29th April 2001 Beachy 5.45am - 10.30am. Strong Force 6 Southerly. Cold and rain starting c.10am

Diver sp. 1E - probable Black-throated

Manx Shearwater 1W and 1E
Gannet c.40E
Brent Goose 1E
Shelduck 2E
Scoter c.10E
Merganser c.4E
Whimbrel 1E
Bonxie 9E
Arctic Skua 3E
Sandwich Tern c.20E
Commic Tern c.20E
Auk sp. 5E
Whitethroat c.15
Willow Warbler h
Raven 2
Corn Bunting 1

28th April 2001 Beachy 6.45am - 3.30pm. Wind strong WSW Force 5-6. Sunny an clear becoming warm

Gannet c.30E

‘Canada x Barnacle’ 1 opposite Charleston Manor briefly early am
Teal 1 Cuckmere
Scoter c.4E
Peregrine 2
Sandwich Tern 3E
Auk sp. c.10E
Sand Martin 1
Swallow c.30
House Martin c.50
Redstart 1 female
Garden Warbler c.5
Blackcap c.8
Lesser Whitethroat 2h
Whitethroat c.30
Grasshopper Warbler 1ex. reeling in ‘triangle’ near hut in Hollow. Superb views once pished into view with it running along dead branches in a brush pile. Latter seen reeling hanging upside down with wings and tail spread whilst reeling before ‘falling’ into grass - bizarre behavior. Would climb really quite high in bushes to sing. Yellow base to lower mandible, orange gape, white eye-ring. Finely streaked crown and mantle. Large dark markings on coverts. Yellow throat and breast. Long undertail coverts with large dark markings. Upperparts quite brown with wings outstretched etc.. Pink legs.
Willow Warbler c.8
Chiffchaff h
Pied Flycatcher 1 female Belle Toute Wood.
Raven 1
Corn Bunting 1

22/4/01 Beachy 5.55am - 12.30pm. Cold southerly moderate wind. Overcast but dry

Red-throated Diver 1 west, 1 in full s/p close inshore on sea before flying east - ex, 1 w/p on sea, 1E.

Black-throated Diver 26E - including many close full s/p individuals - ex. - barred white patches on upper-body easily visible on many s/p individuals.
Diver sp. c.7E
Manx Shearwater 2 ex.
Gannet c.350E - heavy passage mainly comprising of adults.
Cormorant 8 flew from south being originally very distant
Grey Heron 1 flew west
Brent c.175E
Tufted Duck 1 drake E with Scoter - good for Beachy
Scoter c.206E
Merganser c.18E
Peregrine pair in flight over Belle Toute lighthouse
Bar-tailed Godwit c.117E
Curlew 2E
Whimbrel 7E
Bonxie 7E
Pomarine Skua 1 pale morph with full tail E at 7.48am - extremely close - ex.
Arctic Skua 10E
Black-headed Gull c.20E
Common Gull c.30E - many 1^st winters/summers
Mediterranean Gull 1E 1^st-winter with Common Gulls
Little Gull 22E
Kittiwake c.200E
Sandwich Tern c.77E
Commic Tern c.31E
Auk sp. c.28E - probably under-recorded
Swallow c.2
Rock Pipit 1
Wheatear 2
Willow Warbler 2h
Raven 1 west over Birling

21/4/01 Beachy 6.30am - 11.00am. Very cold (car windows iced at dawn) with moderate northerly wind. Sunny.

Gannet c.20E

Heron 1 juvenile in Cuckmere
Sparrowhawk 1 roadside
Peregrine 1 male
Meadow Pipit c.10
Lesser Whitethroat 2h
Whitethroat 1
Willow Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 2
Goldcrest 1
Jay1
Raven  3 together flew East over Belle Toute at 8.00am with 4 together then flying west at 8.05am with 1 returning east at 8.20am. An amazing 20 minute period when Beachy reverberated to the sound of calling Ravens. Ex.
Corn Bunting c.3

16/4/01 Beachy 7.00am - 12.15pm. Cold northerly wind but bright and sunny

Gannet c.5

Sparrowhawk 1
Peregrine 1
Swallow c.6
Rock Pipit 1
Yellow Wagtail 2
Redstart 1 male ex. Hollow
Lesser Whitethroat h (1) in Cow Gap
Whitethroat 1
Willow Warbler c.5
Chiffchaff c.2
Firecrest 1 Belle Toute
Yellowhammer 1 roadside Ditchling Beacon
Corn Bunting 2

