• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Falmouth Birding (3 Viewers)

Don't think I'll be able to get out until the 20th after my last exam as I've been spending far too much time outside recently rather than revising :eek!: Having said that, if something nice turns up on patch... ;)

Us patchers should probs meet up on the coast one day soon for a some birding o:)

Yeah...we could a birding flashmob thingy :t:
 
Will do!!

Are they continental then??

That's the best guess I suppose but maybe difficult to prove. Quite a few of the introduced birds I imagine have got colour wing tags so if none of the ones in Cornwall are seen to be bearing any it could be an indication that they aren't originating from the UK.
 
The short answer has to be yes. ;)

Might have a saunter around the local patch near Swanpool this evening (it's not really the time or weather for full blown seawatching, although there may be chance of the odd skua or (apparently) raptor.) Be in touch later.
 
5 cygnets on Argal. Grebe still sitting, wont be long before theres a few little stripey balls of fluff.
Saw a couple of goslings on College last week. They were being harried all over by the male swan. I expect they are no more.
 
5 cygnets on Argal. Grebe still sitting, wont be long before theres a few little stripey balls of fluff.
Saw a couple of goslings on College last week. They were being harried all over by the male swan. I expect they are no more.

You beat me to it ... ;)

Walked around Argal yesterday morning c.8am (first time for ages) - including the Swans and Cygnets (quite cute, including when they all took a ride on mum) and the sitting Grebe -

2 ad Mute Swan +5 young
8 Great Crested Grebe
10+ Mallard
1 Grey Heron

2 Long-tailed Tit
3 Blackcap (singing)
Willow Warblers, Chiffs, Whitethroat etc
Raven over

College Res

quiet now

2+ Canada Goose heard
male Peregrine flew east

Had a look at Gorrangorras - only 3 Mute Swan though!
 
Last edited:
Iceland Gull at Gylly apparently (2nd hand). Might pop out to see ...

No sign (later found out it had probably been seen an hour earlier at least). Samuel also down looking.

Falmouth Bay
(mostly from Swanpool Point) -

6+GN Diver
2 BT Diver
2 Sandwich Terns
100+ Herring Gulls
6+ Razorbill
Guillemots, Shag, 3 Gannet close in

hazy/misty. Another 50+ gulls following a distant fishing boat.
 
Not much to add to Dan's totals other than:

32+ Manxies west, 1 Fulmar, 8 Kitts west, 1 Rock Pipit at Swanpool Point and 3 of the aforementioned GNDs were in sum plum.
 
Falmouth Cemetery:

Goldcrests, Red Admiral and a couple Speckled Woods.

Seawatching from Swanpool Point:

The odd Gannet.

http://www.eurometeo.com/english/read/doc_douglas Might be worth employing this Douglas Scale technique for assessing "wind sea" and "swell" when noting conditions on a seawatch. After all, "wind sea" is directly linked to the strength of the wind, all that needs to be added is direction. "Swell" may be a little more difficult to determine as it's disguised by the "wind sea". Anyway, since I have some more free time on my hands following the finale to my exams I'll start trying to post more thorough accounts.

Today's "Wind sea" would perhaps classify as a 2.

Back to the birds:

Falmouth Bay:

2 full sum plum GNDs but spent most of my time gazing onto rockpools ;)

Seawatching from Pendennis Point all west late afternoon until 21:15:

63 Manxies, a couple Fulmar, 1 sum plum GND off the point. 1 bat sp.

Nice to see you again Simon, it's been a while :t:
 

Attachments

  • DSC04520.jpg
    DSC04520.jpg
    261.7 KB · Views: 41
  • DSC04521.jpg
    DSC04521.jpg
    256.7 KB · Views: 41
  • DSC04493.JPG
    DSC04493.JPG
    241.2 KB · Views: 46
  • DSC04522.jpg
    DSC04522.jpg
    271.1 KB · Views: 38
Last edited:
Getting ready to go out c.11am this morning (ok I was just quickly hanging the washing out prior to leaving) and heard a fair commotion amongst the local gulls - hmmm I think, could well be one of those elusive Red Kites passing over ... disappointingly it wasn't one as I peered at the small bit of sky between the surrounding buildings above the garden.

