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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Falmouth Birding (3 Viewers)

Yesterday, the Common Scoter was diving just off the beach! The Tufted Duck was still out in the bay, and a Grebe of some sort seen through the bins but couldn't subsequently find it when I got the scope up!

... did you discount Black Scoter? ...

;)

Hopefully out tomorrow, so will be checking the area.
 
Incidentally, referring back to an earlier post;

Dan, you're not going to like it but I just had a message from a friend (an interested party, but not a birdwatcher) in Falmouth who saw, identified and photographed a Wryneck in a Falmouth garden last Saturday. They live in the area behind Gyllingvase beach.

Not surprised tbh, nor too disappointed. On my Falmouth list - had one behind the reservoirs a couple of autumns ago, bit of a shock at the time tbh.

The slope behind Gyllyngvase beach/by pendennis must get some good birds -in the Snowy Owl 'influx' involving the Zennor bird, one was seen and photographed on the wall above the beach - now that would have been good to get. :eek!:

Currently there is a Lesser Whitethroat (presumably of an 'Eastern race') overwintering somewhere in a private garden in Falmouth - reported on the cbwps on several recent dates, along with 9 Blackcap on one occasion.
 
Currently there is a Lesser Whitethroat (presumably of an 'Eastern race') overwintering somewhere in a private garden in Falmouth - reported on the cbwps on several recent dates, along with 9 Blackcap on one occasion.

No, it has been reported as the race curruca. Although no details or description have been supplied (to my knowledge). However, why would they, if the bird is of the nominate race?

Dave
 
No, it has been reported as the race curruca. Although no details or description have been supplied (to my knowledge). However, why would they, if the bird is of the nominate race?

Cheers, my post above was more of a querying, meant to put a question mark, oops. Late birds often suspected of being 'eastern', I was thinking winter birds have been too, but could well be wrong.

Good record nonetheless.
 
Are Black Scoter cheap then? ;)

;) Certainly 'reduced' in recent years ... (ok, only from one down to zero I guess).

Was hoping it would be a nice male with a big yellow conk, but it was a female, so best not go there ;) ...

Wondering if I may have solved your grebe situation - there was a female Goldeneye out there today with the scoter, diving just offshore? (Although that's not to say there haven't been a few, or even hundreds, of grebes passing by recently ... )
 
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The highlights of this morning;

Pendennis Point -
Purple Sandpiper 2
Turnstone 1

between PP and Swanpool (Falmouth beach, Gyllyngvase) -
Curlew 1
Knot 1
Ringed Plover 1
Med Gull 2
Chiffchaff 1
Black Redstart 1 female type
Blackcap 2 in a garden

On the sea just off Swanpool beach -
Common Scoter 1
Goldeneye 1

Swanpool -
Firecrest 1
Pochard 2
Common Gull 1

Of 70 Black-headed Gulls on the car park at Swanpool, 7 were oiled, one fairly badly.
 
;) Wondering if I may have solved your grebe situation - there was a female Goldeneye out there today with the scoter, diving just offshore? (Although that's not to say there haven't been a few, or even hundreds, of grebes passing by recently ... )

It certainly wasn't a Goldeneye. I didn't have much time to keep looking and it wasn't exactly warm!

I saw 2 quite badly oiled BH Gulls on Monday..... both trying clean it off and probably ingesting it so not good.
 
with Waxwings popping up around the county, has anyone noticed any berry patches in Falmouth/Penryn?

There's a large patch of red Cotoneaster near Lidl for starters
 
with Waxwings popping up around the county, has anyone noticed any berry patches in Falmouth/Penryn?

There's a large patch of red Cotoneaster near Lidl for starters

Not exactly 100's of Waxwing in Cornwall just a few here & there. Wonder if we will get an increase in numbers with the weather turning colder from Friday onwards?

Hopefully so as I haven't seen any of the waxwing in Cornwall yet.
 
Not exactly the obligatory christmas day after dinner walk (had sandwiches for lunch, we're cooking tonight), but did the reservoirs this afternoon. College was almost totally frozen over, with 3 smallish patches unfrozen containing some hundreds of waterfowl. Argal completely frozen over, except for a small area where the stream enters it on the eastern side, and a smaller area under the trees near the car park. A solitary Lapwing flew over as I approached the reservoirs.

College Res highlights;

Wigeon c. 190
Gadwall 16+
Pochard 8
Canada Goose 43 + 2 hybrids
Snipe 3 (h)
Common Gull 1
Firecrest 1

Coot slightly down on recent numbers, Tufted more so. A number of gulls out on the ice, no swans or herons.

Argal Res - all waterfowl and other highlights

Mallard 16 (+ 12)
Teal 1
Tufted Duck 3
Goldeneye 3
Pochard 2
Coot 2
Moorhen 1
Grey Heron 1
BH Gull 12
Snipe 3
Cormorant 1 flyover

Treecreeper 2 (both at southern end with tit flock)
Firecrest 1
Goldcrest 1
Redwing 20+
Fieldfare 5
Stock Dove 1
 
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Flushed a Meadow Pipit from the garden as I left for my birding this afternoon, plenty of death-dicing Song Thrushes and Redwings on the roadside verges, and added Snipe to my 'seen from garden' list as one flew past on my return.

