Andrew
wibble wibble
Birds in Cornwall. A Site Guide.
Produced by the Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society (CBWPS).
I received this guide with great anticipation for two reasons. One is that I regularly venture into Cornwall for twitches, day trips and short breaks. The second is that it is a guide produced by locals but readily available to the masses. The latter meant it simply had to be full of information that takes time to gather before you set off. I was not disappointed at all.
Some of the prominent members of the society who have years of experience of the various sites in Cornwall have collaborated to produce a guide to fifty six sites worth a mention for local birds of interest or their rarity potential.
Each of the fifty six sites are split into six regions, North Cornwall, East Cornwall, Central Cornwall, South Cornwall, West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This is very handy as wherever you are staying on your holidays or heading to you can simply look up all the birding spots in the relevant section.
Each region starts off with a large scale map, hand drawn in a clear fashion, showing each site, numbered for reference. Each site in the region then has it’s own section complete with a smaller scale map.
The list of sites included several places I have never even heard of despite knowing Cornwall well. Maybe I do not know it as well as I first thought! Such places include Restronguet Creek, Gunwalloe and Reskajeage Downs to name a few. All the popular stamping grounds are included such as Porthgwarra, Drift Reservoir with additional information I never knew of. The additional sites will certainly add more to future trips.
Each site overview includes useful information starting with a general description of the habitat followed up by species to be expected throughout the year, rarities previously recorded at the site. No common residents are included in the species accounts. I believe this is justified as no one is going to drive down to one of these sites specifically to see a Common Whitethroat. There are clear directions from the nearest town or city but sadly no mention of bus routes for those without a car. Each site’s map is clear enough to follow and used in conjunction with the relevant Ordnance Survey map for the area I believe you could not go wrong at all. Finally the site overview offers places nearby worth a look while you are there.
The back end of the book holds the species list for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. If a bird has only been recorded on the Isles of Scilly it is mentioned as so and vice versa for birds only recorded on the mainland. The list is valid up to 2004. This is followed by a useful index of all the sites.
This guide has been produced as economically as possible to offer as much information as possible. None of the contributors receive a penny from sales, every penny goes to the CBWPS. Each copy is A4 sized and in softback. They can be obtained from the CBWPS for £9.50 through their website or I reckon you could PM Darrell Clegg directly on Birdforum and he will probably only be too happy to sort you out with a copy.
The CBWPS website................... http://www.cbwps.org.uk/
Produced by the Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society (CBWPS).
I received this guide with great anticipation for two reasons. One is that I regularly venture into Cornwall for twitches, day trips and short breaks. The second is that it is a guide produced by locals but readily available to the masses. The latter meant it simply had to be full of information that takes time to gather before you set off. I was not disappointed at all.
Some of the prominent members of the society who have years of experience of the various sites in Cornwall have collaborated to produce a guide to fifty six sites worth a mention for local birds of interest or their rarity potential.
Each of the fifty six sites are split into six regions, North Cornwall, East Cornwall, Central Cornwall, South Cornwall, West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This is very handy as wherever you are staying on your holidays or heading to you can simply look up all the birding spots in the relevant section.
Each region starts off with a large scale map, hand drawn in a clear fashion, showing each site, numbered for reference. Each site in the region then has it’s own section complete with a smaller scale map.
The list of sites included several places I have never even heard of despite knowing Cornwall well. Maybe I do not know it as well as I first thought! Such places include Restronguet Creek, Gunwalloe and Reskajeage Downs to name a few. All the popular stamping grounds are included such as Porthgwarra, Drift Reservoir with additional information I never knew of. The additional sites will certainly add more to future trips.
Each site overview includes useful information starting with a general description of the habitat followed up by species to be expected throughout the year, rarities previously recorded at the site. No common residents are included in the species accounts. I believe this is justified as no one is going to drive down to one of these sites specifically to see a Common Whitethroat. There are clear directions from the nearest town or city but sadly no mention of bus routes for those without a car. Each site’s map is clear enough to follow and used in conjunction with the relevant Ordnance Survey map for the area I believe you could not go wrong at all. Finally the site overview offers places nearby worth a look while you are there.
The back end of the book holds the species list for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. If a bird has only been recorded on the Isles of Scilly it is mentioned as so and vice versa for birds only recorded on the mainland. The list is valid up to 2004. This is followed by a useful index of all the sites.
This guide has been produced as economically as possible to offer as much information as possible. None of the contributors receive a penny from sales, every penny goes to the CBWPS. Each copy is A4 sized and in softback. They can be obtained from the CBWPS for £9.50 through their website or I reckon you could PM Darrell Clegg directly on Birdforum and he will probably only be too happy to sort you out with a copy.
The CBWPS website................... http://www.cbwps.org.uk/
