Camel Estuary, Cornwall (1 Viewer)

[Qingcol]

A few waders at Walmsley this evening, 8 Greenshank (including the colour ringed Ythan estuary bird) 2 Dunlin and 1 Green Sandpiper.
Juvenile, Chiffchaff (photo) Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit and Linnet
1 male Gadwall, 2 broods of Mute Swan (2 & 3 cygnet's)

 

[Qingcol]

A juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Town Bridge Wadebridge this afternoon, and probably the same bird later at Clapper Pools.

 

[Qingcol]

Water levels very high at Walmsley this afternoon, birds included 2 Green Sandpiper, 3 juvenile with 1 adult female Tufted Duck, 1 Sparrow Hawk.
Dragonflies included Black-tailed Skimmer and Emperor.
1 male Demoiselle Agrion (photo)

 

[Gastronaut]

I notice the 10km square including the area around Camel Estuary has had poor coverage so far for the BTO Atlas. By the look of this thread there's enough of you putting the hours in around there that you could achieve the target coverage for next to no extra effort. Or are you all to busy doing Atlas squares elsewhere?

 

[Qingcol]

The CBWPS field meeting at Lellizzick(outer Camel estuary) this morning; birds included 22 Sandwich Tern, 1 ad Little Tern, 1 Common Tern, 2 Sanderling, 3+ Whimbrel, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Common Whitethroat, 1 Corn Bunting and 5 Mediterranean Gulls including 3 juvenile, one with green darvic type ring on right leg (from bottom 821N) in white letters.

 

[Qingcol]

A small number of waders at Treraven Meadow this afternoon despite ongoing disturbance, 3 Common and 1 Green Sandpiper.

 

[Qingcol]

Walmsley Sanctuary this evening; birds included 12 Greenshank (including colour ringed Ythan estuary bird) 10 Common Snipe, 3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Northern Lapwing, 1 Common Teal, 2 Common Swift and Little Grebe feeding 1 young.
Treraven Meadow this afternoon, birds included 4 Green Sandpiper and 5 Common Sandpiper.

 

[Ash1456]

10 snipe!!!
I haven't even seen one, I have to get back to Walmsley soon!!
Nice pics

 

[Qingcol]

Dinham Flats this morning; birds included 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Whimbrel, 60+ Curlew, 7 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 8 Common Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Common Teal, 400+ Canada Geese and 350+ Mallard.

 

[Qingcol]

Last evening at Walmsley; birds included 26 Common Snipe! 7 Green Sandpiper, 2 Northern Lapwing, 11 Greenshank (inc Ythan est colour ringed individual) 6 Eurasian Teal, 4 Stock Pigeon, 1 Kingfisher, Reed and Sedge Warbler (photo below shows juv Sedge with pale central crown-stripe contrasting with blackish crown sides, it's just as well it shows dark lores and not pale!!)
Treraven Meadow this morning; 4 Green Sandpiper and 2 Common.

 

[Qingcol]

The water level at Walmsley had risen dramatically by yesterday afternoon and this had the unexpected effect of making the Little Grebe population more visible, partly as all the paired birds in breeding plumage were hard at work trying to rebuild and replenish their nests. Little Grebe nests on the sanctuary have had a hard time this year partly due to mostly falling water levels and the playful attentions of Otter, and as far as I know to date, producing only one juvenile, that appeared quiet suddenly and I'm not even sure that bird was from inside the sanctuary! it appeared to be able to fly reasonably well and I had noticed no small chicks up to that point, but given the extremely lush vegetation at this time of year it's possible to visit and not see a single Little Grebe! that said you would certainly hear them and that's why the following count at this time of year is remarkable to me at least. From the Tower Hide (8 birds in breeding plumage probably 4 pairs) (4 birds in non-breeding or 1sT winter)(1 well grown juvenile) Something else I have never noticed before (probably should have) is at the 'powder-puff end of the breeding plumage birds, some show no white or grey at all, only rich-chestnut.

Last evening a single chick was being fed a variety of food items, including Sticklebacks by a single adult (I think the male) within a few feet, the other adult (I think the female) just slid off the nest to reveal one egg. The chick appeared to be able to swallow the larger fish without any discomfort and to dive well enough when spooked. For the moment at least the sanctuary appears to be Otter free and the Grebes are making hay!

