19th April 2016 Beachy Head Overcast becoming sunny W 1

After several very poor days birding on the Headland, at long last a decent fall of night migrants and our best fall so far this Spring. Mainly Willow Warblers but also a nice variety of other migrants, with the highlight being a female Pied Flycatcher. Small numbers of hirundines were moving north and a Short-eared Owl came in off the sea and moved north through Cow Gap. We covered most of the Headland sites including the Cliff Path and Icky Ridge while LP covered Whitbread Hollow and Cow Gap whilst RDME covered the Birling area and other sites.

Shelduck 1 pair prospecting over Shooters Bottom
Peregrine 1
Sandwich Tern 5 E
Cuckoo 1 Whitbread Hollow (per LP)
Short-eared Owl 1 in off the sea and headed N Cow Gap @ 10.05
Sand Martin 3 N
Swallow 11 N
House Martin 7 N
Yellow Wagtail 1 over Cow Gap (per LP)
Common Redstart 4 (2 males and 2 females)
Wheatear 2
Song Thrush 3
Sedge Warbler 1 Old Trapping Area
Common Whitethroat c10
Blackcap 10
Chiffchaff 5
Willow Warbler c100
Pied Flycatcher 1 female Cliff Path
Long-tailed Tit 1
Raven 2
Siskin 2

Good fall of Willow Warblers

Short-eared Owl came in off the sea and departed N

through Cow Gap

 

 Female Pied Flycatcher along the Cliff Path

 

Blackcaps in Belle Tout wood

Our first Early Purple Orchid for the year