November

           Total number of species for the year 181

24th

Very few birds today apart from a Marsh Harrier moving north and 4 Snipe, 1 Woodcock, 9 Grey Partridges, 8 Yellowhammers and this Short-eared Owl all flushed out of the Big Field.

On the Leas there has been this enormous cliff fall - at this rate Bockhill won't exist soon.

18th

A very strong southerly gale made seawatching impossible and the only birds seen today were at Kingsdown Undercliff and Oldstairs Road which included 2 Black Redstarts, 2 Stonechats, 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrests and 21 Long-tailed Tits.

17th

A sea watch in freezing conditions produced very few birds but of note were 1 Black-throated Diver, 50+ Fulmars (newly arrived sitting on the sea), 1 Little Auk, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull and a magnificient 1st winter Glaucous Gull on the beach. Around the area were 3 Stonechats, 4 Brambling, 1 Black Redstart and a Merlin.

11th

Seawatching at the Bay and Kingsdown today produced more Divers, Geese and Ducks etc. Most notable were 2 Black-throated Divers, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 3 Great Skuas, 1 Pomarine Skua, 2 Goldeneyes (new for year) and 17 Little Auks.

Coming in from across the Channel were small flocks of Starlings and Blackbirds, but most interesting were the Woodcocks (5 in all) that struggled in and 'flopped' down in the undergrowth at the base of the cliffs.

10th

After the 'big blow' on 9th a seawatch from 08.00-10.00hrs at the Bay and 11.00-

15.00hrs at Kingsdown produced 10 Red-throated Divers, 3 Black-throated Divers,

5 Great Crested Grebes, 207 Brent Geese, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 32 Shelducks, 41 Scoters, 1 Scaup (new for year), 1 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Grey Plovers,

5 Turnstones, 9 Dunlins, 1 Arctic Skua, 3 Razorbills, 15 Auk sp. and 13 Little Auks (one of which sat on the sea in front of us).

4th

Early morning there was again a movement of birds north with 7 Stock Doves,

14 Carrion Crows, 450 Starlings, 17 Siskins, 72 Chaffinches, 14 Bramblings, 5 Bullfinches, 28 Redpolls, 52 Goldfinches, 15 Linnets and a Snow Bunting.

Two new birds for the year were flushed from the Big Field -- Dartford Warbler and Woodcock

On the sea we had, 1 Black-throated Diver, 343 Brent Geese, 115 Scoter, 7 Piintail and 5 Red-breasted Mergansers. Also present were 3 Harbour Porpoises.

3rd

Much was expected of today with the north-westerly wind and from dawn until 09:00hrs there was a steady influx of birds from across the Channel moving in a northerly direction. There were 21 Golden Plovers, 18 Stock Doves, 93 Starlings,

16 Corvids, 3 Coal Tits, 2 Woodlarks, 21 Bramblings, 45 Chaffinches, 28 Siskins, 52 Goldfinches, 4 Redpolls, 2 Bullfinches and 5 Snow Buntings.

Around the area we had 7 Swallows, 3 Stonechats, 5 Goldcrests and 8 Yellowhammers.