18th July, 2016 Beachy Head Hot and humid Wind virtually nil

We covered all the main areas on the Headland and we met up with LP who had covered the Old Trapping Area. Highlight was a Beachy local mega when a Kingfisher was watched flying up the main pathway in Shooters Bottom heading straight to the cliffs at 08.15. This is our 8th record since regular watching commenced in 1960 but only the second this century with the last being seen by Tony Quinn in Whitbread Hollow in Sept, 2014. Otherwise a small number of new arrivals with 7 Willow Warblers all but one were 1stW birds. LP had a Grasshopper Warbler in the Old Trapping Area. Diurnal passage with small numbers of Sand Martins and Swifts with 2 Yellow Wagtails E (per LP) overhead.

Little Egret 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Swift 10
Kingfisher 1 Shooters Bottom
Sand Martin 22
Swallow 15
Yellow Wagtail 2 E (per LP)
Pied Wagtail 4
Grasshopper Warbler 1 near Old Trapping Area (per LP)
Sedge Warbler 3
Common Whitethroat 15
Willow Warbler 7 (6x1stW and 1 adult)
Raven 4 (an adult was displaying over the stack of Icky Ridge with 2 young stood on the stack)

Fox 3 (Vixen with 2 almost full grown fox cubs) in Shooters Bottom.

With the sunny hot weather much larger numbers of common butterflies were seen including 20 Small Skippers and fair numbers of Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Marbled Whites also 3 Red Admirals

 

1stW Willow Warbler at Birling

Distant Fox's in Shooters Bottom