Andrew
wibble wibble
24-10-03
Location : RSPB Hayle, RSPB Marazion, Helston Loe Pool & Kynance, Cornwall. SW547364, SW505314, SW647255 & SW688130.
After packing our gear we set off for the Lizard calling in various places. The first was Hayle Estuary where I hoped to see the American Wigeon. With determination I scanned all of Lelant Saltings from the Old Quay Inn and the Tempest car park. Sadly the Wigeon did not give itself up and it was a job looking at each one of at least five hundred Eurasian Wigeons. All was not lost as I added a Common Greenshank and some Common Ringed Plovers to the tally. Moving on to Marazion’s Longrock Pool was good for some more views of three Bearded Tits but again the male did not show itself well. There was a stroke of luck as a Jack Snipe took off from the channel in front of us. I had some doubts about a few I had seen before and this one was a definite lifer. The American Wigeon was reported at Hayle so we dashed back after consuming our pasties. In not so many words, I failed to see it again. The duck not being in full breeding plumage does not help. I did manage to see the Green-winged Teal again and add Curlew Sandpiper and a Mediterranean Gull. A Peregrine Falcon chased some waders over the mudflat. The next port of call was Helston Loe Pool where I endured a long and brisk walk after going down the wrong path from Degibna car park. At the north end I finally ticked off Greater Scaup from my life list and had a possible glimpse of an American Black Duck. I was not worried about the Black Duck as I had seen one on the Scillies last month. It was going well with two lifers so far in a day. The other notables on the Loe Pool were a minimum of five Common Goldeneyes, a Common Shelduck, several Eurasian Wigeon and Eurasian Teal. A Ring-billed Gull was reported nearby on the boating pool but we opted to carry on to the Lizard for a crack at seeing some Choughs. We pulled into the National Trust car park at Kynance Cove and searched the coastal cliffs. After about an hour I rushed towards a point overlooking Lion Rock and there was a wonderful Red-billed Chough probing into the soil. Later in the evening, I noticed it’s legs were a deeper red than the illustrations in the Collins guide. The young Chough had red over yellow rings on it’s right leg and a metal ring on the left. This was amazingly the third lifer of the day.
25-10-03
Location : Stithians & Roadford Reservoirs, Cornwall & Devon. SW710372 & SX428912.
Yesterday’s successful location of the Chough meant we could head straight to Stithians Reservoir which was rated highly in a regional guide book. I was disappointed to find the hide was locked but still got good views round the side of it. The best birds on offer were a Common Greenshank, a Common Gull, a Little Egret and some Meadow Pipits. The bird life was a lot richer in the north end of the reservoir. There were good numbers of Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Ducks, Little Grebes and Canada Geese among many other commoner species. The next stop on the way home was Roadford Reservoir back home in Devon. One of my favourite hides is here, it is not new but well built and hardly used. The view is superb and you can have the whole place to yourself. The cushions on the benches and complimentary magazines are a bonus! Being back home, I switched to my usual meticulous counting mode. Each bird was counted carefully and recorded. The best the reservoir provided were three Common Goldeneyes, fifty seven Eurasian Teal, sixty Eurasian Wigeon, four Great Crested Grebes, two Common Pochards, a male Common Kestrel and three Little Grebes. A couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies were about in the sunshine. By the road bridge I was lifted by the sight of at least three White Wagtails with some Pied Wagtails. The whole trip has been a successful and highly enjoyable one with eight lifers and eighty three species in all. For me the best one was the simplest bird of all, the Red-billed Chough.
The full species list is Black-Headed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, European Shag, Great Cormorant, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Lesser Yellowlegs, Common Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Common Goldeneye, Common Pochard, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Greater Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Water Rail, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Common Magpie, Common Raven, Common Starling, Eurasian Jay, Red-billed Chough, Western Jackdaw, Common Pheasant, Collared Dove, Rock Pigeon, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Barn Swallow, Bearded Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Common Stonechat, European Robin, Whinchat, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, Redwing, Ring Ouzel, Chiffchaff, European Reed Warbler, Goldcrest, Palla’s Warbler, Willow Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Winter Wren, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Rock Pipit.
