Cornwall - October 2004

by Colin Wilson

15th - 17th October 2004

When can we go again and can we make it longer? That was the universal call from the ROC birders who joined this trip, certainly a first for the ROC in recent times.

The two car loads met at Membury services on the M4 just after 7am on Friday for a quick comfort break and to ensure phone numbers were exchanged and the plan was clear. It was still dark but the first birds of the trip were about 50 Pied wagtails and a similar number of Jackdaws and Rooks around the car park. We headed off to Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham spotting the inevitable Buzzards on the way.

Breakfast was planned for after the first stop but no one rushed away from the hide at BGM. We enjoyed a Peregrine sitting in a tree then deciding to chase and swoop on the assembled Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets, a Reeve, Dunlin and many Wigeon and Teal. An apparently, one-legged Little Stint stayed fixed to the ground while all this happened around it. Buzzards added to the general excitement. A tip-off that an Osprey was in the area, viewable from the walkway at the end of the lane sent us on a pleasant walk but with no luck so we carried on to the village bakery tea room where all day breakfasts are served. Suitably replenished we headed off to a site we had been given for Cirl Bunting and Woodlark but this was a failure so Prawle Point became our next destination.

Prawle is a long drive off the beaten track but always worth it. Our time was limited as we had to get to Penzance but after a few Yellowhammer false alarms we finally found Cirl Buntings, about 10 of them feeding in the meadows just along from field below the car park. This was the best sighting I have had of the birds in the UK and I was seriously annoyed at having left my camera back in the car! Stonechat entertained us as did a superb male Kestrel while we also watched Gannets out to sea, Bill Nicoll managed to spot a Short-eared Owl apparently migrating just off shore heading east. This was a real treat and was followed by a Merlin, again spotted by Bill, flying low and fast and then gliding right over the top of us in full view. Sad to leave, we now faced the long drive to Penzance and made no more stops.

Saturday morning, after a good dinner and night's sleep in the hotel, we set off in the dark to catch the seabirds at first light. The wind was north-westerly, good for St Ives so we aimed for the island. After some challenging twists and turns in the narrow streets of St Ives we finally arrived and made our way to the viewing points near the coastguard station. The wind was not as strong as we would have liked but a good passage of gannets, auks - mainly Razorbills, a solitary Red-throated Diver and Shags kept us amused. Kittiwakes were fairly common and a couple offered the fleeting possibility of Sabine's Gulls even to the point of having forked tails but this wasn't a confident sighting. Rock Pipits and Meadow Pipits entertained us on the way back to the cars and we returned to the hotel for a well earned breakfast.

We were deeply grateful to Marek and Ted Rogers for messages about Cornish bird sightings from back in Berkshire and the star bird reported was clearly the Barred Warbler at Kendijack Valley. In pleasant warm sunshine we descended the path to the allotted spot and began something of a vigil! The bird had been seen ten minutes before our arrival and was returning to the palm tree to feed on berries regularly at periods of 45 minutes to two hours! Those of us that found the patience were rewarded with many Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Robins, Chaffinches and at last wonderful views of the Barred Warbler after about 40 minutes. Those that failed the patience test may have the pleasure, like any readers, of seeing my photographs only -three have been provided but more are available! The valley yielded Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and many other common species so we departed for Nanquidno where two Yellow-browed Warblers had been seen.

At Nanquidno, where it was still dry but clouding over, we found many birders wandering around seeking their prizes! A Lesser Whitethroat had been found but no sign of the YBWs. After a fairly lengthy search one was spotted very close to where we were searching and views ranging from fair to good were had by most of our group. I call my views fair only because I saw the bird close and clear but only from underneath! No yellow brow or wing bars for me! The urgent calls now were for Cornish pasties for lunch so we headed off towards Land's End via Sennen where another YBW had been seen. Rain stopped play and so a stop in a somewhat incongruous brightly painted café full of antipodeans and offering many dishes with Australian names was the next event! Unfortunately, the Cornish Pasty had no equivalent in Australia so tea and coffee sufficed with the sandwiches still stored in the cars for that lunch break! The rain was still falling so we decided to head east to the Hayle estuary.

