Tuesday 15 March 2022

Sea-watching, Birling Gap, Beachy Head

Sea-watching Birling Gap, Beachy Head 8th March, 2022, 06.45-10.30

Doreen and myself joined RAB, & LP for an excellent easterly passage:

Brent Geese 890E , Common Scoter 104E, Wigeon 15 E, Red-throated Diver 23 E, Teal 9 E, Auk Sp. 15 E, Shoveler 13 E, Pintail exactly 100 E, Long-tailed Duck 1 E with 3 Scoter, Curlew 1.

Comments: The Long-tailed Duck, we have now recorded 13 records since 1960  with a total of 21 individual birds seen, and our last sighting was in 2010.

Pintail:  Other large movements of Pintail seen from Birling Gap : 1995 200 E on 10 March, and 2006 275 E in six hours of watching on the 13th March 2006.

Sea-watching Birling Gap, Beachy Head 15th March, 2022  07.00 - 10.30

David and myself joined RAB, LP and RJF, but very little movement recorded with a very light wind and fine weather. 07.00 to 10.30.

Red-throated Diver 37E (seven seen after RAB had left), Common Scoter 57 (nineteen seen after RAB had left), Shelduck 5 E and 2 W, Great-crested Grebe 3 E and 1 on the sea, Red-breasted Merganser 3 E, Black-headed Gull 38 E (after RAB had left), Mediterranean Gull 4 E (Two seen after RAB had left), Canada 3 E and W out to sea, Peregrine 1, Wagtail Sp 1 in off the sea,  Stonechat 3.