Beachy and Cissbury (11-12 October)

Monday 12 October. A long day at Beachy that was ultimately disappointing. I arrived at 07:15 and covered Shooter's Bottom and the Old Trapping Area seeing very little. A search for a/the Lapland Bunting with Roger, Bob and Keith was unsuccessful and I walked along the cliff path and rides. I didn't go down into Frances Bottom, Cow Gap or Whitbread hollow as yesterday's report of the Lammergeier flying south over London had me thinking it might just go out over Beachy. It didn't and news it was still in Bedfordshire suggested the London report was erroneous. I caught up with John and Doreen then Brian by the hotel, none of us had seen very much. I drove down to Birling, walked to Belle Tout briefly seeing Laurence and Brian again then up the lane to Michel Dene. I drove to Crowlink where I spent an hour, leaving at 15:30. It seemed there were more birders than birds at Beachy. Of the latter I heard a Brambling and saw 10 Brent Geese (flying east off Birling), 5 Sparrowhawks, a Great Spotted and 2 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Ravens, 20+ Swallows, 520+ House Martins, 18 Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps, 7 Long-tailed Tits, single Firecrest and Goldcrest, just 5 Stonechats,  34 Redpolls, 6 Crossbills (flying west over the Cliff Path), 140 Goldfinches, 9 Siskins (flying west, others heard) and 2 Reed Buntings.

Long-tailed Tit along the Cliff Path

in a fast moving flock with a few Chiffchaffs and the Blackcaps , Firecrest and Goldcrest

the flock was the day's highlight along with seeing John and Doreen looking pretty good

Sunday 11 October. I hadn't been out with Megan for a few days so we decided to take Cookie to Cissbury. Just as we were setting out, not very early, I received news that a Radde's Warbler and been seen briefly on Seaford Head. Me dashing off (again) wouldn't be appreciated so it was politic to ignore it, thankfully I'd seen three in Sussex although the most recent was in 2005. Cissbury was about what one might expect arriving not particularly early on a Sunday with lots of walkers and dogs (including us). I saw Green Woodpecker, 2 Jays, Sky Lark, 3 Chiffchaffs, Blackcap, 8 Redwings (flying NW), a Redstart, 17 Stonechats, Greenfinch and 6 Yellowhammers. An indecisive afternoon was spent listening to the Eifel Grand Prix (where Lewis Hamilton's victory brought him level with Michael Schumacher on 91 wins, unimaginable a few years ago) and debating whether to go to Seaford (the Radde's was only showing intermittently) - until it was too late to get there. Instead I took Cookie to Buckingham Park but could only find 21 Goldfinches.

one of 17 Stonechats seen around Cissbury Ring. It's been a very good autumn for them

Clouded Yellow at Cissbury Ring