At Hayle, we found a favoured viewing spot chained off so used the Lelant Park and Ride car park and bird watched from the station platform. At Hayle you have to 'hail' the trains to make them stop! The Green-winged Teal was apparently being searched for by birders all around the estuary - we could see them at their many vantage points but we had no luck. We had good views of Curlew, Wigeon, Godwits, Oystercatcher and Redshank plus some good numbers of Gulls and were then joined by a local Cornish birder. He told us of a Glaucous Gull, just arrived at Copperhouse Creek and off we went to find it. One or two of our number had not given up on Cornish Pasty for a late lunch so an intervening stop at a shop 'famous for pasties' ensured their appetites were satiated!

On arrival at Copperhouse Creek there was no sign of the Gull but we enjoyed close views of Little Egret, Bar-tailed Godwit and other waders and gulls. Someone chasing the Glaucous came along and raised hope with a quickly disproved misidentification and he headed off in fast pursuit of his tick! Our Cornish birder at Lelant had told us of an unlikely place for Purple Sandpiper at Penzance, by the swimming pool in the harbour where there is a small line of rocks next to the seawall. Ever optimistic, but growing tired, we headed for home with this objective on our doorstep. Having found the rocks, as it began to get darker, we thought it unlikely we would find anything there but at the furthest point, one then two Purple Sandpipers made an appearance right at our feet. Most of us then cleaned up quickly before dinner and headed off to a nearby pub for some local ale before a second excellent hotel meal.

Sunday dawned dry but dark and another seawatch beckoned, this time at Pendeen Watch a lighthouse at the western end of Cornwall. We arrived here before the light was good enough but Barn Owl had appeared over the lane and it soon brightened. A Raven appeared and passed the lighthouse but otherwise, the birds were much as the day before but closer views were possible and a late appreciation of the purpose of a gate next to the lighthouse allowed us to venture to an excellent sheltered spot below the lighthouse wall. Seawatching needs to be a couple of weeks earlier for maximum yield of species so our two forays in the early morning tempted us to try again another year.

After breakfast and checking out we visited Marazion Marsh where birds were viewable quite closely but only Stonechat and Snipe added to our lists of sightings for the weekend. Our visit was curtailed by a chance telescopic check of signs where we left the cars and we realised we needed tickets even on Sundays! Then, messages began to arrive about Wryneck and Common Rosefinch both in the wrong direction, back at the western tip of Cornwall! A quick straw poll lead to a decision to carry on heading home and only a stop on the Hayle again would delay us. We were very lucky to arrive at the right place and time to find the Green-winged Teal, barely identifiable out of the water, with the other Teal complemented by a Peregrine resting on a rock in the distance. Grey Wagtails and Rock Pipit entertained us on the walk back to the cars via the RSPB hide and we were then homeward bound.

Our conclusion was that we would have liked longer to see the wonderful valleys and enjoy the birding sights of Cornwall. The variety is outstanding and we missed so many famous birding places because of time constraints in such a short weekend. We are all agreed - we will be back!

Species list

1. Red throated diver
2. Little grebe
3. Manx shearwater
4. Gannet
5. Cormorant
6. Shag
7. Little egret
8. Grey heron
9. Mute swan
10. Canada goose
11. Shelduck
12. Wigeon
13. Teal
14. Green winged teal
15. Mallard
16. Shoveller
17. Common scoter
18. Sparrowhawk
19. Buzzard
20. Peregrine
21. Kestrel
22. Merlin
23. Pheasant
24. Water rail (h)
25. Moorhen
26. Oystercatcher
27. Avocet
28. Golden plover
29. Lapwing
30. Little stint
31. Purple sandpiper
32. Dunlin
33. Snipe
34. Bar tailed godwit
35. Black tailed godwit
36. Ruff
37. Curlew
38. Redshank
39. Greenshank
40. Turnstone
41. Black headed gull
42. Lesser black backed gull
43. Greater black backed gull
44. Herring gull
45. Kittiwake
46. Sandwich tern
47. Razorbill
48. Guillemot
49. Collared dove
50. Barn owl
51. Short eared owl
52. Green woodpecker
53. Swallow
54. Meadow pipit
55. Rock pipit
56. Grey wagtail
57. Pied wagtail
58. Yellow wagtail
59. Wren
60. Dunnock
61. Robin
62. Stonechat
63. Blackbird
64. Cetti's warbler (h)
65. Barred warbler
66. Yellow browed warbler
67. Goldcrest
68. Long tailed tit
69. Great tit
70. Blue tit
71. Magpie
72. Jackdaw
73. Rook
74. Carrion crow
75. Raven
76. Starling
77. Chaffinch
78. Greenfinch
79. Goldfinch
80. Linnet
81. Yellowhammer
82. Cirl bunting