19th March, 2019 Beachy Head Overcast with early sea-mist becoming sunny. W 1 to 2

We sea-watched from 06.25 to 07.40 with a short second watch from 09.50 to 10.10. We then covered Belle Tout wood, Old Trapping Area, Radio mast bushes, Hotel Garden, Icky Ridge, and valley opposite Shooters Bottom. RE covered Birling lane, the Birling - Belle Tout loop, and the Cornish Farm track. Again very little was moving out to sea, and very few migrants were seen in the area with the highlight being a pair of Black Redstarts which are our first for this year.

Red-throated Diver  5 (2W, 2 E and 1 s/p on the sea)
Fulmar 6
Common Scoter 16 E
Sparrowhawk 1 male Old Trapping Area
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 3 (2 Birling and 1 Icky Ridge stack)
Red-legged Partridge 1
Green Woodpecker 1 B/T wood
Skylark 1 E over cliffs from sea-watch
Meadow Pipit 12 majority displaying
Pied Wagtail 3
Black Redstart  2 (superb ad male and female on grassy bank between Shooters Bottom and Old Trapping Area)
Song Thrush 3
Chiffchaff 4 (2 Radio mast bushes, 1 opposite Shooters Bottom 1 Birling area)
Goldfinch 6
Linnet 10 Set-aside field

Porpoise 1 off Birling

 

Adult male Black Redstart between Shooters Bottom and Old Trapping Area.

Chiffchaff in the Radio mast bushes 

Skylark at Icky Ridge

 Cowslips coming into flower, in a weeks time there will
probably be 10,000 in flower on the Headland