12 May 2013 Beachy Head Clear sunny & cold W3-4

Another clear cold morning and felt more like March.Yet another disappointing sea-watch from 06.25-07.15. We did just under an hour but it felt more like four hours. We then covered most of the sites on the Headland but other than a few Swallows and Swifts coming in and surprisingly a Jay arrived in off the sea and landed in the pines at Birling. Very few birds in the bushes, we could only find 11 Whitethroats and 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing on the Headland sites, and slightly more worrying just 1 pair of Stonechats. Lets hope that the strong cold wind was keeping some of the birds out of sight.

Common Scoter 12 E
Kestrel 1-2
Peregrine 1
Arctic Skua 1 E and then landed on the sea.
Bonxie 1 E
Sandwich Tern c20 feeding offshore.
Auk Sp. 1 E
Swift 14 in off the sea.
Swallow 17 (9 in off the sea).
Yellow Wagtail 1 in off the sea.
Stonechat Just 1 pair seen in the sites covered.
Wheatear 1
Song Thrush 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1 singing in Shooters Bottom
Common Whitethroat 11
Jay 1 in off the sea and landed briefly in the pines at Birling.
Goldfinch 10
Linnet 20 (mostly now in pairs in the bushes).
Corn Bunting 2

Speckled Wood 1

Jay which arrived in off the sea and briefly landed in the pines at

Birling before departing.

11 May 2013 Beachy Head Part Cloudy WSW 4-5

RDME sea-watched from 05.50 - 07.20 and then covered Whitbread Hollow area, and Belle Tout wood.
Virtually no sea-bird passage seen and the area covered was very quiet:

Gannet 71 E & 4 W
Common Scoter 20 E
Whimbrel 2 E
Sandwich Tern 2 E & 1 W
Auk Sp. 40 E
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
Swallow 3
Common Whitethroat 3 in Whitbread Hollow
Garden Warbler 2
Blackcap 2
Chiffchaff 2

Early Spider Orchids 17 counted at one site.

CYPRUS - I have now published our Cyprus Spring trip report on the following Site:
http://jfcbirdingtrips.blogspot.co.uk/
To view please cut and paste the above.

9 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny clear and cold SW 4-5

We joined RDME for a sea-watch from 05.55 - 08.00 and RHC joined us for some of the time. Strong SW wind and cold, good numbers of Gannets moving close and a drake Eider sat close in off-shore. The strong wind prevented coverage of most of the birding sites on the Head although we covered Belle Tout area and just 1 Garden Warbler was the only new migrant seen.

Great Crested Grebe 1
Gannet 327 E & 20 W
Eider 1 drake sat close in off shore at Birling
Common Scoter 77 E
Sanderling 5 E
Whimbrel 6 E
Arctic Skua 3 E
Sandwich Tern 48 E
Commic Tern 122 E
Auk Sp. 170 E
Garden Warbler 1
Corn Bunting 2

7 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny and clear Wind Variable-E 1-2

After yesterday's fog all morning and the only new migrant recorded was a Garden Warbler in Whitbread Hollow, we met up with RDME, RKH and RES for a sea-watch from 05.25-11.00. The other observers also worked some of the sites on the Head.

Red-throated Diver 1 E & 1 on the sea
Black-throated Diver 4 E
Gannet 60 E
Shelduck 4 E
Shoveler 2 E
Common Scoter 139 E
Bar-tailed Godwit 3 E
Whimbrel 16 E
Turnstone 1 E
Pomarine Skua 7 E (all between 06.00 to 08.30)
Arctic Skua 3 E
Mediterranean Gull 4 E all adults
Sandwich Tern 48 E
Commic Tern 255 E
Guillemot 1 E
Swallow 8 in off the sea.

Harbour Porpoise 1-2

DC & BK did an evening sea-watch from 18.30 - 20.30 and recorded the following:


Diver sp. 1E
Scoter 19E
Whimbrel 36E
Arctic Skua 1E
Pomarine Skua 1E at 8.12pm briefly chasing a Kittiwake
Sandwich Tern 12E
Commic Tern 630E

Tawny Owls in B/T wood taken on the 5th May by Roger Haggar.

Hoverfly Eupeodes luniger taken on the 5th May by Roger Haggar.

5 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny becoming warm WSW 1

We joined RDME and sea-watched from 05.45-12.00. Good passage of Terns which commenced around 09.00 with the highlight being 2 Roseate Terns which lingered offshore for a few minutes. Other birders were present on the Head and most of the sites were covered, although once again virtually no new migrants were seen.

Red-throated Diver 5 E
Black-throated Diver 6 E
Gannet c80 E
Shag 2 E
Little Egret 1 E & W
Brent Goose 16 E
Shelduck 1 W
Common Scoter 422 E
Kestrel 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 W
Whimbrel 3 W
Arctic Skua 10 E
Bonxie 2 E
Sandwich Tern c80 E
Roseate Tern 2 E  (9.42am & 9.57am) both lingered fishing offshore for a few minutes before continuing east with flocks of Commics. The second was pink-suffused. Stunning!
Commic Tern 2270 E with both Arctic and Common being i/d.
Little Tern 52 E
Black Tern 9 E
Auk Sp. 4 E
Guillemot 9 on the sea.
Tawny Owl 2
Swift 2 in off the sea
Swallow 40 in off the sea
Wheatear 2
Whitethroat 10
Corn Bunting 5

We then decided to pop home have some lunch and then come back for another sea-watch from 17.00-19.75:

Red-throated Diver 1 E
Great Crested Grebe 1 W
Gannet c30 E
Common Scoter 66 E
Bar-tailed Godwit 2 E & 1 W
Whimbrel 16 E
Turnstone 1 E
Arctic Skua 5 E
Pomarine Skua 1 E @ 18.45
Bonxie 2 E
Mediterranean Gull 5 (1 x 2nd S & 4 x 1st S)
Sandwich Tern 21 E
Commic Tern 1654 E
Little Tern 1 E

4 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny at first becoming cloudy cool W

We joined RDME for a sea-watch from 05.45 to 10.00, RHC joined us for some of the time. Although a small movement of sea-birds was seen, most birds were a long way out. Quite unpleasant weather in the area and only a few sites were covered but the area appeared very quiet.

Red-throated Diver 4 E
Great Crested Grebe 1 W
Gannet 83 E
Shelduck 4 E
Common Scoter 332 E
Peregrine 1
Sanderling 4 E
Bar-tailed Godwit 15 E
Arctic Skua 10 E
Bonxie 3 E
Kittiwake c300+ E
Sandwich Tern 36 E & 20 W
Commic Tern 46 E
Auk Sp. 368 E
Tawny Owl 1
Swallow 39 in off the sea
House Martin 4 in off the sea
Wheatear 1
Linnet 40
Corn Bunting 1

Early Spider Orchid, our first for the year.

3 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny cool at first becoming hot

RKH & RES sea-watched from 07.15-11.00 and were joined by Tony Quinn, who also covered some of the Headland sites. After the last 3 mornings when very little was seen moving out to sea, at last a small movement was recorded:

Red-throated Diver 1 on the sea
Black-throated Diver 3 E
Brent Goose 1 E
Common Scoter 162 E
Pomarine Skua 2 high E @ 08.20 (seen later at Dungeness @ 9.09)
Arctic Skua 3 E
Sandwich Tern 35 E
Arctic Tern c50 E
Commic Tern c600 many feeding and moving both E & W (majority were considered to be Common)
Little Tern 1 E
Tawny Owl 1 brown phase found dead on the road near B/T wood.
Common Redstart 1
Spotted Flycatcher 1 at Birling.