Beachy (24 September 2017)

Sunday 24 September. A rare visit to Beachy made worthwhile by two Firecrests (at Shooter's Bottom and Birling Lane) but otherwise little different from recent days at Mill Hill and hardly worth the extra effort of driving there. In 8 hours, including one at Crowlink, I saw 6 Buzzards, 4-5 Sparrowhawks, Merlin, 2 Peregrines, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, 2 Sand Martins, 950 Swallows, 200 House Martins, a Rock and 145 Meadow Pipits, 4 Yellow, a Grey and 3 Pied Wagtails, Whinchat, 17 Stonechats, just a single Wheatear (!!!) and Whitethroat, Blackcaps, 31 Chiffchaff, the 2 Firecrests, 3 Goldcrests, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Ravens, 40 Goldfinches and 60 Linnets. Good to see Tonty Cook and Alan Kitson there. I called in at Arlington on the way home. Not my favourite place, a view not changed by this visit. I saw a Barnacle, 350 Grey Lag and 1000+ Canada Geese, a Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpipers. No sign of any Little Stints although a full-sized stripey young Great Crested Grebe pestering a parent was nice.

Beachy Head Lighthouse from the Bomber Memorial

France's Bottom and Eastbourne from the Bomber Memorial

fast moving Firecrest at Birling. My one chance at a photo and I couldn't focus. Nice bird though.

Goldcrest at Birling. One doesn't really need to see the head to separate silent crests, but it helps.

Wheatear at Beachy. Eight hours at Beachy in a SE wind during the third week of September and I saw just one

Yellow Wagtail at Birling

Saturday 23 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where I recorded 2 Buzzards, 350 Swallows, 450 House Martins, a Yellow Wagtail (heard), 3 Whitethroats, 6 Blackcaps and 10 Chiffchaffs. Later Megan and I took Cookie down to the east side of Shoreham Harbour seeing 16 Turnstones and 3-4 Sandwich Terns. Late afternoon I went to Pulborough North Brooks seeing the 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, a Knot, 5 Dunlin, 6+ Common Snipe, a Marsh Harrier (young male?), 1-2 Spotted Flycatchers and Nick Pope. 

Lancing Ring and Steepdown from the lower car park on Mill Hill

Buzzard at Mill Hill. Pretending to be a Ring Ouzel but I wasn't convinced

Roe Deer at Mill Hill

Steep Down and Rampion earthworks from Mill Hill

Turnstone on Shoreham Harbour east arm. Smart bird, shame about its feet

I counted 16 but must have missed one as Alan Kitson later had 17.