Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
AK trips just had a group of Risso's go east through the Falmouth Bay! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YLzXaInBJ0&feature=share
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Falmouth Birding (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter dantheman
- Start date
Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
Also had 7 Swifts over the house this afternoon
dantheman
Bah humbug
Pretty unreal! :eek!: Mega!!!!
Wonder what time this morning it was? If only they'd managed to report them through some kind of birding channels (eg Birdguides still do cetacean reports? /they must know some birders in the area?) some locals may have had the chance to see them!
Oh well ...
dantheman
Bah humbug
... mind you ... this morning from Pendennis (I was there c.7:30 - 8:00, all seemed quiet) -
skua sp. west distantly
2 GNDiver west
1 BTDiver west
2 Sandwich Terns resting in Carrick Roads
distant (>5miles) manxies and auks (beyond the wave hub)
Gorrangorras
1 Bar-tailed Godwit
1 Little Egret
5 Mute Swan
Treverva -
3 Swift
skua sp. west distantly
2 GNDiver west
1 BTDiver west
2 Sandwich Terns resting in Carrick Roads
distant (>5miles) manxies and auks (beyond the wave hub)
Gorrangorras
1 Bar-tailed Godwit
1 Little Egret
5 Mute Swan
Treverva -
3 Swift
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Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
The Risso's were in the bay for at least 2.5 hours (between 10-12:30) before the boat left so I guess they could've been there for even longer! Mega gripped by them too, wish the news had come out sooner (wouldn't have made a difference for me though as I would have been charged £25 for my phone going off in the middle of the exam 8-P). However, I did post the video clip up as soon as I saw it just in case anyone else would have the opportunity to see them. *sigh* :-C
dantheman
Bah humbug
Out this morning for a brief session. Ended up a bit surprised.
Pendennis Point - 7:45 - 8:15 reasonable WSW, poor visibility
2 Great Northern Diver west
1 WHITE-BILLED DIVER !!!! west
2 Guillemots
Gannets
scouted around to Gyllyngvase/Swanpool briefly before going home to report the diver. Closer than the two GND's, thought to myself, that one looks pale on top ... black head and neck, white collar showing nicely, nice summer plumage Great Northern, then I saw the bill (well some of it) ... the black feathers of the head sharply contrasting with a pale creamy white. :eek!:
Didn't really believe it to be honest. The bird was angling in quite fast and out of my field of view almost as soon as I'd clocked the bill. Tried moving the car forward (I was scoping out the car widow), but couldn't get on to it again. Good chance it was pitching in to Falmouth Bay somewhere at the angle it was coming in - perhaps the Maenporth section?
Pendennis Point - 7:45 - 8:15 reasonable WSW, poor visibility
2 Great Northern Diver west
1 WHITE-BILLED DIVER !!!! west
2 Guillemots
Gannets
scouted around to Gyllyngvase/Swanpool briefly before going home to report the diver. Closer than the two GND's, thought to myself, that one looks pale on top ... black head and neck, white collar showing nicely, nice summer plumage Great Northern, then I saw the bill (well some of it) ... the black feathers of the head sharply contrasting with a pale creamy white. :eek!:
Didn't really believe it to be honest. The bird was angling in quite fast and out of my field of view almost as soon as I'd clocked the bill. Tried moving the car forward (I was scoping out the car widow), but couldn't get on to it again. Good chance it was pitching in to Falmouth Bay somewhere at the angle it was coming in - perhaps the Maenporth section?
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dantheman
Bah humbug
Thought I ought to highlight in a different colour 
.
Out this afternoon (coinciding with Samuel) to check out Pennance Point westwards.
Still low cloud, visibility if anything worse than earlier, so we headed on quickly through the golfcourse (2 Song Thrush feeding, Whitethroats, Swallows ever-present) towards
Maenporth
3 Risso's Dolphins close in!! Picked up by Samuel just as we were about to move on. Nice scarring etc but not as exuberant as the sighting yesterday. Moved out of sight into the mist towards the lizard.
3+ Common Swift
Stonechat m
Whitethroat 2
Great Northern Diver 1 winter plum
Raven + 4 nearly fledged young on nest
2 House Martin
Scanned the bay but not much on the sea or moving (a flock of Manxies by the wave hub, the odd Guillemot), left Samuel to carry on seawatching from Pennance.
