AR and KG decided to do a sea-watch from Cow Gap from 07.30 to 11.30 and recorded the following.
Gannet c1,500 W, Sooty Shearwater 3W (2 @ 09.23 and 1 @ 10.55), Common Scoter 14, Red-breasted Merganser 1, Kittiwake 5. Purple Sandpiper 1 W with 1 Dunlin @ 10.40 approx. a quarter of the way out following some Gannets and the Dunlin allowed for a good comparison in size etc, of interest one was seen moving West from Dungeness during this morning
This Purple Sandpiper is the first record for Beachy Head since regular watching commenced in 1960, as far as I am aware. They were fairly regular visitors to the beach at the Crumbles, Eastbourne during the late 20th century but I haven't looked for them there during recent years. In the 1970's & 80's during the winter, I searched along the Cow Gap beach and the ledge leading out from the cliffs into the Channel with the hope of finding a Purple Sandpiper as the ledge looked a promising site for Purple Sandpipers, but with no sightings.
