27th March 2005 Ditchling, Bedelands & Ardingly

Ditchling 6.30am
Yellowhammer 1

Bedelands 7am – 8.30am

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 2 pair ex.

Ardingly Reservoir 9.30am – 11.30am

Great Crested Grebe c.30
Buzzard 1

28th March 2005 Beachy Calm and Misty

Little Egret 1
Scoter 4E
Auk sp. 1
Red-legged Partridge 1 on wall of Belle Toute Lighthouse
White Wagtail 1
Alba Wagtail 1
Stonechat 10 (5 pairs)
Wheatear 3
Black Redstart 1
Blackcap 1 male
Willow Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 1 and 2h
Goldcrest 1
Corn Bunting 3
Yellowhammer 1

26th March 2005 Beachy seawatch 6.00am – 7.00am NE2 Clear

Red-throated Diver 2E

Great Crested Grebe 1 on sea
Gannet 11E, 5W
Brent Goose 4E
Mallard 10E
Shoveler 2E
Scoter 9E
Sparrowhawk 4
Peregrine 1
Auk sp. 2E
Collared Dove 3
Woodpigeon 8
Meadow Pipit 55
Black Redstart 1
Stonechat 2
Wheatear 6
Chiffchaff 3
Goldcrest 3
Linnet 7
Corn Bunting 3

Chailey Common 2.00pm – 4.30pm
Dartford Warbler 1 singing male ex.

25th March 2005 Beachy 6.00am – 10.00am Thick fog. Virtually calm, Cuckmere & Ashdown

Meadow Pipit 30

Stonechat 3
Chiffchaff 1 heard singing
Corn Bunting 3 singing

Cuckmere 10.15am – 11.15am Misty with fog rolling-in.

Little Ringed Plover 1 flew north

Gill’s Lap and Old Lodge, Ashdown 1.00pm – 5.00pm. Warm and sunny!

Great Grey Shrike 1 Gill’s Lap
Common Redstart 1 male Old Lodge
Woodlark 1 Old Lodge
Redpoll 2 Old Lodge

20th March 2005 Beachy Seawatch 6.10am-8.10am and 9.45am-10.45am. NE 4 cloudy

Red-throated Diver 4 on sea

Great Crested Grebe 1 on sea
Black-necked Grebe 3 on sea including one in full s/p. Another had dark red tinge to breast. All had golden fans. Ex.
Gannet 55E
Brent Goose 232E
Shelduck 17E
Mallard 2E
Pintail 48E
Shoveler 30E
Wigeon 2E
Teal 13E
Scaup 1E
Scoter 135E
Merganser 39E
Black-headed Gull 61E
Sandwich Tern 6E
Razorbill 2 on sea and 1E
Guillemot 1 on sea
Auk sp. 139E
Swallow 1 east
Meadow Pipit 16
Pied Wagtail 1
Black Redstart 1
Stonechat 5
Wheatear 3
Blackbird 1 in off sea at Birling
Chiffchaff 3
Goldcrest 2 in off sea at Birling, 7 in area
Starling 1 in off sea at Birling

19th March 2005 Beachy. 6.30am – 11.30am. Calm and foggy

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 1
Lapwing 1 flew south
Short-eared Owl 1 flew very high NE
Meadow Pipit 38 including 6N
Grey Wagtail h
Pied Wagtail 1
White Wagtail 2N
Black Redstart 7
Stonechat 4
Wheatear 9 including at least 2 females
Blackbird 8
Redwing 2
Chiffchaff 5
Goldcrest 19
Jay 2
Goldfinch 2

13th March 2005 Beachy N1-2 then W3-4. Sunny though early frost. Seawatch 6.50am – 9.10am

Red-throated Diver 27E, 1 sat on sea

Diver sp. 4E
Great Crested Grebe 1E
Fulmar c.30
Gannet 43E virtually all adults
Cormorant 7W
Canada Goose 3E
Brent Goose 3E
Shelduck 2E, 2W
Scoter 21E
Buzzard 1 Burgess Hill
Herring Gull c.15E
Great Black-backed Gull c.10
Kittiwake 6E
Auk sp. 16E, 11W
Tawny Owl 1 sat above road Ditchling Beacon c.6.10am
Green Woodpecker 2
Skylark c.10 singing
Meadow Pipit c.5W
Alba Wagtail c.6N including 2 in off sea from Birling seawatch
Robin c.10
Stonechat 2
Song Thrush c.10
Blackbird c.5
House Sparrow c.6
Chaffinch c.5
Linnet c.40
Goldfinch 4
Corn Bunting 4 singing males

12th March 2005 Beachy Seawatch 7am – 8am, then area until 12.15pm. Sunny Light NW3 strengthening to NW5

