Lovely Cornwall

Not been 'home' for a good while so with a family visit long overdue It was good to get back to Cornwall. I had very little dedicated birding time but it was still good to get a few hours at Penzance, Marazion and Hayle- I had forgotten how easy the birding is down south! ;) A few snaps below with the Black redstart being my bird of the week. Just for the interest of 'locals' I spent a day at the Eden project and recorded a number of birds in the 'biomes' - grey wagtail, blue tit, chaffinch, robin, wren, dunnock, blackbird, chiffchaff etc. Of greater interest was a fleeting glimpse of a chunky green/yellowish warbler with a significant bill that certainly looked like a 'hippo' sp.- worth checking in the 'rain forest' biome if you visit! -I didn't take my bins or camera in ;(

Black redstart- Penzance

Black Redstart

Little Egret, Newlyn 

Stonechat, Marazion.

Kernow birding

Just back from family pre-xmas visits in Bristol and Cornwall (Kernow). It's a long way to travel from the NW highlands of Scotland so I always incorporate some rather intensive birding along the way. Having done my bit in Bristol, it seemed an ideal opportunity to head up to Slimbridge WWT to catch up with the long staying long-billed dowitcher. It was a bright, cold, frosty morning as I headed up the M5 and I made good time, arriving at the visitors car park at 08:10- an hour and twenty minutes of daylight to use before the WWT opened at 09:30. I spent the time getting my scope and bins ready then enjoyed the varied flocks of wildfowl flying overhead. Birds were everywhere, something that always takes a while to get used to after a spell in the avian desert of the NW highlands! Having eventually got into the reserve, I was miffed to find that the hide to the south lake was closed for refurbishment- this had not been mentioned when I had rung up to enquire about access a few days before my visit. This was a serious blow as the LBD had often been seen from that location. My chances of connecting with the bird had been reduced by 50% and I immediately set off under a dark cloud to see if it was viewable from the alternative hide that overlooks the tack piece. The fresh wind was bitterly cold and blowing straight in my face as I carefully worked my way through the several thousand waders and wild fowl. I just started working through a flock of godwits in anticipation of getting on the LBD when a buzzard flew in and flushed everything- the godwit flock flying off high towards the south lake with no sign of my target bird. I had the all too familiar 'dipped out' feeling and trudged off to the Zeiss hide where as if in compensation I had great views of a bittern standing out in the open in bright winter sunshine. Of course I had opted for scope rather than camera so a cracking photo. opportunity went begging. I re-checked the tack piece with no sign of the LBD and as it was now late morning I headed out of the reserve to begin my drive to Cornwall. I watched a flock of geese land in a field next to the overflow car park so decided to have a quick look. I quickly got onto a small number of (european) white-fronts, and a dozen or so Bewick's swans. As I turned around I noticed a flock of waders in the opposite field so started working through them with the scope- unbelievably I got onto the dowitcher some 30 seconds later! I enjoyed the bird for 15 minutes or so before the whole flock was flushed and flew off to the south. I was a happy birder as I headed down the M5. Traffic was light and I made good time so had a quick look at Mounts Bay before heading to Helston. 

Over the next four days I spent innumerable hours working through the divers in Mounts bay before I finally got reasonable views of the Pacific diver. Having seen it a couple of times distantly, I was finally satisfied with views that I considered were good enough for me to add this to my life list- especially as it was associating closely with 3 black-throats that offered good comparisons. I also recorded dark-bellied brent goose, velvet scoter and common scoter, great northern divers and two very nice little gulls. Between intense scope sessions I wandered around the Marazion marsh where my best find was a firecrest- a cracking bird in my book! I also got on to a cracking black-necked grebe at college reservoir, Falmouth.

snipe- Marazion marsh

grey heron- Marazion marsh

Further time was spent at the Helston water treatment works near the boating lake and also at the Loe pool. I was pleased to find a black redstart, at least a dozen chiffchaffs and two more firecrests at these sheltered locations. The light was generally poor but I did scrape together a few photos.

black redstart- Helston sewage works

It was great to see so many chiffchaffs competing for the flies around the settling tanks. A blackcap was another bird I don't normally see in the winter months.

firecrest- Loe pool, Helston

a wee cracker!

