Q.I.

Cornwall

We had a fantastic holiday in Cornwall, arriving back home on Monday. The holiday was a mixture of sightseeing and birding. I got great views of the Choughs at Lizard Point. So many new ticks for this year, my head was spinning.

The holiday cottage overlooked a field of Bulls. They were very curious.

26th April
Arrived in St.Ives at 21:30

A Herring Gull mobbing a G.B.B.Gull. He kept attacking for about five minutes.

27th April
Lands End 
Gannet, Fulmar, Stonechat, Shag, Jackdaw, G.B.B Gull

28th April
Marazion RSPB Reserve
I was a little disappointed with the reserve, because there were no huts or RSPB representation. Apparently, local hooligans had burned down the previous hut, so they didn't replace it :-(
3 Cetti's Warbler (heard 3 - seen 1), 2 Wren, Reed Bunting, Common Buzzard, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler

Lizard Point

2 Chough, Rock Pipit, Gannet, Whimbrel, Fulmar, Turnstone, Chiffchaff, G.B.B.Gull, 2 Grey Seal.

29th April
Horrible weather. We stayed locally. Spotted a Gannet near St.Ives harbour.

Cornwall is famous for it's Tin Mines. The Cornish flag is a white cross on a black background, which represents St. Piran, who is the patron saint of tin miners.

30th April
Cape Cornwall
Raven (getting mobbed by Gulls), Kestrel, Stonechat, Rock Pipit, Gannet, Cm. Buzzard, Swallow

1st May
Hayle Estuary
B.H.Gull, Cm. Buzzard, Canada Goose, Shelduck, G.B.B.Gull
Mousehole
G.B.B.Gull, House Sparrow
Prussia Cove
Goldfinch, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler
Mullian Cove
Shag, Raven, Fulmar

Grey Seals at the Knavocks (close to Godrevy Island). One poor seal had some netting wrapped around it's neck.

2nd May
Hayle Estuary
We were driving past the estuary and I noticed a few birders on the main road. I jumped out of the car to find out what they were looking at, and got to see the Ring billed Gull and Med Gulls. What a stroke of luck :-)
1 Ring Billed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Whimbrel,
Gwithian
Sandmartin, G.B.B.Gull, Canada Goose, Skylark
Hells Mouth - The Knavocks - Godrevy Island
2 Kestrel, 2 Cm.Buzzard, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 40 Grey Seal, Stonechat, Rock Pipit, Swallow, Fulmar, 6 Whimbrel, G.B.B.Gull, 1 L.B.B.Gull, 1 Raven (being mobbed by a Kestrel), 4 Guillemot

Watch the birdy....!

3rd May
Mevagissey
Goldfinch, G.B.B.Gull, Shag
St.Agnes - very spartan.
1 Kestrel, 1 Stonechat, Jackdaws

Guess where I found this little fella....

4th May
Zennor - Morvah
1 Cuckoo, Whitethroat, Cm.Buzzard, Willow Warbler
Lands End
Dunnock, Linnet,
Mousehole
4 Oystercatcher, 2 Whimbrel

5th May
Port Issac
1 Grey Seal, 1 Cormorant, G.B.B.Gull, Fulmar, Kestrel

I've just spotted a Peregrine Falcon. 

The light in Cornwall is so bright and radiant compared to back home. Apparently, Cornwall is very popular with Artists for this very reason... 

6th May
Zennor
Kestrel, Cm.Buzzard, Whitethroat, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Gannet, Jackdaw

7th May
No birding

8th May
No birding

9th May
Lizard Point
2 Whitethroat, 2 Chough, 2 House Martin, 1 Kestrel, 1 Rock Pipit
We met some birders from Yorkshire, who had apparently seen a House Finch at Lands End the day before. They weren't sure whether it was an escapee or not.
Kynance Cove
I highly recommend visiting Kynance Cove. It's one of the most beautiful coves in Cornwall.
4 Swift, 1 Wheatear

This Pub, The Sloop Inn, in St.Ives was our local. It was built in 1312 and was very atmospheric. I tried the local brew, DOOM BAR, and it was the best pint I've had in years. Doom Bar is a bank of sand at the mouth of the Camel Estuary, and has caused many a shipwreck over the years. 

10th May
Home, James.

The Furry Dance in Helston. We got to see the midday dance. The whole town celebrates this ancient custom.

Keyhaven to Lower Pennington Marshes

Had a fantastic day today. Everywhere I looked, there were birds. We arrived at Keyhaven, and the first birds I saw were a pair of Wheatear. The female was sat in a hedge, the male was on the grass, and showed well. Further down the pathway, in the first lagoon, there were Shelduck, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, 2 Avocet, Coot, Moorhen, and a Little Grebe. Little Terns and Common Terns were fishing in the lagoon. Linnets were flying along the pathway. Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover dug away on the muddy shore. Walking round the lagoon on to an open grassy area, 2 Whitethroat, and a Greenfinch sang at the top of bushes. Swallows and Sandmartins flew overheard, catching insects. A Swift made a flyby. Lapwings and Skylarks showed their disdain at my presence. On the way back to the car, a female Kestrel preened herself while sat on a fence.

Off to Cornwall tomorrow.

Broadland Lakes & Lower Test

Broadland Lakes is a very popular place for fishing, but great place for birding - Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Kingfisher, Moorhen, Coot and even Peacock are always in attendance. Today, the bushes were alive with Sedge Warblers making a horrible racket, with the occasional melodious tune. Also spotted a Reed Warbler. Apparently, these 'brown jobbies' are very hard to distinguish from Marsh Warblers..?

Next stop was Lower Test, which produced a Reed Bunting, 3 Goldfinches,  a Jay, 2 Song Thrushes, a flock of 30 Starlings, and 2 House Sparrows. There were also various Tits in the trees. Apparently, you can find Bearded Reedling and Cetti's Warbler at Lower Test, which would be new ticks for me.

Pig Bush

I went to Pig Bush this afternoon. It's a lovely place for a walk and the forest is alive with birds. Around 6pm the bird orchestra was in full swing with Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, and various Tits singing their little hearts out. Even a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were rather vocal. Common Redstarts were in the vicinity. They certainly add a little colour to the forest. This area is great for birding, because you have three different types of habit - heath, coniferous forest and deciduous forest. 

Looking forward to Cornwall. It's still touch and go. 

At Last - A Little Success

I've been looking for Dartford Warblers for some time now, and have finally found them. Went to Dibden Inclosure and saw all the usual suspects, but nothing to write home about. I ventured in a new direction this time, and having reached the top of a hill, I heard that unmistakable call. There were 3 males, all singing and showing well. Good times.

Rans Wood

Drove over to Rans Wood this afternoon. We used to have family walks there when I was a kid. It's great during the week, because you don't see many people, except the odd horse rider. I remembered seeing Common Redstart in Rans Wood as a kid, so thought I'd try and find some today, and I wasn't disappointed. I spotted a total of 7 Redstarts - 5 male and 2 female. What incredibly beautiful birds. One pair had nested in a tree hole, not far from my pathway. I'll be going back to get some decent photos. Other noteworthy birds:

• 3 Treecreeper 
• 2 Nuthatch
• 2 Song Thrush
• 1 Cuckoo (heard only)
• 3 Swallow

Don't you just love this weather.....