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Falmouth Birding (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter dantheman
- Start date
ruanite
Well-known member
Any ideas
Hi all,
I saw this bird in a field that was being sprayed which I believe is a buzzard but it is a lot larger than the buzzards we normally get here. There were two of them and they appeared to be rooting in the earth. Do birds this large normally eat worms. It was raining quite hard so the photo is pretty bad.
Also any ideas what the second bird is. There was about 20 of them but this was the only one I managed to get a photo of and he was a fair distance away.
C
Hi all,
I saw this bird in a field that was being sprayed which I believe is a buzzard but it is a lot larger than the buzzards we normally get here. There were two of them and they appeared to be rooting in the earth. Do birds this large normally eat worms. It was raining quite hard so the photo is pretty bad.
Also any ideas what the second bird is. There was about 20 of them but this was the only one I managed to get a photo of and he was a fair distance away.
C
Attachments
Mark Grantham
Well-known member
The bird of prey is a Buzzard and they're often seen on the ground taking small prey items. The other bird is a Redwing, with a nice bright supercilium above the eye.
dantheman
Bah humbug
They vary in size a fair bit -seen one as small as a Carrion Crow (but not really noticed abnormally large ones). Worms etc an important part of the diet at times.
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dantheman
Bah humbug
Bit of updating from the last few days, back in town, nice to see other people using this thread 
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Had a brief rootle around Pendennis/Swanpool on the 26th - maybe a bit too brief as seemed rather quiet (or it's back to normal ) Female Black Redstart, Grey Wagtail and 7 Rock Pipit at Castle Beach, Chiffchaff and Blackcap at Swanpool the highlights, with Fulmars back and Gannets etc in the bay.
On the 27th did Argal and College - again quiet, highlights at College 1 Kingfisher, 10 Snipe, 200+ Wigeon, 50 -60 Tufted Duck and 5 Goldeneye (2 ad male, 1 1st w/eclipse male) with 24 Curlew at Argal.
Today (Sat 28th Jan) -
Falmouth - Lapwing 16 west near Mabe (between 2 -3 miles distant as viewed from the bedroom window in Falmouth), m and f Sparrowhawk, Buzzard 7, Little Egret 3 on the Penryn River etc.
Loe Beach, Feock - Red-breasted Merganser 27, Razorbill 1, Great Northern Diver 3, Great Crested Grebe 1, all in the Carrick Roads
Carnon Downs Sewage Farm - Chiffchaff 20+, Goldcrest 6, Reed Bunting 2 in a brief visit.
-Had a brief rootle around Pendennis/Swanpool on the 26th - maybe a bit too brief as seemed rather quiet (or it's back to normal
) Female Black Redstart, Grey Wagtail and 7 Rock Pipit at Castle Beach, Chiffchaff and Blackcap at Swanpool the highlights, with Fulmars back and Gannets etc in the bay. On the 27th did Argal and College - again quiet, highlights at College 1 Kingfisher, 10 Snipe, 200+ Wigeon, 50 -60 Tufted Duck and 5 Goldeneye (2 ad male, 1 1st w/eclipse male) with 24 Curlew at Argal.
Today (Sat 28th Jan) -
Falmouth - Lapwing 16 west near Mabe (between 2 -3 miles distant as viewed from the bedroom window in Falmouth), m and f Sparrowhawk, Buzzard 7, Little Egret 3 on the Penryn River etc.
Loe Beach, Feock - Red-breasted Merganser 27, Razorbill 1, Great Northern Diver 3, Great Crested Grebe 1, all in the Carrick Roads
Carnon Downs Sewage Farm - Chiffchaff 20+, Goldcrest 6, Reed Bunting 2 in a brief visit.
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lozzjazz
Lawrence Sampson
Black redstart today on the buildings near Falmouth police station. (I know theyre way easier to see on castle beach, but thought I'd mention it as I hadn't seen one in there before!)
Had a kingfisher on penryn estuary doing a good job of catching fish in a small pool - they must have got stranded there when the tide went out.
A redshank on the estuary was doing a good job of copying a nearby greenshank, they were both sweeping there bills through the water catching fish (never seen a redshank do that before), until the green chased off the red - i guess it saw it as a competitor!
Not Falmouth, but had 11 common scoters in Gerrans bay yesterday.
Had a kingfisher on penryn estuary doing a good job of catching fish in a small pool - they must have got stranded there when the tide went out.
A redshank on the estuary was doing a good job of copying a nearby greenshank, they were both sweeping there bills through the water catching fish (never seen a redshank do that before), until the green chased off the red - i guess it saw it as a competitor!
Not Falmouth, but had 11 common scoters in Gerrans bay yesterday.
