JFC's Birding: 1st May, 2018 Beachy Head Sunny and clear but cold wind. WSW 2 increasing to 3-4

After a very wet and windy day yesterday, we decided to try a sea-watch in the hope that the odd Pom. may have been waiting for a break in the weather to move through the Channel. We sea-watched from 06.30-09.00 and within 5 minutes a d/p Pom. was picked out above the horizon with a good tail and spoon. It was watched firstly chasing a Herring Gull followed by a Kittiwake obviously hoping for breakfast. Within 5 minutes a superb l/p Pom. with a good white collar came along again above the horizon with the usual steady plodding flight, and another good tail. A third d/p Skua sp. than appeared again on the same line above the horizon with a steady plodding flight but this time I was unable to see any tail at all. I strongly suspected this to be another Pom. although I left it at sp. Although all 3 skuas were about 10 minutes apart, they were probably at one time were all moving together. We also had 2 Bonxies but just 10 Med. Gulls and only 2 Sandwich Terns.
We also covered the Old Trapping Area, Hotel Garden and Icky Ridge and RE had covered Birling lane, Birling loop, Cornish Farm track, B/T wood and Shooters Bottom. A small arrival of night migrants including 20 Wheatears and our first Spotted Flycatcher for the year.

Gannet 16 E
Shag 1 ad. E @ 8.05
Shelduck 1 W
Common Scoter 2 E
Red-legged Partridge 5 (2 pairs and 1 single bird)
Sanderling 1 E
Whimbrel 1 E
Pomarine Skua 2 E (1 d/p at 06.35, and 1 l/p at 06.45)
Skua sp. (probable Pomarine d/p E at 06.50)
Bonxie 2 E
Mediterranean Gull 10 (6 adults and 4 2ndcy)
Sandwich Tern just 2 E
Auk Sp. 1 E
Collared Dove 1 N up Birling lane
Tawny Owl 1
Green Woodpecker 1
Swallow 2
Wheatear 20 (Our largest daily total so far this year)
Song Thrush 2
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Common Whitethroat 5 (Still very low numbers present on the headland)
Garden Warbler 1 B/T wood
Chiffchaff 1
Willow Warbler 14
Spotted Flycatcher 1 B/T wood

Evening Sea-watch 17.40-19.25 by RAB
Red-throated Diver 1 E
Gannet 3 EWhimbrel 16 E
Arctic Skua 14 E
Bonxie 4 E
Black-headed Gull 52 E
Little Egret 1 Birling

Speckled Wood 1

Early Purple Orchid - Good numbers in flower at a number of sites.
Early Spider Orchid 24 counted at one site

As a matter of interest, observers at Cap Gris Nez in nearly 5 hours of sea-watching this morning reported 12 Pom. Skuas, 27 Arctic Skuas 3 Skua sps. 44 Black-throated Divers, 43 Black Terns, 688 Sandwich Terns, 261 Little Terns, and over 2,000 Commic Terns. plus a selection of other birds.
Once again, we seem to be on the wrong side of the Channel!!