Red-throated Diver 5E, 1W

Diver sp. 1W
Great Crested Grebe 1W
Fulmar c.20
Gannet 4E, 1W
Cormorant 1ad W, 1ad E
Brent Goose 1E and 1W off Cow Gap
Shelduck 1 flew north over top fields – prospecting?
Wigeon c.50 Cuckmere
Teal c.10 Cuckmere
Scoter 16E
Red-breasted Merganser 2E
Peregrine 2 pair
Pheasant 1
Oystercatcher 7E, 5W Cow Gap
Black-headed Gull c.10
Common Gull c.5
Herring Gull c.15
Kittiwake 4E, 7W
Auk sp. 30E, 2W
Wood Pigeon c.25 including a flock of c.18 north through Hollow
Green Woodpecker 2
Skylark c.5 including singing individuals
Meadow Pipit c.6 coasting west
Alba Wagtail c.3 in flight
Grey Wagtail 1 north west
Wren c.3
Dunnock c.6
Robin c.12
Song Thrush 5
Blackbird c.15
Goldcrest 1
Long-tailed Tit 2
Jackdaw c.25
Carrion Crow 3 in off sea
House Sparrow c.5
Chaffinch c.8
Linnet c.40
Goldfinch 1

Bedelands Farm, Burgess Hill 2.00pm – 4.00pm Mainly overcast.

Buzzard 1
Kestrel 2
Moorhen 1
Stock Dove 2 displaying
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Grey Wagtail 1
Song Thrush c.3
Redwing c.20
Mistle Thrush 2
Goldcrest 3
Bullfinch 1

9th March 2005 Triangle Leisure Centre, Burgess Hill 7.00am – 8.30am Cold and overcast

Waxwing 6

6th March 2005 Bluebell Wood near Ditchling Common 7.45am – 9.30am, Ditchling Common 11.00am – 12.00pm. Snow at first then brighter though cold

Canada Goose c.8

Sparrowhawk 1
Moorhen c.10
Black-headed Gull c.10
Tawny Owl h
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Mistle Thrush 2
Goldcrest 2
Great Tit c.6
Coal Tit 2
Blue Tit c.10
Marsh Tit 1 allowed close views in response to playback – small black bib and lacked a pale panel in the secondaries

Long-tailed Tit c.6

Nuthatch 1
Treecreeper 2
Magpie 2

5th March 2005 Roedean Pitch and Putt Course 8.00am – 9.30am, St. Georges, Ditchling Common 10.30am – 12.00pm. Cold with light north wind

Great Crested Grebe 2 on sea off Marina

Cormorant 2 Marina
Mute Swan 1 1w
European White-fronted Goose 1 St. Georges prob 1w as although it had a well developed white flank line and white blaze it lacked any black patches to the belly. Bill pink with a vague orange tinge when viewed head-on. Dark head and upper neck with vertical dark scars to neck. Breast pale. Pale wavy lines across mantle and scapulars. Tail with broad white tip and white rump. Orange legs. Smaller than the accompanying Greylags. Raised wings revealing narrow grey bar across greater coverts broadening across primary coverts. Dark orbital ring!
Greylag Goose 112
Canada Goose c.60
Mallard 2
Kestrel 2 St. Georges
Pheasant 1 St. Georges
Moorhen 10 St. Georges
Lapwing 14 St. Georges
Black-headed Gull c.50 Roedean
Herring Gull c.10
Kumlien’s Gull 1 2w Roedean
Guillemot 1 Marina
Razorbill 1 off Marina
Auk sp. C.20W off Marina
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 St. Georges
Song Thrush 2 St. Georges
Redwing c.20 St. Georges
Mistle Thrush 2 St. Georges
Goldcrest 1 St. Georges
Long-tailed Tit 2 St. Georges
Nuthatch 1 St. Georges
Treecreeper 1 St. Georges
Jay 1 St. Georges

1st March 2005 Roedean Pitch and Putt Course 3.00pm – 5.00pm. Cold south wind

Mute Swan 1 1w

Kumlien’s Gull 1 2w Roedean Pitch and Putt Course. Tiny pale greenish tip to bill with broad black subterminal band and pale green base. Bill appeared quite small and narrow. Eye often looked dark but scrutiny in strong light revealed a pale yellowish iris. Head small and rounded primarily white but with some feint narrow brownish streaks. Head somewhat suggestive of Ring-billed Gull at times. Neck white contrasting with brown-washed underparts. Mantle grey with just one dark strek seen and hence advanced for a 2w. Wing coverts bleached white with brown centers to the coverts. Upper tertials bleached white but covered tertial barred brown with wavy lines. Primaries principally white but with subtle grey centers to what appeared P8 to P10. Appeared very long winged with projection beyond tail considerably longer than bill. Upper surface of tail appeared unbleached and quite brown. In flight the most striking feature was the dark upper surface to the tail that was easily the darkest area of the bird – appeared as a very broad dark tail band with the entire tail feathers dark. At times the tail appeared silvery and sometimes the darkness was ‘lost’. Rump pale and appeared white-centred. Upperwings appeared quite white but with a subtle grey wash to the secondaries and outermost four primaries contrasting with the whiter inner primaries. Ex.
Starling c.300