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

Falmouth Birding (2 Viewers)

dantheman said:
The Scaup was at the far end, so no pics unfort, but it looked to be a fairly standard bird - greenish tint to head, silver grey back with distal third going into smoky grey, off-white flank sides ...
Click to expand...

Clinging on to my original claim that this is a hybrid, did it still have an unusual head shape? 8-P
 
Pendennis seawatch this am -

Not that exciting - distant Gannets and auks (c.4 mile range), but closer in -

1 Shelduck west
1 Sandwich Tern w
1 GNDiver on the sea
1 f Eider swam across east
2 Whimbrel east side of Pendennis
3 Linnet

4 Oyks at Castle Beach

GCGrebe and Willow Warbler Swanpool

(Edit: later on)

Gorrangorras on receeding tide (c.11am) -

1 Greenshank
5 Mute Swan

Guess that's the winter waders over then!!


Over near Treverva this afternoon, first Swallow of the year! Looking a bit lost ...
 
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From the Lendien Rocks Cafe Gyllygvase/Swanpool 1630hrs

15 Sandwich Tern, approx 6 washing off the rocks to Gylly
2 GN Diver
15 Fulmar on the cliffs towards Sunny Cove
3 Shag
 
Just a heads up that a Minke Whale was reported by AK Wildlife Cruises feeding offshore (not sure where exactly but I guess in the Falmouth Bay area). I'm sure one of those will brighten up one of those early patch seawatches :-O
 
Been away a few days, but a look around the coastal patch for a a few hours this morning. No Minke Whales unfortunately, but very nice sunshine and that. So it was bright enough ...

Pendennis -

4 Linnet
6 Wheatear on the rocks (2m 4f)
1 Swallow around the castle
2 Bullfinch,
Blackcaps and Chiffchaff singing
2 Peregrine (mf) flew up and away. Although the male was probably a hybrid/falconer's bird? - pale crown, insignificant moustache, pale patterned upperparts ...
4 Oystercatcher
Rock Pipit with nesting material

Swanpool -

1 Great Crested Grebe
1 Swallow
2 Goldcrest singing

Swanvale -

Willow Warbler, Blackcaps
Sparrowhawk etc
Bloke (Bob Mahoney?) doing some stuff for a possible wildlife documentary on Swanpoolvale


Falmouth Bay -

1 Black Guillemot off Swanpool
1 BT Diver ditto (both scoped from Pendennis)
10 Sandwich Tern Swanpool Point
20 Great Northern Diver distant (including a flock of 12 swimming east c. 2miles off Pendennis)
Distant auk flocks and Gannets from Pendennis
 
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An early start but clear skies so of course not too much hoped-for migrant activity ... but ...

Swanpool Golfcourse - 2 Willow Warbler singing along the coastal path, 3 Blackcap, 1 Swallow resting on Start House.

Swanpool - 1 GCGrebe, 3 Mute Swan flew in from the east briefly before settling on the sea (additional to the resident pair).

Falmouth Bay -

3 Sandwich Tern
1 Great Northern Diver
1 Grey Seal
1 Razorbill
4+ Swallow in off
1 Black Guillemot (Mid range off Pennance Point as viewed from Castle Beach, to the right of the naval vessel 'Severn')
1 Tailless Fulmar in addition to the others

Castle Beach -

1 Whimbrel (flew towards Pendennis)

Bumped into a guy from Kent, Adam, staying at St Ives trying to catch up with the Black Guillemot - he ended up successful after I'd left and got back home. I had breakfast though.



Also Red Kite reported over/from Penryn College the last two days ...
 
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Visiting Falmouth from Suffolk with family till Tuesday,so strictly NOT birding. Yesterday pm walked from town to Pendennis point and back to do a circuit of Swanpool. Highlights were GND fairly close in plus for me good to see shags in breeding plumage, (only get to see winter immatures back home) and 2 whimbrels (photographed) on rocks eastern side of rocks. No obvious migrants other than single chiffy and pair of blackcaps @ Pendennis. Today taking ferry over to St Mawes for family walk, have optics just in case and hope to try again later for black guillemot if poss!
 
