18th August, 2016 Beachy Head Early morning rain, overcast humid W 0-1

A very humid morning. We covered Birling lane and the scrub opposite, Shooters Bottom, Old Trapping Area, Hotel Garden and Icky Ridge. RE was ringing in Whitbread Hollow and a number of other observers were covering the Headland sites. A decent arrival of night migrants which included a Wryneck and also 4 Nightingales and 3 Grasshopper Warblers were seen in the area. Diurnal migration included a juvenile Marsh Harrier out to sea and 22 Yellow Wagtails chiefly E.

Little Egret 1 E over the cliffs at Shooters Bottom
Marsh Harrier 1 juv out to sea (per LP)
Common Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1
Ringed Plover 1 over the Head
Tawny Owl 1 Whitbread Hollow
Swift 1 E
Wryneck 1 (per Jamie Wilkinson et al)
Sand Martin 10 E
Swallow 50 E
Yellow Wagtail 22 E
Nightingale 4 (2 Whitbread Hollow, 1 Shooters Bottom & 1 Birling)
Common Redstart 5 (4 Hollow & 1 Icky Ridge)
Whinchat 3
Wheatear 5
Cetti's Warbler 1 still present in the Hollow
Grasshopper Warbler 3 (1 Hollow, 1 Birling & 1 Belle Tout)
Sedge Warbler 3
Reed Warbler 11
Lesser Whitethroat 5
Common Whitethroat c80
Garden Warbler 4
Blackcap 8
Chiffchaff 1
Willow Warbler 50 (15 Hollow & 35 Headland)

 

Up to 80 Common Whitethroats were seen in the area today

Whinchat at Birling

 Sedge Warbler at Birling