black Back Gull 4 graellsii race on beach.

Greater Black Back Gull 80 on beach

Kittiwake 30+

Auk sp. 2,280 E & c150 W

Guillemot 40+ E & on the sea.

Razorbill 850+ E & 100 on the sea.

Black Redstart 1 ad male at Birling

Firecrest 1 at Holywell RDME.

Record shot of the male Black Redstart at Birling.

8th February, 2011. Beachy Head. Sunny, frosty E1

Doreen and myself did a sea-watch from 07.30-09.30 and in glorious warm weather we walked from Birling to the Old Lighthouse back to Belle Tout wood and then through the field opposite back to Birling. Recorded the following:

Divers 41E & 4 on the sea. (all the ones i/d were Red Throats).

Great Crested Grebe 18 on the sea & 2 E

Gannet 15 W

Cormorant 70 (including a flock of 50 on the sea off Birling).

Brent Goose 7W

Scoter 1 E

Red Breasted Merganser 3 E

Goosander 1 redhead which landed on a sea pool on the beach off Birling, walked onto the beach and then departed East. (Never thought I would ever see a Goosander on the deck at Beachy!!).

Curlew 2 W

Common Gull 600 Birling area

Kittiwake 30 W

Auk sp 80 W & 10 E

Red legged Partridge 1

Skylark 20

Birling Gap (our sea-watch site).

Up the lane at Birling Gap.

Doreen at Birling with Seaford Head as the backdrop.

Redhead Goosander which landed briefly at Birling.

1st February, 2011 Birling Gap. Overcast, mild WSW 3-4

Two hour sea-watch between 07.40 -09.40. Large impressive passage of Auks moving chiefly during the first hour, although small numbers were still moving when we left:

Red Throated Diver 3 on sea.

Diver Sp. 16 E (most were probably Red Throats)

Great Crested Grebe 2 W

Fulmar 5+

Gannet 160 (151 W & 9 E).

Cormorant Flock of 20 landed on sea off Birling.

Kittiwake 30

Auks: 350 E & 2,205 W of which 1500 W during the first hour. Approx. 600 i/d as Razorbills of which 80% were still in winter plumage but only 10 Guillemots were identified. The birds moving E, were much further out.

30th January, 2011 Beachy Head. Sunny, frosty & cold.NE2-3

We sea-watched 07.45-08.45, but far less activity than yesterday. We then visited Belle Tout wood and the field opposite. We recorded the following:

Red Throated Diver 1 E

Diver Sp. 3 W

Great Crested Grebe 1 E & 1 on sea

Fulmar 4

Gannet 9 E & 25 off shore.

Cormorant 11 E & 52 W

Brent Goose 25 E

Wigeon 1 E

Common Gull 100 in fields

Auk sp. 51 E & 48 W

Razorbill 62 E & c50 on sea.

Skylark 40

Rock Pipit 1

Long Tailed Tit 8

29th January, 2011 Birling Gap. Overcast NE2

We sea-watched from 07.35-10.05. Lots of activity and again the majority of Auks i/d proved to be Razorbills. We recorded the following:

Red Throated Diver 70 E & 25 on the sea.

Great Crested Grebe 1 W & 9 on the sea.

Slavonian Grebe 2-3 on the sea.

Fulmar 5

Gannet 5 E & 50 loafing off shore.

Cormorant 140 (10 E & 130 flew in from the E. and settled on the sea in one raft (Beachy record).

Brent Goose 45 E

Shelduck 1 on sea.

Wigeon 2 E & 6 W

Gadwall 1 E

Teal 5 E

Common Scoter 4 E

Oystercatcher 25

Curlew 5 E

Common Gull 400 in fields

Lesser Black Back Gull 1 (English race).

Kittiwake c20

Auk sp 5 E & 150 W.

Guillemot 5 on sea.

Razorbill 22 E & 200+ on Sea

Rock Pipit 1

Just part (of the record flock of 130 for Beachy) of Cormorants off Birling Gap.

2-3 Slavonian digi-scoped off Birling by DC.

Jackdaw.

27 January, 2011. Birling Gap, Overcast cold, NE2 to 4.

Did a sea watch with Doreen between 07.45 to 09.30 and recorded the following:

Red Throated Diver 14 E, 4W & 3 on sea.

Fulmar 4

Gannet 40 feeding of shore

Shelduck 1E

Curlew 11 E & 2 W

Bonxie 1 lingering around the Gannets between 09.00 to 09.15

Black Headed Gull 70

Common Gull 400 in the fields.

Kittiwake 20

Auk sp: 300 W & 100+ on the sea. (All birds i/d were Razorbills)

Razorbill 150 either on the sea or moving W. Quite a few now in full s/p.