Happy memories - Blue Rock Thrush
Super find by Al. and the first for Sussex.
A beautiful clear, calm sunny morning. We covered Birling lane and scrub, Belle Tout wood and scrub, Shooters Bottom and the Old Trapping Area. RE, SM and PF were ringing in Whitbread Hollow.
A disappointing morning on the Headland with just a few new night migrants present and virtually no overhead migration seen. In Whitbread Hollow more migrants were present although the bright sunlight kept ringing totals to a minimum with the highlight being a Nightingale which was a different bird to that seen in Cow Gap gully yesterday.
Combined totals:
Tawny Owl 2 (1 Hollow & 1 on road by S Bends leading
to Hollow.)
Green Woodpecker 2
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
Sand Martin 2
Swallow 15
Nightingale 1 trapped Hollow
Wheatear 2
Song Thrush 2
Sedge Warbler 4
Reed Warbler 12 (4 Headland & 8 Hollow)
Lesser Whitethroat 6 (2 Shooters and 4
Hollow)
Common Whitethroat 81 (31 Headland &
50 Hollow)
Garden Warbler 8
Blackcap 8
Chiffchaff 2
Willow Warbler 59 (19 Headland &
40 Hollow)
Greenfinch 4+ Hollow
Bullfinch 2 Hollow
Corn Bunting 2
Reasonable numbers of common downland butterflies were seen today, no estimate was made and the following are the more interesting ones seen:
Wall 1
Chalk Hill Blue c50 mainly males
Silver-spotted Skipper 4
Painted Lady 1
Early morning Reed Warbler at Birling
1st cal yr. Willow Warbler at Birling.
Silver Spotted Skipper-just 4 seen today in nice sunny weather.
Could our population be on the decline.
