Window to Wildlife

 A highlight of our autumn week in Cornwall is often a seawatch at Pendeen lighthouse. This is a somewhat specialist form of birdwatching - described by one birder we met as ‘a dark art’ where the bulk of the time is spent trying to identify distant birds flying over the water. Gannets are easy to spot with their huge size, brilliant white bodies and contrasting black wingtips which standout clearly against the water, even in poor light. Auks are also recognisable as they have a distinctive shape and flight, with very rapid wingbeats, although it is not easy to distinguish between Guillemot and Razorbill, so these are often recorded as auk species. Beyond that, we start to struggle and rely on the experts around us. If birds are relatively close we can often identify these with expert guidance, but on this occasion we were not able to locate the Grey Phalarope and Balearic Shearwaters called by others. Unfortunately the westerly winds that bring the winds in closer were not forecas...

 We arrived in Cornwall mid-afternoon, stopping fruitlessly on Bodmin Moor in the hope of finding a Ring Ouzel, which had been reported the previous day. We arrived in drizzle, and were briefly entertained by a Buzzard being bombed by a Sparrowhawk, that clearly felt it was infringing on its territory. A couple of Stonechat posed in their usual co-operative style adding a welcome splash of colour against the gloom. As the rain cleared we had a brief walk out to scan for birds, but the feedback from another couple searching was not positive and we failed to locate any likely candidates. As we drove away the undulating yellow rump of a Green Woodpecker flew ahead of us before disappearing into the undergrowth.  Our next stop was Copperhouse Creek in Hayle, where we quickly had excellent close views of a variety of waders from the car park. Bar-tailed Godwits and Greenshank probed the muddy margins of the creek and Redshank and Curlew were also present. But the highlight and a ne...