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

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

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

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

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

15th September 2010 Woodingdean Downs

Buzzard 1

Peregrine 1

Kestrel 2

Yellowhammer 3

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

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

9th September 2010 Woodingdean Downs

Buzzard 1

Peregrine 2

Kestrel 2

Yellowhammer 5

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

6th September 2010 Standean Bottom

Kestrel 5
Wheatear 1
Whitethroat 1
Chiffchaff 2

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

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

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