29th March, 2018 Beachy Head Early frost, cloudy with sunny periods and cold. W to SW 3-4

A cold start with an early frost. We sea-watched from 06.45-08.45 and again from 09.45-11.30. A reasonable movement chiefly Divers and Brent Geese but also our first Arctic Skua of the Spring.
We walked up Birling Lane to give our eyes a rest before doing the second-watch. RB visited Belle Tout wood and Shooters Bottom and had a new Firecrest in B/T wood.

Red-throated Diver 93 E
Great-crested Grebe 3 (1 E and 2 on the sea)
Gannet 22 E
Canada Goose 2 W
Brent Goose 403 E
Eider 2 E
Common Scoter 100 E
Velvet Scoter 1 E
Arctic Skua 1 l/p E (our first for the year)
Mediterranean Gull 2E
Black-headed Gull 75 (55 E)
Common Gull 130 (70 E and 60 on the sea)
Kittiwake c520 (chiefly an estimate after sample counts)
Sandwich Tern 20 E
Rock Pipit 1 in Birling car park
Chiffchaff 4
Firecrest 1 B/T wood (our 15th so far this Spring)
Raven 1

Two Eiders off Birling

Brents again moving off Birling.