Lizard... again (22nd May)

Didn't do all that much birding and the heavy rain soon drove Dan and I back home but whilst we staked it out at the point for a while for the seawatch I did manage to pick out 2 possible Storm Petrels briefly along with a flyby diver sp. (probably a Great Northern).  Manx Sheawaters were also flowing through in decent numbers.  I was very surprised not to see the Whooper Swan at Helston boating lake on a brief walk around the site as it has been present for over a year or so!  Mounts bay was a little more active with 5 Great Northern Divers including 2 summer plumaged birds showing at close range,  4 Sanderling on the beach and 5 Sandwich Terns hawking around in the bay.



sum plum Great Northern Divers

I did a brief seawatch from Pendennis Point when I got back which produced 3 Great Northern Diver (1 sum plum heading west and 2 more on the sea).  A trickle of Manx Shearwaters and Kittiwakes were also moving through the bay.

Lizard (21st May)

 I was helping a friend and his brother with moving some stuff down to the Lizard for an outdoor course on Wednesday.  Beginning at the fields below Argal Res, we spent most of the day filling the trailer whilst listening to 2 Garden Warblers singing from the hedgerows (still a year tick for me).

Once at Kestle Barton, on the north end of the Lizard, we started unloading all the branches, tools and tarpaulin from the trailer.  It was at this point that I picked out a small dot above the horizon circling ever closer towards us.  My bins were on the back seat of the car so grabbed them quickly.  I was still bewildered as to what it could be but on circling even closer the obvious tail prong, primary flash and typical skua shape revealed it to be no less than an adult pale phase Arctic Skua!! What was most bizarre was the fact it was a good 3km from the sea and crossing a random bit of farmland in the sweltering heat!

Falmouth Patch (20th May)

Falmouth Cemetery:

Goldcrests, Red Admiral and a couple Speckled Woods.

Seawatching from Swanpool Point:

The odd Gannet in rather calm sea conditions.

Falmouth Bay:

2 Great Northern Divers were a treat to watch in their full summer breeding plumage but I spent most of my time gazing onto rockpools where I photographed Common Blenny, Common Sea Slater and Star Ascidian.

sum plum Great Northern Divers

Common Sea Slater, Ligia oceanica

Star Ascidian, Botryllus schlosseri

Common Blenny

Seawatching from Pendennis Point all west late afternoon until 21:15:

63 Manx Shearwaters, a couple Fulmar, 1 sum plum Great Northern Diver off the point. 1 bat species on my walk back from the point.

Falmouth Patch (19th May)

Exams were finally over so I headed straight down to patch with an added spring in my step as Greg had just texted me with news of a very late staying Iceland Gull off Swanpool!!

Falmouth Bay

Falmouth Bay:
5+ Great Northern Divers (3 in sum plum)
2 Black-throated Divers (one flying west)
2 Sandwich Terns

Gannets, Herring Gulls, 1 Rock Pipit, Guillemots and a small number of Razorbill.

Pendennis Point:

32+ Manx Shearwaters, 1 Fulmar and 8 Kittiwakes all west.

Falmouth Patch (18th May)

A minutes scanning from my bedroom window whilst revising rewarded with: 1 Red Kite (only my 4th in Cornwall but my second in two days!), 1 Buzzard and 2 Swifts.

Falmouth Patch (17th May)

Red Kite circled over my house at 13:24pm (Tregenver Road).  Only my third ever in Cornwall!

Falmouth Patch +Terek Sand!!! (16th May)

Pendennis Point:

5 Bottlenose Dolphins in the Carrick Roads between Pendennis and St Mawes leaping right out of teh water at times and putting on a good performance!
2 Black-throated Diver fairly distantly offshore
1 Wheatear
1 Rock Pipit
4 Linnets (2 adults and 2 recently fledged begging young)

Maenporth:

4 Bottlenose Dolphin arriving from Gylly Beach area heading west (might have been different ones to those seen in the Carrick Roads)
2 Black-throated Diver

5+ diver sp. in the bay (prob. GNDs)

1 Grey Seal

one of the Bottlenose Dolphins surfacing

Later that afternoon news came through of a Terek Sand found at Amble Marshes, Walmsley Sanctuary.  I wasn't seriously considering going but was keen for an attempt on it if the opportunity arose.  I was rather surprised as a result when Dan texted with the intention of going that same afternoon.  Revision got put to one side temporarily and I rushed down to see it.  On arrival, all went quite smoothly until we reached the door of the hide.  It was locked...

Since we weren't members there was no access so we had to resort to looking through the timber slats below the hide.  Fortunately, this technique worked as I managed to pick up on the TEREK SANDPIPER quite quickly.  Thankfully, Adrian Langdon, the warden came wandering up the steps and kindly offered to let us take a look from inside the hide, providing much more comfortable viewing conditions.

believe it or not I manage to locate it through this lot before we gained access

Terek Sandpiper

Amble Marshes, Walmsley Sanctuary

more rubbish record shots

I finally managed to add a couple Sand Martins to the year list and it was nice to see a supporting cast of Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and Ringed Plover (mostly species I'm not that accustomed to on the Falmouth patch).  2 Hares were also resting in the field beyond the wetland.

Hares