Beachy Head 27th December, 2009.

Brief visit with DC & Doreen and walked the lane at Birling, looked at Belle Toute wood and then walked the pathway to under the old lighthouse before driving over the Headland. My first visit for sometime owing to being diagnosed with a form of blood cancer and not the best way to end my 50th anniversary of watching at Beachy Head. (First visit made with Tony & Barry in early March 1960, and I still have my bird log of this visit).

Needless to say not to many birds present and very few passerines seen. A Fulmar was present off Birling, the grey phased Tawny Owl was showing fairly well in its usual roosting tree in Belle Toute wood, and a pair of Stonechats were on the eastern side of the wood. On our short walk we did see 4 Song Thrushes which was an encouraging sign for this species which has gone through a drastic decline in numbers over the last 50 years at Beachy.

Well to all my many friends ( including some sadly no longer with us including a very good friend Brian Whitby), which I have enjoyed birding with over the last 50 years at Beachy I hope to see you from time to time during 2010, although with 6 months of cancer treatment ahead of me, I will have to take it a day at a time.

JFC.

Beachy Head 30th October, 2009

Record shot of a Sparrow Hawk soaring over Whitbred Hollow.

Drove to Whitbred Hollow and arrived at 7.00 am to an overcast but mild misty morning with a light SE wind. Walked directly down to the Gully and beach below Cow Gap and then made my way up into the Hollow and re-located the abietinus type Chiffchaff feeding in the Sallow bush leading to the mist-net run, with 3 Chiffchaffs. RDME had ringed it yesterday. Interesting plumage appeared overall pale compared with the other Chiffs with pale creamy underparts. Returned to the Headland and did the majority of the sites and met up with RDME & GG at Belle Toute wood. No sign of yesterdays Yellow Browed Warbler.

Migrants seen: 7 Chiffchaffs, 14 Redwings W over the Hollow, 1 Fieldfare near Belle Toute wood, 400 Woodpigeons west, and the Water Rail was calling in the Hollow.

Black Redstart in the Old Trapping Area taken earlier this month.

28th October, 2009. Beachy Head

Arrived just before 7.00 am with Doreen to a beautiful calm warm morning. As we arrived at Birling, the car park was virtually full due to the arrival overnight of a film crew filming Brighton Rock. We worked all the usual sites on the Headland including the Cliff Path & RDME was ringing in the Hollow. Generally the area was very quiet, with very little moving over but the weather made up for this. Birds seen included a Brambling & 2 Redpolls in the wood, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 7 Stock Doves West and a single Dartford Warbler in the gorse above Belle Toute wood. RDME had a very successful morning catching Redpolls with 65 ringed.

Brent Goose in field opposite Belle Toute wood.

Adult Peregrine over the Hotel Garden.

Kestrel hovering over the Hotel Garden.

Kestrel in Cow Gap.

Fox at Birling.

Chiffchaff in the Hotel Garden.

October, 2009

Since returning from the Shetlands in early October, I have only visited Beachy Head on about 6 days during the month. Other than several Firecrests & Ring Ouzels little of note have been seen, although 2 Yellow Browed's have been seen with 1 at Birling found by Matt Eade, and the second trapped by RDME in the Hollow.

Beachy Head, 30th August, 2009.

Belle Toute Lighthouse with storm clouds.

View looking from Shooters Bottom to Hodcombe.

Two images of a Migrant Hawker in Shooters Bottom on the 29th taken by Roger Haggar.

Whinchat at Birling.

Arrived with DC at 06.25 to a fine calm morning, although the weather soon deteriorated as the morning progressed. After walking up the lane at Birling, we soon realised that far fewer migrants were present today. Met up with JK, RJF & MC and moved onto Shooters Bottom and the other areas on the Headland. The weather was now looking very unsettled and with a strong W. breeze. Still low numbers of birds seen and after meeting up with various other birders we decided to call it a day. RDME had a very busy morning ringing in the Hollow with 251 ringed of which 169 were Blackcaps which seems early for such a good catch although the elderberry crop in the Hollow is now ripening that much earlier these days. Bob also ringed 10 Reed Warblers, 1 Sedge & 1 Grasshopper Warblers, 20 Common & 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 5 Garden Warblers, 10 Chiffchaffs & 14 Willow Warblers.

This will be my last blog as I am off to Shetlands for a month.

Migrants seen:

Hobby 1

Swift 2

Sand Martin 20

Swallow 30

Tree Pipit 1

Yellow Wagtail 10

Whinchat 1

Wheatear 4

Reed Warbler 2

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 10

Blackcap 4

Willow Warbler 18

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Beachy Head, 29th August, 2009

Looking East from above Belle Toute wood.

Wheatear above Belle Toute wood taken by David Cooper.

Reed Warbler in the Hotel Garden taken by David Cooper.

Three images of the Pied Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area.

Three images of Sedge Warblers.

Common Whitethroat in the Old Trapping Area.

Greater Spotted Woodpecker at Birling.

Arrived with DC at Birling at 06.25 hrs and were joined by RDME & JK. Weather was fine and clear, but cool and almost calm which was a relief after the strong winds of the last few days. Good numbers of very active Willow Warblers were seen up the lane and 2 small parties of Collared Doves flew west over Birling. After doing Birling we drove towards Shooters Bottom to find large numbers of Wheatears present on the fences and in the fields. Shooters Bottom was quiet but a single Pied Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area and 2 in the Hotel Garden performed well for us and our cameras. Met up with various birders at the Old Trapping Area. RHC commented that he had also seen good numbers of Wheatears on his walk along the cliff edge and Liz had seen around 50 on her cycle ride around Cornish Farm. Cow Gap area produced 2 Grasshopper Warblers and another 2 Redstarts and a Common Buzzard with very large pale tail coverts was present over the top fields. We walked above Belle Toute wood and saw another 50 Wheatears here, and RDME had seen earlier 10 Whinchats in this area as well. Migrants seen as follows:

Common Buzzard 1

Collared Dove 7 W

Swift 2

Greater Spotted Woodpecker 2

Sand Martin 7

Swallow 20

Tree Pipit 4

Yellow Wagtail 8

Grey Wagtail 2

Common Redstart 3

Whinchat 11

Wheatear 120 + 40+ seen by RHC & EHC.

Grasshopper Warbler 2 Cow Gap

Sedge Warbler 8

Reed Warbler 1-2

Lesser Whitethroat 4

Common Whitethroat 25

Willow Warbler 50

Pied Flycatcher 3

Beachy Head 25th August, 2009

Arrived at 06.15 hrs to part overcast, cool morning with a strong Westerly breeze force 3-4.

Very little seen up the lane at Birling and met up with RDME. Odd migrants seen around the whitehouse area. Shooters Bottom pretty quiet with odd Sedge & Reed Warblers and a scattering of Whitethroats.Met up with RHC who had seen yesterday a Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and a Firecrest in Hodcombe, PN also joined us. Moved onto the Old Trapping Area where RKH was already there,more birders than birds today. After looking at Belle Toute wood, I decided to call it a day. Migrants seen:

Wheatear 4

Sedge Warbler 1

Reed Warbler 2

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 25

Willow Warbler 2