22nd April, 2018 Beachy Head Sea-mist, Sunny and hot over the Headland. S1 to SW3

We met up with RE and sea-watched from 06.05-10.05. Sea-mist again hampered our sea-watch with small numbers of Skuas moving and a small passage of other sea-birds. We visited Shooters Bottom where LP had found a Little Bunting feeding on the central pathway and showed well to us, and just before we arrived at Shooters, an Alpine Swift flew over and seen by LP and RE, which unfortunately we just missed. KG and AR visited Whitbread Hollow and Cow Gap and RE also visited Belle Tout wood.

Red-throated Diver 2 (1 E and 1 on the sea)
Gannet 48 E
Brent Goose 105 E
Common Scoter 301 E
Kestrel 1
Grey Plover 2 E
Bar-tailed Godwit 16 E
Whimbrel 50 E
Arctic Skua 10 E
Bonxie 7 E
Sandwich Tern 77 E
Commic Tern 1 E
Alpine Swift 1 W @ 10.15 (LP & RDME) This is now our 16th record of 17 individuals since  1960. 
Swallow 8
Pied Wagtail 3
Wheatear 3
Ring Ouzel 1
Song Thrush 2
Lesser Whitethroat 2 Whitbread Hollow
Common Whitethroat 2
Carrion Crow 2 in off the sea
Raven 3 Birling
Little Bunting 1 Shooters Bottom (LP et al).  Just one previous record seen in Sept, 1998, and an excellent find by LP.

Harbour Porpoise 4 showing well off Birling
Early Spider Orchid 5 showing

 

Little Bunting found by LP in Shooters Bottom