Thursday 3rd April 2025: Helston Loe Bar and Gunwalloe Cove

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 With a forecast for rain and strong winds this afternoon, we were unsure what to plan for our day. However, an early morning report of a Kentish Plover at Loe Bar sorted that problem, and we soon set off hoping for another UK tick.

When we arrived we checked the sandbank beside the pool on the basis there was less land here to cover than on the beach side. That was the wrong call, but fortunately another visiting birder quickly got on to the bird and called us over. It was actually stood alongside a pair of Ringed Plovers, allowing for a good comparison of the different plumage features and size. Tim was lucky enough to get a shot of the two species stood together.

Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover

Nearby I noticed a couple of Sanderling, one foraging along the beach and the other hunkered down in a hollow. On the sea, Tim saw something dive - our first Sandwich Tern of the year, and we also noted a couple of Wheatears fly across the sand, making this a very worthwhile visit.

The waders were soon disturbed by dogs and flew to the other end of the beach, so we took that as our cue to leave and headed to Gunwalloe Cove for a mooch about. On the stream here we added Moorhen to our holiday list! Plenty of Sand Martins were circling, presumably a colony nesting in the sandstone cliffs above the beach. The other bird of note was an impressively huge Raven which sat on a sandstone ledge not far away as we ate our lunch on the beach.

Raven

Still ahead of the rain, we headed westwards to Carn Brea where we tracked down a stunning Ring Ouzel in fresh plumage which flew across and settled briefly on a large rock before disappearing from view. We arrived back at the car just as the rain started.

Our final stop of the day was at Ryan’s Field in Hayle, where a Ruff meandering in front of the hide was another new holiday tick.

Ruff


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