Beachy Head (28 September 2019)

Saturday 28 September. I arrived at Shooter's Bottom at dawn but a heavy shower kept me in the car for 5-10 minutes. I walked around Beachy for six hours, leaving at 13:00. It was generally dry but a strong SW wind kept birds down and where possible I went from one sheltered place to another. I started in Shooter's Bottom and drove on to the Old Trapping Area seeing a Firecrest at each. With parking restrictions from 08:00 I continued to the Hotel Garden. I then walked along the Cliff Path, into Frances Bottom (where a Grasshopper Warbler was flushed twice), Cow Gap (the day's only Wheatear on the beach), Whitbread Hollow and up through the rides and back along the Cliff Path. I drove to Birling and walked to Belle Tout where an hour in and around the wood produced virtually nothing despite being fairly sheltered. The scrub below the old lighthouse was marginally better. Back at Birling I didn't walk up the lane as by the time I returned to my car there was a constant stream of walkers there which was rather off-putting. As well as the species mentioned I saw single Little Egret, Sparrowhawk and Peregrine, 2 Ravens, 10 Blue, 7 Great and 13 Long-tailed Tits (the latter parties of 9 and 4 in small bird flocks), 80 Swallows, 17 House Martins, 34 Chiffchaffs, 53 Blackcaps, 9 Whitethroats, 16 Stonechats, 6 Pied Wagtails, 105 Meadow and 3 Rock Pipits, 12 Chaffinches, 80 Linnets and 100 Goldfinches. Disappointingly no redstarts, flycatchers, acros or yellow wagtails but it was still my most enjoyable visit this autumn. Later I took Cookie down to the Adur at low tide. We saw 2 Little Egrets, 13 Ringed Plover, 6 Lapwings, a first-winter Mediterranean Gull and a juvenile Common Gull.

first-winter Mediterranean Gull flying down the Adur

Friday 27 September. Megan and I took Cookie to Rackham. Very quiet birdwise, not helped by a strong wind. I saw 5 Grey Herons, 2 Swallows and 2 Long-tailed Tits and heard Coal Tit, Chiffchaff and Nuthatch. This used to be a really good woodland site but I've not felt that for a few years now and only persist in visiting for the lack of an alternative.

Thursday 26 September. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill on a wet and windy morning. I saw a Raven, Chiffchaff and 3 Goldcrests. During the day 7 Collared Doves managed to squeeze onto our 1 foot square bird table, probably a record. A late afternoon low tide visit to the Adur with Cookie produced 2 Little Egrets, a Grey Heron, 27 Ringed Plover, 9 Lapwings, 2 Dunlin and a Stock Dove.