Swanpool
Great Crested Grebe
Reed Warbler
9 Mallard ducklings
. Out this afternoon (coinciding with Samuel) to check out Pennance Point westwards.
Still low cloud, visibility if anything worse than earlier, so we headed on quickly through the golfcourse (2 Song Thrush feeding, Whitethroats, Swallows ever-present) towards
Maenporth
3 Risso's Dolphins close in!! Picked up by Samuel just as we were about to move on. Nice scarring etc but not as exuberant as the sighting yesterday. Moved out of sight into the mist towards the lizard.
3+ Common Swift
Stonechat m
Whitethroat 2
Great Northern Diver 1 winter plum
Raven + 4 nearly fledged young on nest
2 House Martin
Scanned the bay but not much on the sea or moving (a flock of Manxies by the wave hub, the odd Guillemot), left Samuel to carry on seawatching from Pennance.
Swanpool
Great Crested Grebe
Reed Warbler
9 Mallard ducklings
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Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
I like the colour change :t:
I must admit you're absolutely right about correcting me with "douzen" today. No idea why I've been spelling it like that all this time, probably just googled it and some results came up so I stuck with the wrong spelling 8-P Thank god I'm not doing English!
Anyway! Today's birds+cetaceans:
By far the biggest highlight was a small group of 3+ RISSO'S DOLPHINS which I picked up with Dan as we were walking the coastal footpath to Maenporth. They appeared close to the cliff line at c.13:10 and linger for about 5 mins before heading towards the Lizard where they were engulfed by mist.
They gave good views for a short while, showing their diagnostic long hooked dorsal fin, blunt forehead and scarred sides. Occasionally one would come far enough out of the water to see the pale blueish/grey flanks and before diving one tipped its tail upwards showing the swept-back pointed flukes. They were an awesome lifer!!!
As they left I pointed my little digital compact camera in their direction and fired off some random shots, to my utter surprise once reviewing my pics, I actually managed to capture the diagnostic dorsal fin shape on one individual, WOOHOO!!!
Birds included 2+ GNDs (one in full sum plum), 2 House Martins, Swallows and a handful of Swifts.
Maenporth hosted the usual male Stonechat and we encountered one back on Pennance Point too.
Seawatching from Pennance Point was fairly dull but still managed 87+ Manxies, 3+ Kitts and 6+ Sarnies.
No sign of the White-billed though, absolutely brilliant work Dan and a well deserved find :t: :t: :t:
I must admit you're absolutely right about correcting me with "douzen" today. No idea why I've been spelling it like that all this time, probably just googled it and some results came up so I stuck with the wrong spelling 8-P Thank god I'm not doing English!
Anyway! Today's birds+cetaceans:
By far the biggest highlight was a small group of 3+ RISSO'S DOLPHINS which I picked up with Dan as we were walking the coastal footpath to Maenporth. They appeared close to the cliff line at c.13:10 and linger for about 5 mins before heading towards the Lizard where they were engulfed by mist.
They gave good views for a short while, showing their diagnostic long hooked dorsal fin, blunt forehead and scarred sides. Occasionally one would come far enough out of the water to see the pale blueish/grey flanks and before diving one tipped its tail upwards showing the swept-back pointed flukes. They were an awesome lifer!!!
As they left I pointed my little digital compact camera in their direction and fired off some random shots, to my utter surprise once reviewing my pics, I actually managed to capture the diagnostic dorsal fin shape on one individual, WOOHOO!!!
Birds included 2+ GNDs (one in full sum plum), 2 House Martins, Swallows and a handful of Swifts.
Maenporth hosted the usual male Stonechat and we encountered one back on Pennance Point too.
Seawatching from Pennance Point was fairly dull but still managed 87+ Manxies, 3+ Kitts and 6+ Sarnies.
No sign of the White-billed though, absolutely brilliant work Dan and a well deserved find :t: :t: :t:
Attachments
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henerz1
Well-known member
Congrats Dan on a great Falmouth find. Who'd have thought a banana-bill could turn up in the bay?!
Cheers.
Henry.
dantheman
Bah humbug
Cheers!
The short answer is no-one, although both myself and Samuel have both been independently checking GND's the last couple of months, I'd completely dismissed the possibility as we'd moved into May ...