Oystercatchers have been back on the Trescobeas Road playing field several times in the last weeks at least, a Mistle Thrush on the roof of the fire station on my way back too just now.
Blackcaps (2+) in gardens behind the Citizens Advice Bureau in town.

Just need to make the effort to scour a few gardens around town and find those Waxwing or a wintering rare thrush or something ... ;)
 
The festive season continues ...

Family down so I'm (mostly kicking and screaming) a tourist for a while. Swanpool has thawed, 2 Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, 2 Pochard and a Shoveler the most excitement I could muster around the pool itself (with Water Rail heard, 7+ Little Grebes etc). Swanpool beach had a (the?) Goldeneye just offshore, with Stonechat and a Black Redstart on the rocks joining the Rock and Meadow pipits on the beach.


Season's Greetings to all. Bah ... ;)
 
Short walk around Tremough Campus in the afternoon.

Apart from the usual crowd of redwings and other resident species....

two bramblings at the back of Tremough House.

cheers...

Simon
 
Short walk around Tremough Campus in the afternoon.

Apart from the usual crowd of redwings and other resident species....

two bramblings at the back of Tremough House.

cheers...

Simon

Nice one, and welcome to BF :t: . Does this mean you're based at the uni? (There's a couple of other regular posters on here from Falmouth Uni). Might see you around if you're birding in the area ...


Other news from the 'recording area' - 7 Bewick's Swans at Stithians Reservoir (must be fairly mega for the area?), and a Bittern reported at College reservoir this morning! 3 Sanderling on Swanpool beach yesterday.

All good birds, and think I know what I should be doing tomorrow ... ;)
 
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Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm a former Tremough student now based in Penryn, but the campus grounds are always a good place for birds..

...and a Bittern reported at College reservoir this morning! ...

I've first seen the bird (I assume it is always the same one) on the 11th of December, so it seems it has been there for a while now. It is definitely worth a trip as chances are that is going to spend some more time there...

cheers
 
I've first seen the bird (I assume it is always the same one) on the 11th of December, so it seems it has been there for a while now. It is definitely worth a trip as chances are that is going to spend some more time there...

Cheers. Might be nice to meet up and do some birding in the new year if you're up for it ever ... And definitely the more the merrier on this thread ...


On the Bittern front -given the weather and the influx there was always going to be a chance of one - but nice find and thanks for the info. Showing today on the east side of the island briefly ... excellent birds ...

... I know that because I did the right thing and went birding this afternoon ... ;)

College Reservoir

Wigeon 172
Coot 206
Tufted Duck 45
Pochard 24+
Mallard 8+
Shoveler 4 (1m, 3f)
Mute Swan 6
Little Grebe 3
Teal 53+
GBBGull 3
Herring Gull 30+
Canada Goose 40
Gadwall 26
Cormorant 11
Goldeneye 2
Moorhen 1
Grey Heron 2
Bittern 1
Water Rail (h)

Raven 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 1 (male)
Pied Wagtail 3

The Lesser Woodie probably trumps everything else - not sure but I can't see any recent records from this part of the world. It was down in the woodland on the west side of the island.

Argal Reservoir

Tufted duck 3
Pochard 1
Goosander 1 f
Goldeneye 1 f
Mallard 5
Coot 3
Moorhen 1
Cormorant 7
Black-headed Gull 20+

Firecrest 1
Goldcrest 1
Raven 2
Jackdaw 160
Rook 40
Skylark 1
Coal Tit 1

And then the non-waterbird stuff invariably always seen like Buzzard, Jay etc etc

And finally, 58 Curlew on the Trescobeas Road playing field ....
 
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49 Curlew on the Trescobeas Road playing field late this afternoon. Half a dozen Redwing on the other side of the lane on the grass in front of the Falmouth School - that is, until one was taken out by a Sparrowhawk ...


... then there about 5.
 
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A new year dawns ... and time to get a new yearlist going again ...

Did the two main areas on foot today. Got a little overexcited or otherwise overestimated how long it would take to walk to Pendennis Point from home, as I arrived at about 7:15 and it was still far too dark to actually see any birds, let alone identify them ... Doh! ;) . Had a pretty amazing purple 'ten minutes' at the point with new birds flying in left, right and centre, including two new patch ticks for me. Then the walk along the seafront to Swanpool, one circuit, and then up the valley and through town to the Penryn river. The tide rising now, and so seeming relatively quiet on the wader front. Through Penryn and up to College Reservoir, around Argal Reservoir, and through the fields back home by 15:45. Dipped on all the good birds from 2 days ago, of course, although of course there were some compensations ... like yet more jolly happy people saying hello and wishing you a happy new year ... Bah! Disturbing all my birds ... Covered about 12 miles in total, totally knackered now, but considering I haven't walked anything like that for ages, and a distinct lack of sleep not too bad an effort at all really.
After the good start (40 species by the time I'd left Pendennis), things slowed considerably,and lots of gaps for what have been everyday birds just up until recently (eg Chiffchaff and Firecrest, Raven and Rook, Sprawk and Feral Pigeon). But you lose some, you gain some. 74 Species or so in total. And even a couple of cameos from the invertebrates too - a Silverfish in the bathroom before I left (!), and a Red Admiral flying through Falmouth mid-morning.
 
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