Sunday 26 September 2010

26th September 2010 Beachy Head N4 Overcast

Gannet c.10
Cormorant 6W
Shag 1W juv.
Scoter 3E
Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Merlin 2
Snipe 3N over Belle Tout
Dunlin 1N over top of Birling Lane
Golden Plover 1N
Swallow c.100
House Martin c.200
Song Thrush 3 dropped in
Stonechat 2
Wheatear 2
Meadow Pipit 5W, 6E, 60
Pied Wagtail 5E
Grey Wagtail 3W
Yellow Wagtail 3
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat 2
Chiffchaff 15
Blue Tit 55 including a flock of 45 in Belle Tout Wood
Siskin h
Goldfinch 10
Lapland Bunting 4 fvo, 1W at 11.05am over Icky Ridge ex.
Reed Bunting 1W

Painted Lady 1
Small Copper 1
Meadow Pipit at Belle Tout

One of three Common Snipes arriving in off the sea south of Belle Tout

Sparrowhawk over the Beachy Head Hotel Garden

Painted Lady along Icky Ridge

Blue Tit apparently feeding on Blackberries in Whitbread Hollow

The infamous run in Whitbread Hollow with the BHRG hut

Saturday 25 September 2010

25th September 2010 Beachy Head N1 Clear

Little Egret 1
Heron 1
Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Peregrine 1
Merlin 1
Kestrel 6
Red-legged Partridge 2
Stock Dove 1
Swallow 15W, 150
House Martin 50W, 30E, 160
Pied Wagtail 4W, 3E, 5
Yellow Wagtail 2W, 2E, 2
Grey Wagtail 8W
Meadow Pipit 325
Stonechat 16
Whinchat 2
Robin 5
Whitethroat 2
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 30
Chaffinch 10
Linnet c.150
Lapland Bunting 3 fvo
Raven 2

Red Admiral 1
Small Copper 1

Migrant Hawker 2
Male Migrant Hawker at Belle Tout

Comma at the Old Trapping Area

Common Buzzard over the Beachy Head Hotel Garden

Grey Heron off Cow Gap

Oystercatchers off Cow Gap

Female Migrant Hawker in Whitbread Hollow

Merlin over the Top Fields

Thursday 23 September 2010

23rd September 2010 Beachy Head Calm and overcast to SW4

Gannet c.15
Fulmar 1
Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Peregrine 3
Merlin 2-3
Kestrel 7
Sandwich Tern 5W
Curlew 3
Swallow 225
Sand Martin 2
House Martin 250
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1E
Pied Wagtail 7
Grey Wagtail 2W
Yellow Wagtail 11
Meadow Pipit 175
Stonechat 16
Whinchat 1
Wheatear 1
Dunnock 15
Robin 15
Ring Ouzel 1 Cliff Path
Mistle Thrush 1E
Blackcap 10
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat 5
Chiffchaff 18
Spotted Flycatcher 4
Long-tailed Tit 8
Blue Tit 10
Jay 3
Raven 2
Reed Bunting 3E
Goldfinch 30
Linnet c.100
Spotted Flycatchers in Whitbread Hollow

The Waverely Paddle Steamer off Birling Gap - the last seagoing paddle steamer in the World!

Belle Tout Wood

Sunday 19 September 2010

19th September 2010 Beachy Head W4 cloud building

Little Egret 1W
Merlin 1
Kestrel 8
Sandwich Tern 5W
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Skylark 20
Swallow 125
House Martin 2
Sand Martin 3
Grey Wagtail 4W
Meadow Pipit c.375 (225 moving W)
Tree Pipit 1
Stonechat 7
Wheatear 1
Whitethroat 6
Blackcap 15
Garden Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 35
Scandinavian Chiffchaff 1 ex. Belle Tout Wood
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Blue Tit 5
Lapland Bunting 3 ex.
Goldfinch 30
Raven 4


Speckeld Wood 8
Comma 2
Red Admiral 5
Lapland Bunting over the Top Fields

Little Egret off Cow Gap Beach


The Ringing Hut in Whitbread Hollow


Scandinavian Chiffchaff P.c. abietinus in Belle Tout Wood

A black-billed, black-legged colourless Chiffchaff for surprisingly early in the season. With its broad whitish supercilium, greyish-brown upperparts, pale ear-coverts and whitish underparts (including pure white undertail-coverts) this bird certainly proved immediately arresting amongst the accompanying collybita. In addition, it frequently uttered a monosyllabic 'cheeep' call, being reminiscent, although to my mind louder, than tristis. Such distinctive individuals are normally assigned to eastern populations of abietinus. Found unfortunately late in the day, the above image was obtained in the poor light of Belle Tout Wood, so fails to convey quite how distinctive this individual appeared in the field, although it is worth comparing its cold-toned plumage with a typical September collybita below:


Chiffchaff P.c. collybita photographed on 12th September 2009


Spotted Flycatcher in Belle Tout Wood

Saturday 18 September 2010

18th September 2010 Beachy Head NW2 Clear

Heron 1
Buzzard 5
Sparrowhawk 5
Merlin 1
Kestrel 5
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Swift 2
Swallow c.300
Sand Martin 3
House Martin c.500
Skylark c.15
Meadow Pipit c.500 many flying west
Tree Pipit 1
Yellow Wagtail 18W
Grey Wagtail 1
Whinchat 4
Wheatear 12
Whitethroat 2
Blackcap 10
Chiffchaff 25
Blue Tit 145 many small flocks 15 -25 strong moving west
Lapland Bunting 4 ex. (2W then N at 7.25am, 1 at 8.15, 1W at 10.05)
Reed Bunting 2
Chaffinch 10
Linnet c.150
Raven 4