Location : RSPB Hayle, RSPB Marazion, Helston Loe Pool & Kynance, Cornwall. SW547364, SW505314, SW647255 & SW688130.
After packing our gear we set off for the Lizard calling in various places. The first was Hayle Estuary where I hoped to see the American Wigeon. With determination I scanned all of Lelant Saltings from the Old Quay Inn and the Tempest car park. Sadly the Wigeon did not give itself up and it was a job looking at each one of at least five hundred Eurasian Wigeons. All was not lost as I added a Common Greenshank and some Common Ringed Plovers to the tally. Moving on to Marazion’s Longrock Pool was good for some more views of three Bearded Tits but again the male did not show itself well. There was a stroke of luck as a Jack Snipe took off from the channel in front of us. I had some doubts about a few I had seen before and this one was a definite lifer. The American Wigeon was reported at Hayle so we dashed back after consuming our pasties. In not so many words, I failed to see it again. The duck not being in full breeding plumage does not help. I did manage to see the Green-winged Teal again and add Curlew Sandpiper and a Mediterranean Gull. A Peregrine Falcon chased some waders over the mudflat. The next port of call was Helston Loe Pool where I endured a long and brisk walk after going down the wrong path from Degibna car park. At the north end I finally ticked off Greater Scaup from my life list and had a possible glimpse of an American Black Duck. I was not worried about the Black Duck as I had seen one on the Scillies last month. It was going well with two lifers so far in a day. The other notables on the Loe Pool were a minimum of five Common Goldeneyes, a Common Shelduck, several Eurasian Wigeon and Eurasian Teal. A Ring-billed Gull was reported nearby on the boating pool but we opted to carry on to the Lizard for a crack at seeing some Choughs. We pulled into the National Trust car park at Kynance Cove and searched the coastal cliffs. After about an hour I rushed towards a point overlooking Lion Rock and there was a wonderful Red-billed Chough probing into the soil. Later in the evening, I noticed it’s legs were a deeper red than the illustrations in the Collins guide. The young Chough had red over yellow rings on it’s right leg and a metal ring on the left. This was amazingly the third lifer of the day.
25-10-03
Location : Stithians & Roadford Reservoirs, Cornwall & Devon. SW710372 & SX428912.
Yesterday’s successful location of the Chough meant we could head straight to Stithians Reservoir which was rated highly in a regional guide book. I was disappointed to find the hide was locked but still got good views round the side of it. The best birds on offer were a Common Greenshank, a Common Gull, a Little Egret and some Meadow Pipits. The bird life was a lot richer in the north end of the reservoir. There were good numbers of Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Ducks, Little Grebes and Canada Geese among many other commoner species. The next stop on the way home was Roadford Reservoir back home in Devon. One of my favourite hides is here, it is not new but well built and hardly used. The view is superb and you can have the whole place to yourself. The cushions on the benches and complimentary magazines are a bonus! Being back home, I switched to my usual meticulous counting mode. Each bird was counted carefully and recorded. The best the reservoir provided were three Common Goldeneyes, fifty seven Eurasian Teal, sixty Eurasian Wigeon, four Great Crested Grebes, two Common Pochards, a male Common Kestrel and three Little Grebes. A couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies were about in the sunshine. By the road bridge I was lifted by the sight of at least three White Wagtails with some Pied Wagtails. The whole trip has been a successful and highly enjoyable one with eight lifers and eighty three species in all. For me the best one was the simplest bird of all, the Red-billed Chough.
The full species list is Black-Headed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, European Shag, Great Cormorant, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Lesser Yellowlegs, Common Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Common Goldeneye, Common Pochard, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Greater Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Water Rail, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Common Magpie, Common Raven, Common Starling, Eurasian Jay, Red-billed Chough, Western Jackdaw, Common Pheasant, Collared Dove, Rock Pigeon, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Barn Swallow, Bearded Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Common Stonechat, European Robin, Whinchat, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, Redwing, Ring Ouzel, Chiffchaff, European Reed Warbler, Goldcrest, Palla’s Warbler, Willow Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Winter Wren, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Rock Pipit.
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