Stithians Res 1530hrs...bit of a chilly northerly but still pleasant
Swallow
2 Willow Warb (no Sedge yet)
4 GC Grebe
6 Canada Goose
4 fighting Moorhen
4 Little Grebe
 
St Mawes yesterday, 2 pairs of Ravens 2 common buzzards + 6 swallows on walk to St Just in Roseland. Evening, 24 gannets, 1 fulmar + 6 sandwich terns (also 2 St Mawes harbour) from Pendennis point. Today singles of both common and black guillemot close in off Gillyngvase beach late afternoon.
 
Baldibis said:
St Mawes yesterday, 2 pairs of Ravens 2 common buzzards + 6 swallows on walk to St Just in Roseland. Evening, 24 gannets, 1 fulmar + 6 sandwich terns (also 2 St Mawes harbour) from Pendennis point. Today singles of both common and black guillemot close in off Gillyngvase beach late afternoon.
Click to expand...

Nice one on the Black Guillemot. It's amazing what you can see when not birding ... ;)

Do post up any photos if you want ... you may have seen there have been a couple of Whimbrel overwintering here, but the odd spring arrival seem to be moving around/coming into the country it seems. I'm guessing these are still the resident birds ...
 
I am in need of help.
Trying to identify birds from their song/calls.
I have great difficulty in pairing the actual voice with the desciptions in books.
Anything would be helpfull.
I know you can get a phone AP (whatever that is) but appart from my PC I live in the dark ages.
 
fishybarry said:
I am in need of help.
Trying to identify birds from their song/calls.
I have great difficulty in pairing the actual voice with the desciptions in books.
Anything would be helpfull.
I know you can get a phone AP (whatever that is) but appart from my PC I live in the dark ages.
Click to expand...

Hi Fishbarry,
Try the RSPB website and search by bird name...each one has the song

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/

Or Xeno-canto: Sharing bird sounds from around the world :t:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/
 
Swanpool cemetery tonight 1930hrs
4 Swallow
Green woodpecker (heard)
Goldfinch
Goldcrest
Cormorant and GBB Gull on Pool
10 Fulmar on cliffs toward Sunny Cove
 
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dantheman said:
Nice one on the Black Guillemot. It's amazing what you can see when not birding ... ;)

Do post up any photos if you want ... you may have seen there have been a couple of Whimbrel overwintering here, but the odd spring arrival seem to be moving around/coming into the country it seems. I'm guessing these are still the resident birds ...
Click to expand...

Thanks Dantheman, yes the black guillemot was a nice surprise as I was on the beach with my kids and friends and both birds were the product of a casual scan after seemingly no birds being present! The tystee was not quite in solid black summer plumage yet and what looked like a few dark streaks in the white wing panel suggested a first year bird. Yesterday our final day, we took in a ferry trip to Trellisick. Not much of note bar new for trip couple of little egrets on Fal river among few grey herons, 3 swallows over house and gardens 1 common buzzard and woodland birds (all heard) including treecreeper, nuthatch, coal tit, chiffy and blackcap. Depart for home this morning so will upload whimbrel pic from SD card when I arrive. Hoping to return in August for further visit and a pelagic!

Cheers and happy birding,

Chris.
 
Another early morning start (6am), but it took quite a while before any birds of any quality were seen (didn't put any time in for the Tystie).

Pendennis -

c.100 auk sp.flock west
1 Swallow around the swimming pool end

Swanpool Point -

1 Common Whitethroat (+ another whitethroat sp.) - in the low blackthorn alongside the coast path but flighty.

Swanpool -

1 Great Crested Grebe
Sitting Mute Swan, partner as usual very aggressive to any ducks present

Gorrangorras ( just after high tide, c.8:30am) -

2 Little Egret
2 Greenshank
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Mute Swan
1 recently fledged Raven flying downstream (First time I recall seeing one here. Apparently young birds can go off on their own a week after fledging. Guess this would mean this one was being incubated by mid Jan or so.)

Later in the day checked out the reservoirs -

Argal - 8 Great Crested Grebes
College - 1 Mute Swan (presume partner sitting somewhere), 2 Canada Goose, 6 Tufted Duck (3m3f), 2 Grey Heron, c50 Herring Gull, 3 LBBGull (2 v. black mantled), 1 GBBGull

In the general countryside and at sites above Blackcaps, WW's, Chiffs and further Swallows looking more settled of course.
No BH Gulls today at all.
 
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