7th March, 2011. Beachy Head. Fine & Sunny ENE 2.

We did a short 35 minute sea-watch and then walked the lane at Birling Gap, looked in Belle Tout wood and then spent almost 90 minutes in the rough field near Belle Tout but couldn't re-locate the Lapland Bunting seen yesterday. The following are our sightings:

Red Throated Diver 9 (4 E & 5 on the sea).

Great Crested Grebe 4 on sea.

Teal 1 E

Common Scoter 7 E

Peregrine 1 right low down over our heads at Birling.

Med. Gull 1 ad. s/p in the fields at Birling.

Stock Dove 13 (including a flock of 10 E)

Skylark c40

Long Tailed Tit 11

Corn Bunting 3

Hare 1

Fox 1

Adult Peregrine over the lane at Birling Gap.

Adult summer plumage Med. Gull flying over the fields at Birling.

6th March 2011 Beachy Head NE3

Grey Heron 1 SE

Brent Goose 19E

Peregrine 1

Lesser Black-backed Gull 6 adults on Birling beach

Red-legged Partridge 1

Skylark c.30

Meadow Pipit 6

Lapland Bunting 1 ex.

Corn Bunting 9

Raven 2

Chalk cliffs south of Birling Gap

Birling Gap Hotel

The most-recent cliff fall at Beachy Head

Birling Gap from the top of the lane

Common, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls at Birling Gap beach

Green Woodpecker at Birling

Grey Heron over Belle Tout

An acrobatic Raven

27th February, 2011. Beachy Head. Fine Sunny NNW3

We weren't to hopeful when we went to Beachy with bright sunny conditions with a NNW wind and we only sea-watched for 30 minutes between 07.45-08.15. We then did most of the Headland and recorded the following:

Gannet 6 W

Common Buzzard 2 soaring over the Headland.

Kestrel 1

Peregrine 1-2 Shooters Bottom area.

Med. Gull 1 Birling Gap area.

Black Headed Gull 200 Birling area.

Common Gull 600 Birling area

Herring Gull 1,000 drifted W including many 1st Yr. birds.

Auk sp. 6

Stock Dove 2 W

Skylark 15 + 2W

Stonechat 1 male Birling

Carrion Crow party of 23 feeding together in top field.

Corn Bunting 1-2 near Cornish Farm.

Adult Med. Gull at Birling.

Corn Bunting near Cornish Farm

Male Stonechat at Birling.

Common Buzzard soaring over the Headland.

Not the Kite we were hoping to find.

24th February, 2011 Beachy Head. Fine,mild but misty. WSW 1

Doreen & myself sea-watched from 07.20 - 09.25 and then we walked Birling lane and then up to Belle Tout lighthouse onto the wood and back to Birling. Met up with Pete & Mim who had covered a similar area. Birds seen:

Divers 15 (14 E & 1 on the sea, ones i/d were all Red Throats).

Great Crested Grebe 1 on sea

Gannet 2 W

Brent Goose 29 E

Shelduck 5 E

Med Gull 1 ad in full s/p E

Common Gull 50 including 20 1st W's

Greater Black Back Gull 50

Kittiwake 15 W

Very few birds present on the ground or in the bushes and no sign of any early migrants.

20th February,2011 Beachy Head Overcast NNW 1

Just a short sea-watch between 07.30-08.00 and then walked most of the Headland including Long Down.Met up with Pete & Mim. Recorded the following:

Great Crested Grebe 2 on sea

Brent Geese 20 E + 1 on sea off Cow Gap

Gadwall 1 E

Kestrel 1

Golden Plover 7 in off the sea and headed N. over Birling.

Common Gull 500

Skylark c50

Meadow Pipit 8 (5 N).

Blackbird 10

Fieldfare 1

Song Thrush 3

Long Tailed Tit 10 at Birling

Raven 3 displaying at Belle Tout

Chaffinch 15

Reed Bunting 1 Long Down

Corn Bunting 1 singing Long Down.

Corn Bunting singing at Long Down

Carrion Crow above Whitbread Hollow

Magpie above Whitbread Hollow

Long Down

Violet in Belle Tout wood (First for the year).

18th February, 2011 Beachy Head.

RDME visited the Headland this morning, but it was very foggy. He therefore walked up Long Down and had 2 Corn Buntings, 1 of which was singing.

On the 14th RES had 1 Tawny Owl in Belle Tout wood, good news as the Owls haven't been seen since November.

14th February, 2011. Birling Gap. Sunny periods, mild & clear WSW 3.

Doreen and myself did a sea-watch from 07.35 - 08.50, in nice conditions but very little on the move. We also did the lane at Birling. Following were seen:

Red Throated Diver 16(6 E, 4 W & 6 on the sea)

Great Crested Grebe 11 on the sea.

Gannet 17 E (including 1 immature).

Goose sp. 2 E

Shelduck 1 W

Common Gull 300 Birling area.

Kittiwake 20 W

Auk sp.10 on the sea.

Guillemot 2 on the sea.

Razorbill 1 on the sea.

Long Tailed Tit A party of 11 moved W. up the lane at Birling.

Snowdrops in flower amongst the bushes at Birling Gap.