Just like this time last year, I'm starting to venture over towards Beachy a few more times, more so just to keep the enthusiasm up.
Over a five hour period I had an enjoyable circular walk covering in order: Hotel Garden, Icky Ridge, Francis Bottom, Cow Gap, Whitbread Hollow, Rides above Hollow, path linking Beachy Road to Cornish Farm, Shooter's Bottom and the Old Trapping Area. Unfortunately there wasn't a great deal of new arrivals around, and not a great deal moving over either with the highlight here being 10 Grey Wagtails moving west.
Other noteworthy species included two Grasshopper Warblers in the 'Gropper Field', and three Red-legged Partridge in Cow Gap. All the Wheatears were encountered inland south of the path (with the two Redstarts along this path), whilst Shooter's Bottom held most of the Reed Warblers encountered this morning, and a Spotted Flycatcher was also seen here. I didn't try for the Wryneck as I arrived quite late at Shooter's and felt it wasn't worth trying.
This afternoon I unsuccessfully completed my 18th hour of searching for the juv Montagu's Harrier north of Telscombe in the various valleys up towards Balsdean and Swamborough Hill. Being at a close vantage point the only birds I could find were five Buzzards (including a smart juv with an obvious white upper tail, and an older bird with a single white central-tail feather that from a distance looked like a white upper tail) among many other expected birds of prey. The Harrier was seen a few times today before my arrival after a few days of absence and therefore hopefully I still have a chance to see it.
Totals for the morning:
Whitethroat - 40
Willow Warbler - 5
Yellow Wagtail - 33 W
Reed Warbler - 7
Blackcap - 40
Lesser Whitethroat - 5
Grey Wagtail - 10 W
Grasshopper Warbler - 2
Tree Pipit - 2 W
Whinchat - 2
Red-legged Partridge - 3
Chiffchaff - 2
Wheatear - 9
Redstart - 2
Spotted Flycatcher - 1
 |
| Grasshopper Warbler in the 'Gropper Field' |
 |
| Wheatear |
 |
| Whinchat opposite Shooter's Bottom |
 |
| Western end of Cow Gap |
 |
Looking back to Francis Bottom &
the 'Gropper Field'
|
