On our journey to Beachy, we had a Little Owl fly across the road near Ditchling Common.
A number of birders were present today and most sites were covered on both the Headland and Whitbread Hollow/Cow Gap areas. ME covered virtually all the sites including Long Down and Cornish Farm. Good numbers of Crests were present and a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen briefly in Belle Tout wood. A Mealy Redpoll was ringed in Whitbread Hollow and good numbers of Lesser Redpolls were also seen. A Lapland Bunting flew over Belle Tout gulley but the highlight was 3 Bearded Tits flew W over the Hollow.
With some of the birding sites were being covered by different observers, I have had to make some allowance to avoid double counting. Combined totals: Little Egret 2 Birling beach, Common Scoter 5 on the sea Cow Gap, Sparrow Hawk 4, Stock Dove 25E, Green Woodpecker 1, Great-spotted Woodpecker 3 (Singles at Hollow, Bridle Path and Cliff Path), Wood Lark 1 W (ME), Swallow c100, House Martin c150 (Hollow), Grey Wagtail 1 E, Pied Wagtail 45 (37 on slope near B/T lighthouse), Robin 15 Headland, Black Redstart 1 Birling, Ring Ouzel 16 ( 2 Hollow, 2 Shooters Bottom, 5 Hotel Garden area, 3 Cliff Path, 4 Cow Gap), Fieldfare 4, Mistle Thrush 1 (Cliff Path), Dartford Warbler 4-5, (2 above B/T wood, 1 Hollow, 1-2 Shooters Bottom), "Blyth's" type Lesser Whitethroat 1 Shooters Bottom, Blackcap 13, Yellow-browed Warbler 1 briefly in Belle Tout wood (ME), Chiffchaff 30+, Goldcrest c80 in the Whole area, Firecrest 6 (1 Bridle Path, 2 Birling, 1 Cow Gap, 2 Hollow), Bearded Tit 3 E over Hollow photo (ME), Long-tailed Tit 10 (6 Hollow, 3 Cliff Path), Jay 2, Starling 2,000-3,000 Birling, Siskin 25 E, Goldfinch 120, Common Redpoll c150 (includes 80 in Whitbread Hollow), Mealy Redpoll 1 trapped and ringed Whitbread Hollow, Common Crossbill 1 E, Lapland Bunting 1 W at 08.15 over B/T gulley (ME), Reed Bunting 1.
Common Blue Butterfly 1
The following 3 photographs were taken bu Matt Eade
