8th April, 2016 Beachy Fine sunny and warm N 1 becoming SW 1-2

A lovely Spring morning with the wild cowslips now beginning to show well on the Headland. We covered Birling lane with Bob Edgar who then covered Birling loop and Belle Tout wood before visiting Whitbread Hollow.  We covered Shooters Bottom, Old Trapping Area, Hotel Garden, Icky Ridge and the Cliff Path. We met up with Geoff Gowlett in Shooters Bottom. We then called in to see Roger and Liz and covered Hodcombe.
Very small numbers of migrants seen with the highlight being a large female Merlin which flew W along the cliff edge.
On the 5th Roger had 25 Willow Warblers and also saw the male Ring Ouzel in Hodcombe

Sparrowhawk 1
Merlin 1 female W along cliff edge Birling @ 07.35 (Our first for the year)
Peregrine 2
Collared Dove 2 W over Birling
Swallow 1
Black Redstart 1 Hotel Garden
Common Redstart 1 male Hodcombe
Song Thrush 1
Chiffchaff 8
Firecrest 2 (1 Birling and 1 Hotel Garden)
Long-tailed Tit 1
Raven 1
Goldfinch 15
Linnet 20
Yellowhammer 1 male singing

Firecrest at Birling