Certainly one of the highlights of my seawatching 'career'. Date fits in well with observed sightings in SW Norway (on the downcurve?) -
http://britishbirds.dev.southmedia....e_files/V88/V88_N03/V88_N03_P125_129_A032.pdf
dantheman
Bah humbug
Today, a bit of normality re-asserting itself (although still nice) -
Pendennis 7:40- 9:10
6 GNDiver west (1 landed on the sea), sum plum or near
1 BTDiver (winter) flew in from the west, landed also
4 additional GND 3 sum plum, 1 winter on the sea
7 Kittiwakes west
70+ distant Manxies (incl flock of c.40) west
1 Sandwich Tern in Carrick Roads
3 Linnet
Whitethroat singing
Swanpool
6 Sandwich Terns past
2 Reed Warbler singing
Gorrangorras
2 Whimbrel
Pendennis 7:40- 9:10
6 GNDiver west (1 landed on the sea), sum plum or near
1 BTDiver (winter) flew in from the west, landed also
4 additional GND 3 sum plum, 1 winter on the sea
7 Kittiwakes west
70+ distant Manxies (incl flock of c.40) west
1 Sandwich Tern in Carrick Roads
3 Linnet
Whitethroat singing
Swanpool
6 Sandwich Terns past
2 Reed Warbler singing
Gorrangorras
2 Whimbrel
Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
Seawatching late morning with Dan. A strong SW-W wind with white horses throughout the bay. Glare was a bit of a problem too as the waters around St Anthony's Head were reflecting quite a lot of sunlight by the time we arrived, making it all the more tricky.
Pendennis Point
Counted Manxies between 9:40-10:14am and totaled at 92 (all moving westwards), that's 2.7 per minute.
Fulmars, Gannets and Kitts also trickling through in smaller numbers and at least 4 GNDs on the sea (one in sum plum)
Wall Brown at Little Pendennis and a partially leucistic male Blackbird collecting worms.
Swanpool
Reed Warbler singing
1 GCGrebe
A couple Swallows also lingering about
Pendennis Point
Counted Manxies between 9:40-10:14am and totaled at 92 (all moving westwards), that's 2.7 per minute.
Fulmars, Gannets and Kitts also trickling through in smaller numbers and at least 4 GNDs on the sea (one in sum plum)
Wall Brown at Little Pendennis and a partially leucistic male Blackbird collecting worms.
Swanpool
Reed Warbler singing
1 GCGrebe
A couple Swallows also lingering about
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Dave Parker
Well-known member
Hi Samuel,
Interesting, by way of comparison I was at Porthgwarra between 09:15 & 10:45 and had 380 manxies, that's 4.2pm and I certainly missed a lot as I was on my own and was regularly looking way beyond the manxie line. Presumably we pick up more birds the further west you are, or are your Falmouth birds just too distant to see?
Dave
dantheman
Bah humbug
The main Manxie line today was about 4 miles out, so we certainly could have been missing a few!!! But go a lot further east (Portland Bill, Dorset) and they can have none on a day when we do have them. Presume ours are now feeding birds returning as opposed to migrants?
(Also just towards the end Swallows started noticebly coming in-off)
(Also just towards the end Swallows started noticebly coming in-off)
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Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
Almost all the Manxies I saw were at an IDable range (maybe at about half the distance to the wave hub which sits 5.8km from the Point). There wasn't much else moving so I wasn't distracted by any flypast divers/skuas whilst I was logging the Manxies.
It could be that birds traveling westwards through the bay see the Lizard and veer off to the left and away from Pendennis which means they end up so distant they go undetected, that was Dan's suggestion anyway...
Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
Was out birding this morning from 6am until 9:20.
Seawatching from the Hooked Cafe was a bit intermittent this morning as I even had a wonder up to the golf course but kept an eye on the sea most of the time. 1 diver sp. flew west into Helford Passage followed by 2 Shelduck (a good patch bird). A partially leucistic male Blackbird on the golf course was about the only species I encoutered along with the occasional Swallow heading west and 3 Swifts over Swanpool.
Heavy bands of rain were moving through which pushed a batch of Manxies westwards in front of it, along with some Kitts, but by the time Dan arrived and we headed around to Pendennis there were none moving. We had a total of 5 GNDs between ourselves from the Point, 1 sum plum in the Carrick Roads, 3 winter ones offshore and one flying east.
