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

Camel Estuary, Cornwall (2 Viewers)

Hi all,

Sorry I have not made any contibutions to the thread for a while but I have not seen anything to report.

Almost daily visits to Clapper Marshes in the last week have produced a max of 22 Mallard and 5 broods of 16 young, two Little Egrets and a single Heron.

This morning I made a very quick visit to Dinham Flats where a total of 24 Shelducklings were present in 4, (or 6), broods.
This is a good number after last years disaster of only seven young.

Hopefully I will see more in the coming weeks.
 
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Very nearly a frost early this morning at Walmsley Sanctuary; yet more signs of the invasive water plant Azolla caroliniana! known for its nitrogen-fixing ability by means of symbiotic cyanobacteria, it definitely looks alien, but may not be a serious problem.
Birds included 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Lapwing, 2 Greenshank, 1 male Teal, Swift, Sand Martin, Cormorant, Little Egret, Shelduck, Sedge Warbler and two Coot Broods.
 

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A family cycle ride along the Camel Trail to padstow this evening was rewarding with a singing a Quail at Pinkson Creek. Black-headed Gull are starting to arrive in good numbers with 54 noted. 16 Oystercatchers roosted at the Quarry this evening.
Little Egret numbers were high with 42 counted.

Last evening a male Peregrine flew low over my garden chasing a finch which it did not catch.
 
Dinham Flats this morning; One late 1stW Mediterranean Gull with around 40+ Black-headed Gulls, two Shelduck broods (4 & 8) one Whimbrel, 14 Curlew, 8 Dunlin, one Barn Owl and one Tawny Owl.
 

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An early morning visit to the Amble Marshes produced 3 Green Sabndpipers, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Lapwing, a male Teal, one Shelduck, minimum of 26 Mallard and probably the same number of young, 18 Canada Geese, (and a brood of 6), 8 Moorhen, 9 Coot, (and a broood of 6 young), 3 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, and 2 Cormorant, (including the small bird with a ring, the last two digits are '72').
Hirundine numbers were low with just 4 Sand Martin, 6 House Martin and 3 Swallow. There were however 35 Swift.
Passerines included 2 Reed Warbler, 6 Sedge Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Reed Bunting, 15 Linnet, 1 Pied Wagtail.

Quite a good morning. ;)
 
It was a really nice morning on Rumps point most enjoyable. 0905 till 1100 hrs. Shame the wind didn't get up to what I had hoped for, still it was enough to push the Manx Shearwaters in.
A couple of Atlantic Grey seals and 9 Bottlenose swimming west.

A raft of 21 Guillies, loadsa Razorbills all over the place with nests in with the Cormorants. I counted 41 Cormorants on the island with seemingly 20 young.
I counted 714 Manx with not one Balearic or Sooty (bit early for Sooty). 107 Gannets and loadsa Kittiwakes, not counted. (I have always assumed they come from the colony at Ranie Point Port Issac). Individual flocks of Manx Shearwater were 52, 208, 103, 109, 52

Hooray, 7 Puffins. That was the maximum single count, although I did see birds on the left hand side of the island, they may have been the same ones that came together in the flock of 7.
 
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Yes Mike it was nice on the Rumps this morning, and I was sorry that we missed having a chat. Most people tend to think of Rumps Point as always quiet and calm, and ideal for breeding birds, but it can be a very noisy and frightening place for a bird (see pic's below).
It was good to get 7 Adult Puffin, all in the photo below if you can find them,
also nice to see that Razorbill at least, are still finding Sandeels!
On the walk back I managed to find 5 Corn Bunting, plus 4 Corn Bunting researchers.
 

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I was on the way back when I saw the helicopter fly in between the Mouls and the Rumps. Looking at your photograph he was flying under 200 ft and could be reported to the Civil Aviation Authority in Edinburgh. I would if it were me. What a thoughtless inconsiderate plonker.
I like the one of the Puffins.... I have one like that. They are Puffins aren't they?
 
Yes Mike they are Puffins! I have seen helicopter do this before and the birds hate it, this one was less than 100ft, lower than the Gannet.
 

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This morning at Walmsley Sanctuary; 6 nervous Black-tailed Godwit still with 2 Greenshank, and one ringed Cormorant, lots of juv Sedge Warbler out, with one being fed a Blue-tailed Damselfly. Plus a Different Barn Owl! with a Short-tailed Vole.
 

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Rumps Point at mid-day; not much sea action, with small numbers of Manx Shearwater, Gannet, Kittiwake, Fulmar. Razorbill, Guillemot, Shag and Cormorant passing, just one Puffin sitting on the sea ( a Razorbill was watched catching a Garfish, and then fly off with it) Plus two Ocean Sunfish.
 

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Walmsley Sanctuary this morning; 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 8 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 60+ Linnet, 2 Barn Owl, Reed and Sedge Warbler plus male Teal starting to eclipse.
 

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Best time to watch the Rumps is 9 till 11. This seems to be the optimum time, after that it drops right off.
Come July the good stuff will start to appear up until the end of October.
Cracking pictures Col.
 
WEB count in Little Petherick produced 12 Egrets, 6 Mallard, a Curlew, a Heron, 2 BHG and 12 Herring G.
Bushes alive with small stuff.
 
A closely shoaling school of Grey Mullet, in Pinkson Creek today.
 

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Dinham Flats at High tide this morning; 126 Curlew (many in moult) trying to roost, see photo below, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 60+ Black-headed Gulls and 4 Mediterranean Gulls (2 adult and 2 1st S )
Yesterday afternoon 6 Sandwich Tern off Padstow.
 

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Rumps Point this morning; Manx Shearwater 1,000 an hour feeding passes, for at least two hours, small numbers of Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Razorbill and Guillemot, 5+ Puffin and one Grey Seal.
 

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Dinham Flats this morning; 3 Mediterranean Gull ( 1 1st S. 1 SS and 1 ad )
100+ Curlew and 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 brood of Shelduck.
 

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