22nd April, 2011. Beachy Head. Sunny, warm with sea-haze. NE1

Most of the regulars were sea-watching today from 05.50 to 10.05. We then walked to Belle Tout wood and the scrub under B/T lighthouse and walked the rough field:

Red Throated Diver 2 E

Black Throated Diver 4 E all in full summer plumage.

Shelduck 5 E

Eider 6 on sea departed E.

Common Scoter 411 E

Velvet Scoter 9 E ( A total so far this year of 86 birds E).

Peregrine 1

Bar Tailed Godwit 26 E

Whimbrel 52 E

Curlew 3 E

Greenshank 2 over Birling

Pomarine Skua 1 ad. l/p @ 09.16

Arctic Skua 4 E

Arctic/Pomarine Skua 1 E (just to far out and in the haze to correctly i/d)

Bonxie 3 E

Mediterranean Gull 5 E (2 ads & 3 1st W) (A total so far this year of 67 birds E).

Little Gull 3 E (A total so far this year of 397 birds E)

Sandwich Tern 95 E

Commic Tern 73 E

Yellow Wagtail 1 in off the sea (heard only).

Wheatear 4

Lesser Whitethroat 1 singing in scrub west of B/T wood.

Common Whitethroat 8

Blackcap 2

Corn Bunting 1

Orange Tip 1

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Small Whites 6

Early Spider Orchids 7 found in flower.

Our first Early Spider Orchids for the year.

21st April, 2011. Beachy Head. Part cloudy, warm, some sea-mist. E. 1-2

Doreen & myself did a sea-watch from 06.20-09.50 and were joined by RKH & PN. We only did

a few sites on the Headland but very few land migrants were seen:

Red Throated Diver 3 (2 E & 1 on sea).

Manx Shearwater 1 E

Gannet 35 E

Grey Heron 1 W off Birling.

Common Scoter 181 E

Whimbrel 55 E

Curlew 4 E

Pomarine Skua 2 E (1 Juv landed on sea & then departed E @ 07.50 & 1 fine l/p ad close in at 09.10).

Arctic Skua 7 E

Bonxie 1 E

Mediterranean Gull 6 E

Little Gull 2 E

Black Headed Gull 40 E

Sandwich Tern 55 E

Commic Tern 40 E

Little Tern 1 E

Auk Sp. 1 E

Swallow 4 in off the sea

Wheatear 1

Common Whitethroat 8

Bottle Nosed Dolphin type 1 off Birling.

An evening seawatch from 5.15pm - 8pm in E2 produced:

Great Black-backed Gull 47E

Little Gull 23E ex.

Arctic Skua 1E

Skua sp. 1E at 5.35 very distant Pom/Arctic

Sandwich Tern 21E

Commic Tern 93E

Whimbrel 22E

Bar-tailed Godwit 25E

Swallow 3 in off

Sand Martin 1 in off

Seal 1

Cetacean sp. 1

20th April, 2011.Beachy Head. Sunny warm NE 1-2

We Sea-watched from 06.00 - 10.00, and although slow it still proved interesting. I then did Belle Tout wood, the rough field, Shooters Bottom, Old Trapping Area and Hotel Garden. Very few migrants seen, but butterflies more in evidence:

Red Throated Diver 20 E

Black Throated Diver 1 E

Grey Heron 3 came in off Birling.

Brent Goose 1 E

Shelduck 7 E

Gadwall 2 E

Shoveler 8 E

Tufted Duck 2 E

Common Scoter 65 E

Velvet Scoter 14 E

Red Br. Merganser 1 E

Dunlin 1 E

Whimbrel 21 E

Arctic Skua 5 E

Med Gull 8 E

Little Gull 10 E

Black Headed Gull 55 E

Sandwich Tern 40 E

Commic Tern 144 E

Swallow 6

Wheatear 2

Whitethroat 8

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 1

Willow Warbler 1

Corn Bunting 1

Speckled Wood 4

Brimstone 3

Orange Tip 3

Holly Blue 1

Small White 5

Red Admiral 1

Bottle Nosed Dolphin type 1 off Birling.

RDME walked up Long Down and recorded 6 Common Whitethroats, 4 Blackcaps & 1 Chiffchaff.

Early Purples are now well in flower.

19th April, 2011. Beachy Head. Part cloud, warm SE 2

RDME was joined by RHC, RES, RKH & KH for a sea watch from 06.00-09.30. The following was recorded from Birling.

RHC had a female Redstart in Hodcombe yesterday, our first for the year.

