18th October, 2018 Beachy Head Fine sunny but cool NE 3+

A bright but breezy morning. We covered Birling lane, Old Trapping Area, Toilet block bushes, Hotel Garden, Icky Ridge, and Holywell. Met up with RKH, RES and KH who also covered areas on the Headland including Belle Tout wood and the Toilet block bushes. SL also visited The Old Trapping Area, Shooters bottom and Belle Tout wood. Virtually no diurnal migration was recorded, a few new night migrants including 2 Black Redstarts, (one of which landed on Doreen's head, but I wasn't quick enough to photograph it), and 5 Ring Ouzels along the Cliff Path. A Yellow-browed Warbler which came on RKH's pager from Holywell and which we all then went to see.

Its been reported that yesterdays report of an Arctic Warbler at Harry's Bush has now been
 re-identified as a northern type Willow Warbler. I understand that it was heard to call this morning.

Gannet 40 feeding off Birling
Kestrel 2 Headland
Golden Plover 5 E over Shooters Bottom
Meadow Pipit c40 E
Rock Pipit 2 Birling
Pied Wagtail 14 (4E)
Black Redstart 2 (1 Toilet block bushes and 1 Birling)
Ring Ouzel 5 Cliff Path
Blackcap 2 B/T wood
Yellow-browed Warbler 1 Holywell (found by AR)
Chiffchaff 30 Headland
Goldfinch 80 Headland
Reed Bunting 1 Icky Ridge

 

Black Redstart enjoying the early morning sunshine

Been a good Autumn for Chiffchaff numbers at Beachy.

Male Stonechat