15/4/01 Beachy 7.30am - 10.00am. Cold north-westerly wind and heavy showers

Gannet c.10E

Sparrowhawk 1
Red-legged Partridge 1 Beachy - flew onto slope between Belle Toute and Birling Gap
Blackcap 1 female
Whitethroat 1
Willow Warbler c.5
Chiffchaff c.2
Corn Bunting 2

14th April 2001 Beachy 6.45am - 10.00am. Cuckmere 10.30am - 11.45am. Virtually calm but cold and overcast

Red-throated Diver 1E

small Grebe sp. 1E
Gannet c.10E
presumed Canada x Barnacle Goose hybrid Cuckmere
Shoveler 1 Cuckmere
Teal c.5 Cuckmere
Peregrine 1
Red-legged Partridge 2 Ditchling Beacon
Lapwing 1 Cuckmere
Black-headed Gull c.40E
Sandwich Tern 3E
White Wagtail 1
Corn Bunting 2

13th April 2001 : Beachy Head 7.30am - 1.15pm. Sunny with cold northerly breeze

Gannet c.10E

Brent Goose 18E
Merganser 5E
Peregrine 2
Grey Partridge 2 roadside Ditchling Beacon
Iceland Gull 1 faded (appeared largely wholly white) 1^st winter/summer (based on apparent all- black bill seemingly eliminating a faded 2^nd winter). Noticeably smaller (c.20%) than accompanying 1^st winter Great Black-backed Gull which was harrying the Iceland. Iceland appeared stiff-winged, quite bulky and large-billed (so recalled a Glaucous in many ways) but bill appeared wholly black through bins (feel sure pale-pink basal two-thirds of bill so typical of Glaucous would have been easily discernible at the range cf. Dungeness earlier in year). Primaries, secondaries and tail appeared almost bleached white. A few irregular pale brown markings across the coverts. Flew East at c.100m range roughly at eye-level at c.8.30am. First seen from behind the Birling Gap Hotel. Ran to cliff edge to see it disappearing east still flying alongside GBbG. Only in view for a couple of minutes at most. Concentrated on bill so head and underparts not noted. Later told of an Iceland Gull having been reported off Seaford Head just prior to bird past Birling. Presumably same individual but no idea of age/appearance of Seaford bird. 2^nd winter Glaucous reported off Newhaven!
Rock Pipit 1
Meadow Pipit c.12
Pied/White Wagtail h
Redstart 1 male in bushes east of Belle Toute
Wheatear 3
Whitethroat 1 just west of Belle Toute feeding on ground
Sedge Warbler h singing in isolated thicket to west of Belle Toute
Willow Warbler c.20 (including very greyish-white individual (N & NW Europe ?) at Birling.
Chiffchaff c.5
Pied Flycatcher 1 male Birling. Bird tired and kept closing its eyes whilst resting motionless. At one point flew to the ground very close to me and took an orange millipede which it quickly swallowed. Possibly a 1^st summer male as had brownish cast to primaries and secondaries and greyish tone to mantle (giving shawled effect) contrasting with black crown and nape. Small white patches above base of bill. Superb.
Corn Bunting 1

8th April 2001 : Beachy Head 7.00am - 10.30am. Sunny but cold northerly wind

Black Redstart 1

Willow Warbler 1
Linnet c.40

7th April 2001 : Beachy Head 7.00am - 10.00am. Virtually calm but cold and heavy showers

Diver sp. 2E

Brent Goose 5E
Scoter c.10E
Bonxie 2E together
Sandwich Tern 2E
Swallow 1
White Wagtail 1
Brambling h Belle Toute but inside wood and F&M restrictions keeping us out !
Linnet c.80

1st April 2001 : Beachy Head 7.00am - 11.00am. Cuckmere 11.30am - 12.00. Foggy and virtually calm with slightest southerly breeze

Little Egret 4 Cuckmere

Grey Heron 1 Cuckmere
Teal c.6
Green-winged Teal 1 drake displaying to a female in Upper Cuckmere
Sparrowhawk 1 Beachy
Kestrel 2
Sandwich Tern 1
Sand Martin c.3 Cuckmere
Swallow 2 Cuckmere
Rock Pipit 1
Black Redstart 1
Wheatear 2
Stonechat 1
Willow Warbler c.40 impressive fall for so early in year
Chiffchaff c.10
Goldcrest c.5
Raven 1