Ilya Maclean
charlatan
Not quite Falmouth, but...
there was a nice redhead Smew in Carminowe Creek this afternoon about 4pm. Quite wary and flighty, but still showing very well.
there was a nice redhead Smew in Carminowe Creek this afternoon about 4pm. Quite wary and flighty, but still showing very well.
dantheman
Bah humbug
Mega! Very nice ...
Ilya Maclean
charlatan
Indeed. Rarer than Ring-necked Ducks down this way;-)
dantheman
Bah humbug
dantheman
Bah humbug
Popped down to the Penryn river opposite Lidl's this afternoon as I'd espied a few Teal and 2 Greenshank out of the bedroom window. Nearby (would've been just obscured by the trees for me) a pair of Shoveler and 15 Little Grebe.
Went back home for gloves and woolly hat before heading up to the reservoirs.
College Res
Wigeon 208
Tufted Duck 67
Goldeneye 6
Mallard 2
Teal 30+
Coot 54
Great Crested Grebe 1
Little Grebe 3
Grey Heron 2
Moorhen 5+
Cormorant 3+
Common Gull 1
Redwing 30+
Argal Res
Great Crested Grebe 1
Mute Swan 2
Tufted Duck 3
Mallard 5
Moorhen 1
Redwing c.100
Mistle Thrush 1
Kestrel 1
Nuthatch 1 etc
Back home via asda, emptying the boot and greeted by a surprise Nuthatch just in the trees opposite, and upon scoping the Penryn river once inside, a fat Shelduck waddled through the field of view. Three Little Egret, maybe 15+ Teal, and nice flock of Curlew (70+). No sign of the Shoveler unfortunately, although I was able to id a couple of Herring Gulls on rooftops at Carnon Downs (about 4.3 miles away).
Not much sign of cold weather movement, the 2 garden ticks aside, and increase in Redwing numbers generally. Although maybe the Teal and Shoveler were newish? The Penryn river half frozen over already.
Went back home for gloves and woolly hat before heading up to the reservoirs.
College Res
Wigeon 208
Tufted Duck 67
Goldeneye 6
Mallard 2
Teal 30+
Coot 54
Great Crested Grebe 1
Little Grebe 3
Grey Heron 2
Moorhen 5+
Cormorant 3+
Common Gull 1
Redwing 30+
Argal Res
Great Crested Grebe 1
Mute Swan 2
Tufted Duck 3
Mallard 5
Moorhen 1
Redwing c.100
Mistle Thrush 1
Kestrel 1
Nuthatch 1 etc
Back home via asda, emptying the boot and greeted by a surprise Nuthatch just in the trees opposite, and upon scoping the Penryn river once inside, a fat Shelduck waddled through the field of view. Three Little Egret, maybe 15+ Teal, and nice flock of Curlew (70+). No sign of the Shoveler unfortunately, although I was able to id a couple of Herring Gulls on rooftops at Carnon Downs (about 4.3 miles away).
Not much sign of cold weather movement, the 2 garden ticks aside, and increase in Redwing numbers generally. Although maybe the Teal and Shoveler were newish? The Penryn river half frozen over already.
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dantheman
Bah humbug
This mornings offerings -
The air at Pendennis was crisp and cold. Nothing much on the sea, but 4 Linnet near the car park, with 2 Rock Pipit, 2 Oystercatcher and at least 1 Purple Sandpiper on the rocks (there may have been more obscured).
Castle Beach held a few more Rock Pipit and the male Black Redstart, scoping towards Gyllyngvase and I could see an interesting bird that way, so moved on.
The rock flats to the east of Gyllyngvase beach held 2 Whimbrel, and adult Med Gull, 12 Oystercatchers and 2 Curlew.
Swanpool was half frozen over, the only bird out of the ordinary a single Teal, and 20 minutes at Swanvale failed to produce the Yellow-browed Warbler, although a couple of smart Bullfinches were nice.
More interest was to be had on the cliff adjacent to the beach, where a Chiffchaff (only one of the day) and a female type Black Redstart entertained.
The Penryn river was completed covered in a sheath of ice, barring where the odd boat had cut through, although the flats opposite Lidl's were ice-free. A quick stop here produced 30+ Teal, 14 Mute Swan, 4 Greenshank, 4+ Turnstone and a Bar-tailed Godwit, with Little Grebe, Redshank and a lone Curlew.
The air at Pendennis was crisp and cold. Nothing much on the sea, but 4 Linnet near the car park, with 2 Rock Pipit, 2 Oystercatcher and at least 1 Purple Sandpiper on the rocks (there may have been more obscured).