 

[Qingcol]

Waders at Walmsley last evening included 10 Greenshank (inc colour ringed Ythan estuary bird still) 7 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Dunlin, 1 Green Sandpiper, no sign of any Common Snipe.
A juv Lesser Whitethroat near the first stile.

 

[Qingcol]

Last evening at Walmsley I waited for the high tide and the hordes of kayaks to move some waders on to the reserve, eventually eleven Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper flew in (including the Ythan estuary colour ringed Greenshank) shortly followed by twelve Dunlin, before they had come to rest I could see that one had much lighter plumage than the others. After checking with the telescope that it was indeed a Dunlin I could see that this individual was about two thirds the size of the largest Dunlin, and the bill appeared so slightly decurved it could safely be described as straight. Fringes to mantle feathers were all off-white, not buff giving the bird an overall grey and white appearance suggesting a more advanced moult strategy than it's companions. In the failing light I did manage to get a full description just in case there is someone interested but failed to get any useful images. (I'm thinking about possible C.a arctica)

 

[Qingcol]

No sign of the small Dunlin this evening at Walmsley, but 32 Dunlin, 1 Ruff, 1 Green Sandpiper, 9 Greenshank (inc the Ythan bird) 1 male Gadwall, 3 Eurasian Teal and 150+ Barn Swallow.

 

[Qingcol]

Two juvenile Buzzard flying around Coronation Park this afternoon plus Hobby, Peregrine, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel, Blackcap and Green Woodpecker.
Many Blackbirds, photo below juv moulting-1stw male.

 

[Qingcol]

This morning at Walmsley Sanctuary, five people in the tower hide watched 6+ Garganey!! (including adult male and female plus juv's) 1 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Jack Snipe, 12+ Common Snipe, 9 Greenshank (inc Ythan est bird) 3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Juv Peregrine, 2 Gadwall, 1 Northern Shoveler, 2 Common Swift and a not so common (at least on the sanctuary) Common Whitethroat.
Mute Swan cygnets down to 4, in 2 broods (1/3) and two broods of Little Grebe (2/1)
Dragonflies included Black-tailed Skimmer still.

 

[Qingcol]

The juvenile-immature Hobby type Falcon, at Walmsley for the last two days is well worth a look at, even allowing for the variation in individual plumages this bird looks more like a Barbary Falcon, showing light trousers and crown, light cheeks and behind the eye supercillium. Not an easy bird to get close to, many poor photos.
Birds this morning included 7 Green and 1 Common Sandpiper plus 5 Common Snipe.

 

[Qingcol]

Very good numbers of Green Sandpiper this morning, with 12 at Walmsley Sanctuary and 7 at Treraven Meadow, plus 2 Greenshank at the Meadow, and a Water Rail plus 22 Common Snipe at Walmsley.

 

[Qingcol]

Good numbers of waders at Walmsley 'Sanctuary' this morning; unfortunately this is the time of year that photographic hides tend to spring up in the middle of the Sanctuary and as a consequence all birds present are flushed on entering and leaving those hides. It would be best not to give my opinion on this practice other than to say, all of my photos posted on this forum are taken from the Tower or the small corner hide.
Perhaps more of a worry, four fresh shotgun cartridges picked up this morning near the corner hide!
Birds included, 2 Ruff, 20 Greenshank (including Ythan Est bird) 49 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 6 Common Snipe.
Dinham Flats 15min later, birds included 9 Little Egret (including 3 juv) 10 Common Sandpiper, 15 Greenshank, 2 Common Redshank and 55 Curlew.
One of the non-breeding plumage Black-tailed Godwits at Walmsley this morning appeared to be slightly larger with a significantly longer bill and almost certainly of the nominate limosa, and not the usual islandica

 

[thenorthernmonkey]

Good numbers of waders at Walmsley 'Sanctuary' this morning; unfortunately this is the time of year that photographic hides tend to spring up in the middle of the Sanctuary and as a consequence all birds present are flushed on entering and leaving those hides. It would be best not to give my opinion on this practice other than to say, all of my photos posted on this forum are taken from the Tower or the small corner hide.

Surely anybody not on the path to the hide or in the cbwps hides is trespassing and should be treated as such irrespective of whether they are members or not.

Am i correct???