13th July, 2017 Beachy Head Fine and sunny SE 1 increasing to 2-3

We met up with RAB and covered Birling lane and scrub opposite, Shooters Bottom, Old Trapping Area, Hotel Garden and Icky Ridge area and finally Belle Tout wood. LP also covered a number of sites on the headland. Several new night migrants seen and 35 Sand Martins E.
Combined totals as follows:

Ringed Plover 1 over the headland
Common Buzzard 1 Birling
Kestrel 1 juv.
Black-headed Gull 20 off Birling
Green Woodpecker 2 Birling
Sand Martin 35 E
Swallow 15
Song Thrush 2 Shooters Bottom
Sedge Warbler 2 (Old Trapping Area & Shooters Bottom)
Reed Warbler 1 Old Trapping Area
Lesser Whitethroat 2 Shooters Bottom
Common Whitethroat 26
Chiffchaff 1
Raven 2
Starling 200 (many juvs.)

Butterflies estimated numbers:
Meadow Brown c40
Gatekeeper c50
Chalk Hill Blue 3
Small Heath 1
Large Skipper 1
Small Skipper c15
Essex Skipper 1
Comma 1
Small White c15
Large White 2
Red Admiral 3
Marbled White c20

Fox 1

LP visited the headland yesterday evening and saw the Little Owl with 1 young at Birling manor farm, also had a juv. Yellow-legged Gull fly over the headland.

Comma in Belle Tout wood.