Castle Beach held a few more Rock Pipit and the male Black Redstart, scoping towards Gyllyngvase and I could see an interesting bird that way, so moved on.
The rock flats to the east of Gyllyngvase beach held 2 Whimbrel, and adult Med Gull, 12 Oystercatchers and 2 Curlew.
Swanpool was half frozen over, the only bird out of the ordinary a single Teal, and 20 minutes at Swanvale failed to produce the Yellow-browed Warbler, although a couple of smart Bullfinches were nice.
More interest was to be had on the cliff adjacent to the beach, where a Chiffchaff (only one of the day) and a female type Black Redstart entertained.
The Penryn river was completed covered in a sheath of ice, barring where the odd boat had cut through, although the flats opposite Lidl's were ice-free. A quick stop here produced 30+ Teal, 14 Mute Swan, 4 Greenshank, 4+ Turnstone and a Bar-tailed Godwit, with Little Grebe, Redshank and a lone Curlew.
ruanite
Well-known member
dantheman
Bah humbug
Yep, and assuming it's lost half its bill in the pic due to the motion capture rather than being anything much rarer
A nice bird to see.
dantheman
Bah humbug
Additionally, as viewed from the bedroom window in Falmouth a bit later on, 1 Shelduck again, Moorhen and 2 Common Snipe
So now up to 44 on the 'garden' list. How desperate is that??!!
Ilya Maclean
charlatan
The Bittern appears to be back at College Reservoir. It was sat out in the open this afternoon looking rather miffed at the layer of ice that separated it from its dinner.
Chris Oates
Why does a Black-headed Gull have a brown head...
Is it still possible to access College via the football field & under the road - last time the walkways were pretty rotten.
Dave Parker
Well-known member
Technically, the answer is no and has been for the past 12 years! See here. This however has not stopped birders visiting the site, hence Dan's regular reports. Access is normally much easier from the Argal end but this may have changed now remedial works have started. Hope this helps.
Dave
Ilya Maclean
charlatan
A quick trip to Carnon Downs sewerage works this morning proved quite productive:
2 Yellow-browed Warblers (at least one of which was unringed, so presumably at least 3 there given Mark Grantham ringed two yesterday)
1 Water Pipit (feeding on filter bed with Meadow Pipits, but pretty mobile)
1 Green Sandpiper
2+ Siberian Chiffchaffs (two very good candidates and another two that were probably sub-tristis. One of the better candidates has a noticeable wing-bar)
3 Firecrests
30+ Chiffchaffs
Cheers,
Ilya
It's easiest to access from the Argal end - I think you'd struggle from the other end not least because the path is very flooded at that end. I'm not quite sure what the state of play is with regards to access (well I do - it's technically no - but as Dave suggests - this hasn't really stopped anyone in the past, but more strict enforcement could be in place now that work has began). The walkways are quite tough going - very rotten, partially submerged and pretty slippy.
2 Yellow-browed Warblers (at least one of which was unringed, so presumably at least 3 there given Mark Grantham ringed two yesterday)
1 Water Pipit (feeding on filter bed with Meadow Pipits, but pretty mobile)
1 Green Sandpiper
2+ Siberian Chiffchaffs (two very good candidates and another two that were probably sub-tristis. One of the better candidates has a noticeable wing-bar)
3 Firecrests
30+ Chiffchaffs
Cheers,
Ilya
It's easiest to access from the Argal end - I think you'd struggle from the other end not least because the path is very flooded at that end. I'm not quite sure what the state of play is with regards to access (well I do - it's technically no - but as Dave suggests - this hasn't really stopped anyone in the past, but more strict enforcement could be in place now that work has began). The walkways are quite tough going - very rotten, partially submerged and pretty slippy.
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dantheman
Bah humbug
As mentioned above, most people park at Argal - on the road between the 2 reservoirs if you don't want to pay for the parking ...
Don't know about from the football field, but I have gone up from Penryn before and under the flyover. You have to cut into the field to the east of the res to escape the worst of the mud, wellies rather useful anyway, but you can walk all the way around.
re recent works - the gate was open on my last visit, chatted briefly to one of the btcv(?) workers, he didn't seem fussed at my presence. Looks like its more manual work than dangerous heavy engineering going on (although don't know for sure). They're doing the western path, can't say I really approve - it really isn't too bad to start with(not worth 20 grand of useful money that could go to conservation elsewhere?), it will only increase the amount of use and disturbance, plus they've already cut down a couple of large mature trees -why?! I always use the eastern path for viewing anyway ...
You can also park at the far end of Argal (but very limited parking) if you want to walk around both ...
I meant to note before, but apparently the road between the two will be closed 3rd -7th feb for resurfacing.
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