Sunday 30th March 2025: Pendeen, Cape Cornwall to Kenidjack and Hayle estuary

 With a forecast of north-north westerly winds, today was the most promising for our annual seawatch at Pendeen. It was unfortunate the clocks went forward last night, meaning the lost hour made an early start very challenging! We drove through thick mist on our way over, accompanied by mutterings of discontent from Tim, but luckily when we arrived it was glorious blue skies and sunshine.

We were  disappointed to find no-one else seawatching when we arrived, but that needn’t have worried us, as the conditions were excellent, and this is probably the best experience we have ever had. For starters, it was much warmer than in October, and we were able to stand on the grass overlooking the sea rather than clambering to stand huddled beside the wall to shelter from the wind.

Pendeen

There was an impressive and steady stream of Manx Shearwaters passing through, with many birds coming very close, on the landward side of the rocky outcrops that serve as a great landmark for pinpointing sightings. They beat their long, slender wings several times before gliding low over the water, shearing the waves, transforming from white to brown crosses as they passed across the bay. The Collins guide refers to white ‘saddle bags’, and these were very obvious at such close range. A few groups of auks passed through too, frantically flapping as they sped past, moving much faster than the Shearwaters. A flock of Kittiwakes came close enough to note their ink-capped wing tips, A few solitary Fulmars moved purposefully past close to the shore, and many Gannets gleamed in the sun as they progressed southwards. On the grassy slope, a single Chough dropped in for a few minutes, and on the rocks a Shag with golden bill and prominent crest stood erect. It was a wonderful experience. A Kestrel hovered overhead, and our first Swallows of the year passed overhead, a glossy dark blue in the sunshine.

Eventually the pace of passage slowed considerably, so we decided to call it a day here, and continue on to Cape Cornwall, for one of our favourite walks to Kenidjack Valley. Highlights here included a pair of Choughs, with one bird appearing to feign injury, spreading and fluttering its wings whilst calling pitifully, as a Buzzard sat on a rock about a foot above it. Eventually it chased the Buzzard away and around the headland before returning. 

Cape Cornwall from Kenidjack

Taking the path down to the beach for our lunch, we were pleased to encounter our first Wheatear of the year, a rather lovely male who foraged amongst the rocks ahead of us.

Wheatear

Next we headed to Marazion, where we were delighted to catch up with a Hoopoe feeding in a grassy paddock. There had been a huge influx of these birds about a week ago, but most have moved on, so we were pleased to get this species safely under our belts before it too disappeared.

Hoopoe

Our final stop of the day was at Hayle estuary, where we scanned the gull roost for something unusual without any joy. There were plenty of Redshank and a single Dunlin, with Oystercatcher, both Bar-tailed and Black tailed Godwits and Greenshank also seen around the estuary and on Ryan’s field, two Spoonbill.

We ended the day on fifty species, a satisfying start to our Cornish stay.