Cornwall birding

We spent six nigths in SW Cornwall in early October.  The place we usually try and stay at in Porthgwarra was booked up so we stayed inland of there in the hamlet of Tresidder at the top of the Penberth valley.  The garden was good for moths (which you can read about here) and other insects (which you can read about here), but this post is about the birding during this week.

It started off with 3 Red Kites along the M4 on the way down on 1st October and there wasn't enough time to do much birding when arrived later that day.

It wasn't ideal seawatching weather on 2nd October, but there was enough of a NW wind to make me think it was worth a shot - after all, it looked like it would be the best chance all week.  So I headed up to Pendeen fairly early.  I didn't expect a huge amount, but it was even quieter than I thought it should be.  Eventually I notched up 28 Balearic Shearwaters, 27 Max Shearwaters and a couple of Sooty Shearwaters.  One bird made it worthwhile though, as a fantastic Great Shearwater cruised by giving some pretty decent views.  There were also a couple of Great Skuas and a Mediterranean Gull, but very small numbers of other birds (e.g. just a couple of Kittiwakes).

I spent the rest of the day with the Mrs hoping to earn enough brownie points to be able to spend more time birding later in the week.

Next day we walked from our cottage down the Penberth valley.  It was pretty quiet, though one bush that was in the sun during one of the short periods it came out had about 5 Chiffchaffs in it, and there was also a Firecrest there.  There were at least 30 Meadow Pipits on Treen Cliffs as we headed over to St Levan.

Meadow Pipit, Treen Cliffs, 3rd October

Robin, Treen Cliffs, 3rd October

I couldn't find much at St Levan and with mist preventing nice views along the coastal path we cut across the fields to Porthgwarra where we quickly located the juvenile Rose-coloured Starling in the mist at Rosketal Farm.

Rose-coloured Starling, Rosketal Farm, Porthgwarra, 3rd October

The mist was quite patchy so we carried on up to the moor at Porthgwarra, stopping to watch this Peregrine on the cliffs.

Peregrine, Porthgwarra, 3rd October

We'd heard Choughs on the moor but couldn't see them in the mist but as we passed Faraway Cottage and headed up to Higher Bosistow there was a pair on the wires that stayed put even as we walked beneath them.  I think these were the best view of Chough I've ever had!

Choughs, Higher Bosistow, 3rd October

I was keen to photograph them in flight but not wanting to deliberately flush them I had to stick around a while before they eventually decided to fly on their own accord!

Chough, Higher Bosistow, 3rd October

Next day I headed back to Porthgwarra for some early birding and had a quick walk round.  A Spotted Flycatcher was the best I could muster up, with Lesser Whitethroat the only other migrant apart from Chiffchaffs.

There were some Golden Plovers in the fields near where we were staying at Tresidder, and a drive round the south coast produced a Guillemot in Mousehole harbour.

It was hard going at Porthgwarra the next morning too, with 2 Wheatears being about the best in the way of passerine migrants.  There were at least 40 Golden Plovers, 2 Snipe, Raven and Chough.  Apparently there were a few migrants turning up that morning, but they weren't giving themselves up to me!

I heard another Chough at Lands End but the best I could find between there and Sennen was a couple of Chiffchaffs.  I love going to Kenidjack Valley - not sure if it's the views or the memories of that Yellow-throated Vireo (probably both) but it's always a pleasure even when I don't see anything, as was the case this time (at least a dozen Chiffchaffs but nothing better).

Kenidjack Valley, 5th October

Kestrel, Kenidjack Valley, 5th October

My wife had been nagging me about visiting St Ives all weeks so on 6th I finally took here there.  There were at least 3 Mediterranean Gulls in the bay, and a couple of Kittiwakes.  But no, the fact that we were tripping over Turnstones does NOT mean we were birding...

Turnstone, St Ives, 6th October

After we were done there we headed up to St Gothian Sands, a place I always fancy for finding something good like an American duck.  No such luck today - a Wheatear was best.

Stonechat, St Gothian Sands, 6th October

Carrion Crow, St Gothian Sands, 6th October

Hayle Estuary was quite disappointing.  I couldn't find anything of interest on the main estuary, except for at least 30 Mediterranean Gulls.  There were a few waders at Ryan's Field including a Whimbrel, both godwits and 148 Curlew.

Curlew, Hayle, 6th October

Carrion Crow, Hayle, 6th October

I didn't have very long before we needed to leave the cottage on our final morning, so just long enough to have a rapid whizz round Porthgwarra.  I glimpsed what I thought was the Wryneck at Faraway Cottage but couldn't get a confirmatory view (but it was seen in exactly that spot a little later on) and I heard a Firecrest.  There were  2 Ravens and a Wheatear, and finally as I headed back towards Three Chimneys I flushed a Short-eared Owl.

Grey Wagtail, Trevean Pool, 7th October

Robin, Porthgwarra, 7th October

Short-eared Owl (with Rook), Porthgwarra, 7th October

I had to take the Mrs to Padstow on the way home so stopped at Davidstow Airfield.  I always hope to find some American waders feeding in the puddles here, but I couldn't even find any Palaearctic waders.  Probably didn't help that there were two horses in the puddles...

the wader pools at Davidstow Airfield, 7th October

Saw a Kingfisher in Padstow and then 6 Red Kites on the way home the next day.

Stork and Shrike

A Peregrine was the first noteworthy bird I saw at Burnham Overy on Monday 9th.  Among the lingering Brent Geese on the saltmarsh was the overwintering Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid.

Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid, Burnham Overy, 9th May

I've known for a long time how these things morph their appearance according to the light and the angle to the observer but the effect was really dramatic today as the bird showed in sunshine and at close range.  Some times it looked really black-and-white, very confusable with a pure Black Brant.  In fact if Black Brants can show that much dark in the flank patch (which I believe they can) you'd be hard-pushed to tell it from a pure bird at those times.

Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid, Burnham Overy, 9th May

At other times it hardly looked any different from the surrounding Dark-bellied Brent Geese... no wonder I don't pick it up every time I come here if it looks like this!

Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid, Burnham Overy, 9th May (it's the right hand bird in the lower pic)

At least one Pink-footed Goose remains and a Barnacle Goose was on the freshmarsh.  There were 2 Common Sandpipers in the channel and a Whimbrel, while a distant summer plumage Knot was among 55 Grey Plovers.  A little more unexpected was a flock of 5 Greenshanks flying east over the sea.  At least 3 Cuckoos were seen or heard and a Hobby.

Not many birds were moving through: 2 Yellow Wagtails and just the odd hirundine.  Not many grounded migrants around either though I did see the Ring Ouzel east of the boardwalk.  I also found another Whinchat and a single Tree Pipit in the dunes.  I could only find 3 Wheatears but 2 Lesser Whitethroats at Gun Hill were new in and posed nicely for photos.

Lesser Whitethroat, Burnham Overy, 9th May

Meadow Pipit, Burnham Overy, 9th May

Heading back to the car along the sea wall I saw my second Red Kite of the morning.  I also noticed a lot of birds get up from the heronry at Holkham in the distance.  I think I saw 4 Spoonbills among them but before I could give them a proper look my attention was diverted by a massive bird soaring above them, presumably responsible for the unrest.  It was being mobbed by a Grey Heron and the heron looked minute against it!  Sadly this was no eagle or vulture though, it was a White Stork.

There have been a number of reports of White Stork around the county recently, probably all involving escaped birds.  Unbeknown to me at the time this one has apparently been photographed in the Wells area recently and proved to be the polish-ringed bird, but it was way too distant for me to pick out any such details - I could only just see through the haze that it was a Stork!  It continued circling for ages, eventually coming marginally closer over the wood between the freshmarsh and the coast road, before finally disappearing behind that wood.

White Stork, Holkham (viewed from Burnham Overy), 9th May

Although polish-ringed, this bird was apparently taken into a wildlife rehabilitation centre following a collision with overhead powerlines in eastern Europe.  Among others, it was then transported to Shorelands Wildlife Centre at Diss in south Norfolk, apparently due to fears that the Polish winter would prove too cold for them.  I can't help thinking that if Shorelands don't have the means to look after these birds securely they shouldn't have accepted them in the first place, but given that it was allowed to escape presumably they don't.  Either that or they released it deliberately which is equally irresponsible and illegal.

That evening I heard a Woodcock calling while looking for moths near Anmer.

Next day the rain promised rain all morning and NE winds.  I hoped the rain would bring down migrants and planned to go out after the rain to find them.  In the end the rain continued much longer than had been forecast so I didn't have enough time to give justice to Burnham Overy.  Instead after a quick look round the patch (2 Avocets but little else) I headed up to Salthouse and Kelling.  Gramborough Hill was a migrant-free zone apart from a fly-by Greenshank with only the presumably local Stonechat making my notes.

Lapwing, Salthouse, 10th May

Kelling was just as bad.

Whitethroat, Kelling, 10th May

Chaffinch, Kelling, 10th May

Shoveler, Kelling, 10th May

On Wednesday I headed back up to Burnham Overy hoping to find some migrants.  When I arrived this pale Collared Dove was with a normal bird at the staithe - have seen a few such birds in various places before but not here.

Collared Doves, Burnham Overy, 11th May

A Barn Owl was hunting as I walked down the sea wall and a Spoonbill was seen.  One Barnacle Goose remained on the marshes and a pair of Mediterranean Gulls were seen.  Waders included 3 Common Sandpipers, Whimbrel, Greenshank and 14 Knot. 

Whimbrel, Burnham Overy, 11th May

Turnstone, Burnham Overy, 11th May

I was standing with Marcus when he picked up a Short-eared Owl flying over the saltmarsh, and we also saw a Hobby.

Marcus had seen some Willow Warblers on his way down from where he parked and we continued to find more Phylloscs.  I saw at least 6 Chiffchaffs and 3 Willow Warblers.  Not a huge fall, but enough to keep us hopeful for finding something good.  Well there was something good, but we didn't find it.  Marcus received a message from Ashley who was leading a tour and he'd found a female Red-backed Shrike.  We eventually got views of this, albeit a bit too distant for photos.  Apparently there was a Wryneck there later too.

This Reed Warbler showed on the way back to the car.

Reed Warbler, Burnham Overy, 11th May

On Thursday I headed up to Kelling Heath for a walk with the better half.  I was hoping to find some moths but also bump in to some birds.  Not a great deal doing from either perspective but my first Garden Warbler of the year (at last) was singing in the car park.  Heard a Woodlark singing in the distance and a Grey Wagtail flew over.  We also went round East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens - some great birds there...

Red Jungle Fowl, East Ruston Old Vicarage, 12th May

Helmeted Guineafowl, East Ruston Old Vicarage, 12th May

I didn't get out much for the rest of the week, but one of a number of quick visits to the local patch revealed that Little Ringed Plovers had  managed to produce a few chicks - at least 3 tiny balls of fluff running arond one parent bird.