Red Throated Diver 9 E

Gannet 10

Brent Goose 101 E

Common Scoter 1483 E

Velvet Scoter 21 E

Red Br. Merganser 3 E

Whimbrel 47 E

Pomarine Skua 1 E

Arctic Skua 12 E

Med Gull 2 E

Little Gull 10 E

Sandwich Tern 140 E

Commic Tern 229 E

Black Tern 3 E (first for the year).

Auk sp. 3 E

Raven 1

An evening seawatch from 5.15pm to 8.15pm produced:

Diver sp. 3E

Red-throated Diver 10E, 2 on sea

Red-necked Grebe 1E at 7.45pm ex.

Grey Heron 1E

Brent 2E

Shelduck 7E

Scoter 33E

Arctic Skua 8E

Mediterranean Gull 4E

Little Gull 239E ex.

Sandwich Tern 21E

Commic Tern 88E

Curlew 1E

Whimbrel 56E

Swallow 1 in off

Cetacean sp. 6

Bat sp. 1

18th April, 2011. Beachy Head. Sunny with sea-mist. NE 2

Sea-watched from 06.30 - 09.45. Was joined by RDME, RKH & RHC for part of the time. PN & MN did the lane at Birling.

Black Throated Diver 1 ad in s/p E

Gannet 54 E & 10 W

Grey Heron 1 off Birling.

Brent Goose 6 E

Shelduck 4

Gadwall 6 E

Shoveller 1 E

Common Scoter 246 E

Velvet Scoter 4 E

Red Br. Merganser 4 E

Peregrine 2

Avocet 2 E

Grey Plover 2 in off the Sea.

Whimbrel 31 E

Arctic Skua 8 E

Bonxie 3 E

Med. Gull 1 sub-ad in full s/p.( This bird had full black wing-tips on both of the upper wings).

Little Gull 37 E

Kittiwake 70 E

Sandwich Tern 4 E

Commic Tern 1 E

House Martin 4

Willow Warbler 2

Returned in the evening seawatching from 5.15pm to 7.50pm E3 and clear

Red-throated Diver 3E

Black-throated Diver 1E s/p ex.

Grey Heron 1E

Shag 2W

Garganey 2E pair

Shelduck 2 prospecting

Scoter 70E

Arctic Skua 8E

Mediterranean Gull 3E, 1W

Little Gull 10E

Sandwich Tern 11E

Commic Tern 15E

Bar-tailed Godwit 5E

Whimbrel 31E

Swallow 7 in off

House Martin 1

17th April 2011 Birling Gap Seawatch NE1 Misty but clear skies 6.30am-10am & 3.30pm-7.05pm

Diver sp. 5E

Red-throated Diver 4E

Black-throated Diver 2E

Grey Heron 1E

Gannet 25E

Brent Goose 16E

Egyptian Goose / Ruddy Shelduck 1W very distant!

Shelduck 4E

Scoter 77E

Velvet Scoter 2E

Merganser 1E

Eider 11E

Garganey 6E (2 drakes)

Red Kite 1W at midday (PN & MN)

Bonxie 4E

Arctic Skua 10E

Pomarine Skua 2E at 4.55pm ex.

Black-headed Gull c.200E

Mediterranean Gull 26E

Little Gull 44E

Sandwich Tern 21E, 2W

Commic Tern 1E

Whimbrel 40E

Curlew 1E

Bar-tailed Godwit 47E

Avocet 1E landed on the sea briefly and attempted feeding Phalarope-manner!

Tawny Owl h

Swallow 13 in off

Wheatear 4

Willow Warbler 4

Blackcap 3

Whitethroat 10

Seal 1

Harbour Porpoise 1

Cetacean sp. c.3

Speckled Wood 1

Green Hairstreak 1 Shooters Bottom

Small Copper 1

Willow Warbler showing characters of acredula at Birling

Male Wheatear at Birling

Ringed female Chaffinch at Birling

A flock of 10 Mediterranean Gulls passing Birling

Seal off Birling Gap

Beachy's best answer to the Dungeness Killer Whales!

16th April, 2011. Beachy Head. Overcast & misty. NW 1

Another dire day at Beachy. Sea-mist prevented any sea-watch and only odd migrants seen as follows:

Sparrowhawk 1

Peregrine 2

Swallow 6

Alba Wagtail 6 W

Wheatear 3

Common Whitethraot 10

Garden Warbler 1 Shooters Bottom (our first for the year).

Blackcap 3

Chiffchaff 3

Willow Warbler 5

Raven 1

Linnet 60 W

Peacock 2

Small Copper 1

A misty Seven Sisters

Garden Warbler in Shooters Bottom