2 Whitethroats also singing at the point and a JSL.
Seawatching from the Hooked Cafe was a bit intermittent this morning as I even had a wonder up to the golf course but kept an eye on the sea most of the time. 1 diver sp. flew west into Helford Passage followed by 2 Shelduck (a good patch bird). A partially leucistic male Blackbird on the golf course was about the only species I encoutered along with the occasional Swallow heading west and 3 Swifts over Swanpool.
Heavy bands of rain were moving through which pushed a batch of Manxies westwards in front of it, along with some Kitts, but by the time Dan arrived and we headed around to Pendennis there were none moving. We had a total of 5 GNDs between ourselves from the Point, 1 sum plum in the Carrick Roads, 3 winter ones offshore and one flying east.
2 Whitethroats also singing at the point and a JSL.
dantheman
Bah humbug
If your 3 off Pendennis were winter then there must have been at least one more as I'm sure at least one of those I saw out there was also sum plum!
A bit disappointing otherwise - due westerly, would have been nice to have some southerly in it (+ probably a bit tardy on the getting up front myself )
A bit later in the day -
Argal Res, quick scan from the dam -
4 GC Grebe
1 Swift
1 House Martin
1 Sand Martin
5+ Swallow
College Res scanned from the upper path - could only see 1 Cormorant and a Herring Gull in flight
Asda Penryn -
2+ House Sparrows inside
Gorrangorras -
3 Whimbrel
8 Mute Swan
Also up near Treverva, thought I was losing it with a stereophonic Garden Warbler until I realised that of course it was two - one on each side of a Buddleia bush only a couple of yards apart involved in a territorial sing-off!
A bit disappointing otherwise - due westerly, would have been nice to have some southerly in it (+ probably a bit tardy on the getting up front myself
)A bit later in the day -
Argal Res, quick scan from the dam -
4 GC Grebe
1 Swift
1 House Martin
1 Sand Martin
5+ Swallow
College Res scanned from the upper path - could only see 1 Cormorant and a Herring Gull in flight
Asda Penryn -
2+ House Sparrows inside
Gorrangorras -
3 Whimbrel
8 Mute Swan
Also up near Treverva, thought I was losing it with a stereophonic Garden Warbler until I realised that of course it was two - one on each side of a Buddleia bush only a couple of yards apart involved in a territorial sing-off!
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Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
Went down to the coast again c.4pm for a short seawatch from Swanpool Point. No Manxies what so ever! A very distant sum plum GND and some Gannets diving close of Gylly beach were about the only highlights. Swallows hawking along the tideline and 3 Swifts flew over. 1 Green Wood in the cemetery as well.
dantheman
Bah humbug
Out this morning for a seawatch of course - apologies to Samuel as it was probably more what he was hoping for over the weekend - a bit of a diver-fest!
Pendennis Point 7:30 - 9:30 Light westerly, vis good, 1 brief squall
22 Great Northern Diver
3 Red-throated Diver
1 Black-throated Diver
2 Diver sp. (GN/BT type distant inconclusive)
9 Whimbrel
c.20 Kittiwake
30+ Manx Shearwater
200+ auks, those id-able incl Razorbill
Gannets diving and passing, some close and some resting offshore
10+ Fulmar
Large Gulls
Swallows in-off
All west, some divers seen to pitch onto the sea offshore/others may have come into the bay too. Most sum- plum or near. All singles. The manxies were distant (3+ miles). One interesting closer possible Sooty Shearwater, but foolishly chose to follow a passing diver instead and couldn't relocate, so that got away.
They were still coming when I left ...
Pendennis Point 7:30 - 9:30 Light westerly, vis good, 1 brief squall
22 Great Northern Diver
3 Red-throated Diver
1 Black-throated Diver
2 Diver sp. (GN/BT type distant inconclusive)
9 Whimbrel
c.20 Kittiwake
30+ Manx Shearwater
200+ auks, those id-able incl Razorbill
Gannets diving and passing, some close and some resting offshore
10+ Fulmar
Large Gulls
Swallows in-off
All west, some divers seen to pitch onto the sea offshore/others may have come into the bay too. Most sum- plum or near. All singles. The manxies were distant (3+ miles). One interesting closer possible Sooty Shearwater, but foolishly chose to follow a passing diver instead and couldn't relocate, so that got away.
They were still coming when I left ...
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Samuel Perfect
Well-known member
No worries, I overslept anyway |=o|
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