Red Admiral 3
Small Heath 3
Small Copper 3
Adonis Blue 1
Wheatear at Birling Gap

Great Spotted Woodpecker near the Old Trapping Area

Mustang over the Top Fields

Long Down Woods and Stubble Field

Wednesday 15 September 2010

15th September 2010 Woodingdean Downs

Buzzard 1
Peregrine 1
Kestrel 2
Yellowhammer 3

Sunday 12 September 2010

12th September 2010 Beachy Head NW2 Clear after overnight rain & Arlington Reservoir

Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Hobby 1
Kestrel 4
Little Stint 2 juv. Arlington Reservoir
Collared Dove 1
Swallow 50W
Sand Martin 12W
House Martin 925W
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark 6
Yellow Wagtail 5
Grey Wagtail 9W
Tree Pipit 23
Meadow Pipit 125
Blackbird 15
Robin 6
Redstart 2
Wheatear 62
Whinchat 12
Reed Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Whitethroat 21
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Blackcap 10
Garden Warbler 2
Icterine Warbler 1 ex. at top of Birling Lane
Chiffchaff 20
Willow Warbler 10
Spotted Flycatcher 3
Lapland Bunting 1W at c.9.15am over below the Old Belle Tout Lighthouse
Linnet c.150
Raven 1
House Martins over Belle Tout

Whinchat at Birling Gap

Garden Warbler in the Old Trapping Area

Juvenile Little Stint at Arlington Reservoir

Saturday 11 September 2010

11th September 2010 Beachy Head SW5 with rain showers

Little Egret 4 Birling Gap beach
Grey Heron 1 Cow Gap beach
Gannet 35W
Fulmar 3
Scoter 3E
Hobby 2
Peregrine 1
Kestrel 1
Whimbrel 1
Swallow 25
Meadow Pipit 250
Tree Pipit 1 + h
Yellow Wagtail 7
Stonechat 5
Whinchat 7
Wheatear 3
Redstart 3
Whitethroat 20
Blackcap 20
Garden Warbler 1
Willow Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 8
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Ortolan Bunting 1 ex. opposite Belle Tout Wood
Linnet c.250
Raven 1

Weasal 1
Ortolan Bunting opposite Belle Tout Wood

Whimbrel on cliff below Cow Gap

Thursday 9 September 2010

9th September 2010 Woodingdean Downs

Buzzard 1
Peregrine 2
Kestrel 2
Yellowhammer 5

Wednesday 8 September 2010

8th September 2010 Pulborough RSPB

Dunlin 1
Curlew Sandpiper 1 juv.
Green Sandpiper 1+
Swallow c.30
Yellow Wagtail 5
Curlew Sandpiper at Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve

Monday 6 September 2010

6th September 2010 Standean Bottom

Kestrel 5
Wheatear 1
Whitethroat 1
Chiffchaff 2

Sunday 5 September 2010

5th September 2010 Beachy E2 strengthening Clear

Heron 1W
Cormorant 17W, 1
Buzzard 1-2
Sparrowhawk 1
Merlin 1
Kestrel 4
Whimbrel 1
Oystercatcher 2
Swallow 200E
Sand Martin 25E
House Martin 100E
Meadow Pipit 10
Yellow Wagtail 8
Grey Wagtail 1
Stonechat 7
Wheatear 4
Robin 5
Blackcap 1
Whitethroat 20
Chiffchaff 7
Raven 2
Cormorant over Birling Gap

Common Buzzard over Whitbread Hollow

Saturday 4 September 2010

4th September 2010 Beachy E3

Little Egret 1
Grey Heron 3
Cormorant 15W
Marsh Harrier 2 (1 male, 1 fem-type)
Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 4
Peregrine 2
Hobby 2
Kestrel 7
Whimbrel 1
Swallow 600E
House Martin 110E
Sand Martin 35E
Tree Pipit 9E
Yellow Wagtail 33E
Grey Wagtail 2E
Robin 3
Redstart 4
Wheatear 3
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Whitethroat 13
Chiffchaff 5
Blue Tit 15
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Goldfinch 25
Raven 2
Marsh Harrier over the Top Fields

Racing Pigeons bound for Yorkshire

Friday 3 September 2010

3rd September Beachy ENE1-2 Clear

Little Egret 1W
Sparrowhawk 7
Kestrel 2
Dotterel h calling six or seven times overflying whilst we were in Chat Vale at 8.45am. RHC did better at the same time picking out 2 against the blue skies as they flew high north over Hodcombe.
Common Gull 1W
Sand Martin 133E
House Martin 25E
Swallow 980E
Tree Pipit 1
Yellow Wagtail 20
Grey Wagtail 1S
Whinchat 1
Robin 5
Wheatear 4
Lesser Whitethroat 3
Whitethroat 18
Willow Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 8
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Raven 2
Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull at Birling Gap