Not really that disappointingly ... a larger black and white bird hove into view after a few moments of circling Herring Gulls - the cause of the consternation indeed. An Osprey!

I raced up to the road (sans bins), but couldn't see which way it had gone - probably north or east towards the visible penryn river.

Oh well ... ;)



Later in the day had a surprise with Samuel on the lizard, probably even more so. Dropping some wood off at a place called Kestle Barton on the NE side of the peninsula (on the south side of the Helford River), Samuel thought he'd espied a Hobby over the trees ... bins out, but it wasn't. A pale phase Arctic Skua (prob a subadult judging by the breastband) circling lazily before heading off westward over the fields. Seemingly a little bit out-of-place in the sun-drenched farmland!
 
Last edited:
A few more Fulmars last night, Sam...

6 on the cliffs between Swanpool and Sunny Cove, 2 in flight (1930hrs)
8 Swift
2 Swallow
Green Woody (yaffle) in cemetary
Chiffchaff


Pendennis Pt
2 Rock Pipit
2 Linnet
2 Swallow
 
Helped Dan out in his fields before deciding to walk back home via Argal and College Res. Heard 3 Garden Warblers singing in the imediate area. I'd only just left when I started walking down the public footpath through a cow field. On seeing me some of the cows got in a right frenzy and started charging towards me flailing their heads, kicking and running towards me! It's safe to say I was a little intimidated but with not enough time to sprint to the closest gate I had no option but to dive into the Cornish hedgrow next to me!! :eek!: My brain told me it was safer not to go back in the field so I scrambled through the massive mixture of brambles, blackthorn, gorse and even a barbed wire fence only to stumble back into Dan's field (appologies for tresspassing 8-P). The experience was nothing short of hilarious!! :-O:-O (see picture)

Anyway, back to the birds:

Argal Res:

50+ Swallows, half a dozen House Martins, 5+GCGrebes (one sitting on a nest perhaps brooding eggs), Willow Warbler, Chiffys, 2 Mute Swans and 7+Mallard. Also accidentally flushed a Fox from the side of the path.

College Res:

Herring Gulls (c.31 adults, 2 2nd summers, 3 1st summers), 1 2nd summer LBBG, 2 ad. GBBGulls, Swallows, 3+ Grey Herons, 1 GCGrebe sitting in a nest, 1 Willow Warbler, singing Chiffys and wet socks. :-C

Penryn River, Gorrangorras:

almost nothing, only 4 Linnets and 4 Mute Swans.
 

Attachments

  • 20140524_121025.jpg
    20140524_121025.jpg
    178.9 KB · Views: 53
Late afternoon patch visit to Swanpool Point for some seawatching c.5pm-8:30pm:

4 probable Pomarine Skuas
west (1 then a group of 3) - almost certain on ID thanks to jizz and flight behaviour, heading purposefully through the bay with steady rowing action of wings, powering through the bay in a Bonxie-like fashion. Not tern-like or thin build, as would have been the case for Arctics. Steady wing beats throughout, except for a 1 second glide out of the 1-2mins I had the first one in view. Did not rise up above the horizon but kept on low flight path disappearing occasionally behind some of the taller waves (Arctics tend to go with the wind and use updrafts to rise and fall in flight like Fulmar). Sharp divide between pale belly and what appeared to be a dark collar, wing flashes not quite visible and I couldn't quite be certain about making out the spoons but general build was spot on.

Dan soon joined me with the added incentive.

Manxies moving through the bay in decent numbers usually small groups of 6-10 every 3-4 mins. Kittiwakes in smaller numbers.

2 GNDs (1 sum plum)
+1 confusing diver creating divided opinions between Dan and I despite being able to note the same features.

A few Guillemots sat on the sea and another Spring coastal patch scarcity in the form of a 1st sum. Black-headed Gull (my first in the area for a good couple months!)
 
Last edited:
Took another trip out to Mawnan to walk Rosemullion Head round to Mawnan Church.

30 Housemartin
10 Swallow
10 Swift
10 House Sparrow
Goldfinch
fem Bullfinch
Pheasant
Fulmar
Chiffchaff

Little Egret on beach with resting Common Sandpiper and curiously a Shelduck cruising round heading for the Helford
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top