Window to Wildlife

 Today we departed from our accommodation at Carbis Bay and relocated to spend the weekend with Andrew and Chelsea in Porth, near Newquay. Before we left the area though, we parked at the top of St Ives by the Cornish Arms, picking up our first Blackcap of the trip, and walked through the grounds of Treloyhan Manor, down the steep track to Porthminster beach  and out to the Island. We followed the coastal path round to the back and scanned the rocks, where we eventually identified a blob sticking out of the side of a large, distant rock as a Purple Sandpiper! Purple Sandpiper We continued up the coast and stopped at West Pentire for a walk around the headland and back past Polly Joke. Linnets and Skylarks filled the air, but frustratingly, a suspected Sparrowhawk disappeared before we managed to get the bins onto it. It was an enjoyable walk, with lovely views once again before we met up with Andrew and Chelsea. The following day they took us away from the coast, to two new in...

 On another fine morning, we returned to Pendeen for another attempt at seawatching. The forecast the previous day had been for a north westerly, which would have provided optimum conditions, pushing the birds closer to the shore, but in the event it had changed direction to westerly. Nevertheless, the visit was more successful than earlier in the week. There was a substantial passage of Gannets with many close enough for excellent views. A number of flocks of auks (Guillemots and Razorbills) were also passing through. Some were too far out to identify precisely, but the consensus with other more expert birders present was that these were predominantly Guillemots. One flock passing within binocular view included a group of three Common Scoter hiding in the midst - an annual tick for me. A few ink-dipped Kittiwakes were picked our from amongst the various gulls. However, the highlight for me was a single Great Skua or Bonxie which passed through at close range just as I arrived, in ...

 Another day of lovely dry weather and not a lot of birds! We drove to Cape Cornwall and walked through the Kenidjack Valley towards Botallack, another scenic walk. In the valley we found our first Chiffchaff and a Long- tailed Tit and at the beach where the stream flows into the sea we watched a Grey Wagtail foraging amongst the rocks.  Kenidjack valley As we walked up out of the valley, we were delighted by an unexpected yet spectacular view back towards Cape Cornwall. Cape Cornwall With few birds and beautiful sunshine we took our time, resting on rocks to soak up the views and the warmth and generally relax, before heading into St Just for a delicious Cornish ice cream! On our way home we were delayed slightly while a herd of cows sauntered disinterestedly past, possibly the very cows that provided the milk for our locally sourced ice cream! Next we stopped again at Carn Calver, a moorland hill with a rocky outcrop at the top that Tim deemed needed investigation. It was qu...

 We started our next day at Pendeen planning a quick seawatch, but conditions were poor and the advice on our arrival was ‘Don’t bother’!  Nevertheless we managed to spot a Razorbill passing through at close range, and on our return to the car were thrilled to observe a Merlin acrobatically twisting and turning in hot pursuit of a Meadow Pipit.  So we continued west and headed for the attractive Cot Valley hoping to find some smaller birds sheltering in the bushes and feeding on insects. This was hard work, and there was little evidence of an influx of Warblers, but we managed to locate some regulars such as Wren, Goldcrest and the usual Tits. Next we drove to Sennen, for the popular walk across the cliffs to Lands End. The Choughs here were very obliging appearing completely unfazed by the presence of people, allowing stunning views and frequently drawing attention to themselves with their distinctive call and aerobatic flights. Chough We explored the area around Lands E...

We started our annual pilgrimage to Cornwall with a fruitless wander around the bubbling river near Lanhydrock, hoping for a Dipper. No luck on the bird front, but a reminder of the beautiful scenery Cornwall has to offer beyond the dramatic rocky coastlines and sandy beaches. Having stretched our legs, we continued on to Hayle estuary, parking by Copperhouse Creek, where alongside some barely noticed regulars such as Crow and Wood Pigeon, we quickly totted up an assortment of larger waders, including Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and a Spotted Redshank. I was keen to progress to Carnsew Basin, where a very rare Semi-palmated Sandpiper had been reported over recent days, but Tim insisted that a trip to the supermarket for additional provisions was more pressing!!!! I just had to hope it would not disappear too quickly… Spotted Redshank The next morning we headed to the west coast, starting at Porthgwarra, where I immediately spotted our first of many Choughs, a pair flying over my head...

 Undeterred by the petrol crisis and threats of blockades to the motorway, we met with brothers Andy and John at mum’s house in Essex and headed off to Suffolk in search of Stone Curlew. Andy knew a site where they gather before migration and where he had found them last year in October, so we were keeping our fingers crossed that we were not too late. We did not have to walk far before we found some likely looking lumps in the grass, which could have been rabbits or our target birds. We set the scopes up, but the birds had hunkered down and were playing hard to get. We were fairly sure they were Stone Curlew but needed a better view to be 100% certain. We continued a little further and spotted some more promising ‘boulders’ on a grassy bank. A quick check through the telescopes and the birds distinctive marking, yellow staring eye and yellow legs were clearly visible - an excellent result and new annual tick for all of us. Andy took a photo, attached here; Stone Curlew If you thin...

 A short holiday at Wyke Regis with Andy and the girls, staying at the superb B&B at the Vicarage -Thanks sis for having us all to stay! We travelled down late on Tuesday as we all had commitments in the morning. A report of a Glossy Ibis at Warblington in Hampshire was too good an opportunity to miss, just a short detour from the main road, and we were familiar with the location, having seen Cattle Egrets in a field there in the past. We parked by the church and headed east, quickly finding the bird feeding in the first field we came across. We very nearly walked straight past, but I managed to spot it through a gap in the vegetation, head down as it foraged in the long grass. The bird looked a little dull, less glossy than previous birds we have seen, so I suspect it was a juvenile. Tim managed some photos, and then we continued on our way. Glossy Ibis We had a full day of birding on Wednesday, starting earlyish at Portland. As we pulled into the car park we noted a number of...