The weather kicked off over the next few days so birding was difficult but I managed coastal walks on the lizard and at Pendeen watch. I decided not to go for the sub-alpine warbler in St. Just, as looking into peoples gardens is my least favourite type of birding. The lizard provided reasonable views of a chough and there were plenty of kittiwakes and common guillemots heading west past Pendeen watch.

rough seas off the Lizard

chough- Housel bay, the Lizard

Guillemots over rough seas at Pendeen watch

I decided to stop off in Exminster for the rose-coloured starling on my drive back to Bristol airport. I was just about to give up on the bird after waiting in the churchyard for over 2 hours when it flew up from a non-viewable garden and skulked in the tree tops for a minute or so before disappearing from view.

1st winter rose-coloured starling- honestly!

 All in all an excellent trip- some great birds seen and the family kept happy as well! 

Cornwall (mostly)

Family visits in Cornwall entailed a flight down to Bristol and a weeks worth of hire car. To ease the sense of despair concerning my dwindling bank account it seemed only fair and reasonable that to optimise my return I should undertake a bit of twitching and general birding whilst being in the vicinity of some good birds! 

16/05 Within an hour of touchdown I had driven to Woodford lodge at Chew valley lake, purchased my 'birding permit' driven on to Blagdon and got my scope on the wonderful squacco heron! (admittedly a fellow birder put me onto the bird and probably saved me a stressful hour or two combing the wet meadow!). Although the bird was only partially on view and rather distant, it was a great bird to see and a worthy addition to my UK life list!

Squacco heron

Two hours later I stopped off on the Charlton road bridge at west moor in Somerset, walked across a field and practically tripped over the white stork that had been reported in the area for a couple of days- my birding break (sorry- family visit!) was off to a flyer! I opted for the scope instead of the camera for this bird, which with hindsight, was the wrong choice. I even put 3 other birders onto the bird as you could walk right past it, if you didn't look through the right gap in the hedge- nice to help fellow birders after my assist on the squacco! :)

A few hours later and I was in Helston playing the part of the dutiful son, whilst at the same time secretly wishing that some more twitchable goodies would merit an sms message alert!

17/05 Mid morning I found myself back at one of my favourite birding locations- Marazion marsh. It was a cold day for May and birds were scarce but I picked up the likes of Cettis, reed and sedge warbler as well as little egret. An otter eating an eel on the surface of long rock pool was a pleasant bonus. Moving on to the Hayle estuary and then Gwithian produced only a grey plover and a couple of peregrines.  

sedge warbler

grey heron

18/05 Took a walk along the coast path at Predannack on the Lizard in the hope of finding my own good birds but everywhere was quiet. Had reasonable views of peregrine again, also singing whitethroat, but worryingly no sign of any dartford warblers.

whitethroat

dunlin

shags

fulmar

peregrine

A quick return to Marazion turned up some splendid whimbrel on the beach which were briefly joined by a grey plover.

whimbrel

sanderling, grey plover, dunlin

grey plover

The next couple of days were desperately quiet at Hayle, Marazion, Helston Looe pool and there was nothing to twitch. The only birds of note were green woodpecker, more little egrets and a couple of very smart stonechats. 

little egret- Ryans field, Hayle

I narrowly missed a roseate tern in Mounts bay, spent over two hours looking for another at Dawlish warren on the way home and then dipped out on one of my worst ever twitches when I went for the great reed warbler in Somerset- in fact it was so traumatic I can't bare to write about it!

All in all a great week looking at some great birds and pushing the year list up to 145. (and of course happy families well and truly played) :).