Falmouth Birding (1 Viewer)

[dantheman]

This morning Pendennis - 2 Raven, Fulmar, with Gannets and auks moving in Falmouth Bay. Little Egret and Razorbill Castle Beach.

Fairly unchanged at Gorrangorras - 30+ Teal, 8 Mute Swan, Greenshank etc, with a flock of c.200 Woodpigeon.

 

[dantheman]

Basil Brush? BOOM BOOM!

Wrong kind of shot. Nearly as dapper ...

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Also not bird related but 4 Bottlenose Dolphins at Swanpool Bay this afternoon.

Ruanite, do you remember whether your Stoat/Weasel had a black tip to the tail?

Cheers,

 

[ruanite]

Yes it did have a black tip to tail. definately not Basil Brush he was over in the field the other side.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

I would go with Stoat as the black end to the tail is diagnostic (I think) and the darker face (compared to the brown of the back) would also point in favour of this ID. Whereabouts did you see it?

 

[ruanite]

I saw it just off the road on the salt marsh at Sett Bridge, Ruan Lanihorne. Several people have seen the photo and agree that it is a stoat, which is a first for me.

 

[dantheman]

Not been out as much recently as the very first part of the year - partly as there doesn't seem to have been as many good birds about, or new ones coming in.

A brief spell this afternoon -

Gorrangorras on the rising tide - 2 Greenshank, 20+ Redshank, 2 Curlew, 4 Turnstone, Little Egret, Little Grebe, 11 Mute Swan, 3 Mallard, 30 Teal, J St Ledger, with Kestrel and 15+ Redwing nearby, and 1 ad Med Gull (full sum plum) with c.100 BH Gulls in flight later on.

Headed off to the coast, where the sea was pretty churned up and a dirty brown colour. 1 Gannet from Pendennis, 1 male Common Scoter in Falmouth Bay from Castle Beach where I bumped into Samuel on a photography mission. A few flocks of Oystercatcher in flight.

The field behind Trescobeas Park was limited to 2 Rook, with Bullfinch in the park itself.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Nice to see you again Dan Not much to add but at least 1 Med Gull (winter plum), 3 waders in flight off Gylly beach and the drake C Scoter that you mentioned

 

[Cornish Chough]

Yes it did have a black tip to tail. definately not Basil Brush he was over in the field the other side.

3

 

[dantheman]

Nice to see you again Dan Not much to add but at least 1 Med Gull (winter plum), 3 waders in flight off Gylly beach and the drake C Scoter that you mentioned

Yes, it's been a while ...

Looks like JSL did actually have some good birds on the river ... :eek!: Although have a feeling he paid more than one visit. Anyway ...

 

[dantheman]

Managed to be up rather early this morning - checked out the river from Lidl's first thing. No sign of the blackwit unfort.

Gorrangorras -

Curlew 30+
Redshank 20+
Turnstone 6
Oystercatcher 3
Greenshank 1
Grey Plover 1
Usual waterfowl + female Red-breasted Merganser
In the waste ground next to the garage on the opposite side of the road 11 Snipe.

Pendennis - 2 Linnet

Gyllyngvase Beach - 1 male Black Redstart, 4+ Pied Wagtail and 1 possible Littoralis Rock Pipit (flight only but pale grey mantle, strong white super.)

Swanpool golfcourse held the grand total of 5 Pied Wagtail, 1 White Wagtail, 6 Blackbird, c.150 Starling with 3 Redwing and 4 Carrion Crow. A Peregrine over was nice. Swanpool itself had 4 Water Rail, 2 showy birds next to the path, 2 others heard, sum plum Med Gull and 8+ Little Grebe.

Overnight half the beach had washed onto the road. A tad nippy (windchill up on the golfcourse not much fun, possibly the coldest day of the year?)

 

[dantheman]

Managed to wend my way over to the reservoirs this afternoon -

College Res -

Wigeon 18
Tufted Duck 17
Coot 3
Moorhen 6+
Grey Heron 3
Bittern 1 (eating a fish)
Mute Swan 2
Canada Goose 4
Mallard 4
Little Grebe 1
Cormorant 7+
LBBGull 20+
Herring Gull 50+
GBBGull 4
BH Gull 20+
Med Gull 1 ad w
Chiffchaff 4
Sparrowhawk etc

With 10 Fieldfare and 2 Redwing in nearby field

Argal Res -

Mute Swan 2
Mallard 8+
Tufted Duck 19
Moorhen 1
Little Grebe 1
Great Crested Grebe 5 (!)
Cormorant 6
Bullfinch 3, Nuthatch, Song Thrush 2, Redwing 5 etc
Stock Dove 3
Sand Martin 1 in the sheltered bay near the car park
Chiffchaff 9 mostly at the N end acting like migrants in the sluice/in waterside branches


Also Lesser Redpoll reported within Falmouth today - http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=252532

 

[dantheman]

Female Black Redstart on Gylly Beach this morning, 2 Whimbrel at Castle Beach, later flew around to the east side of Pendennis, and 3 Great Northern Divers from Pendennis, 2 in the bay, 1 in the Carrick Roads.

 

[dantheman]

Out again for a few hours this afternoon.

Had to go to Asda, so checked the top end of College Res whilst I was there. Highlights female Goldeneye still and Grey Wagtail and a GCGrebe. Then down to the river at Penryn via St Gluvias church for high tide.

Gorrangorras - 3 Greenshank, 3 Snipe, 1 Grey Plover, 25+ Redshank, 20 Curlew, Water Rail, Kingfisher, 41 Teal, Moorhen etc with 5 Little Grebe further along towards Falmouth. Bumped into Samuel too, who mentioned a report he'd heard of a Black Guillemot in Falmouth Harbour, although without knowing if it was a proper birder or not, guessing Razorbill can't be ruled out ... (?)

 

[Samuel Perfect]

re-read the report and it now says summer plum. Guillemot (not Black Guillemot). Either changed his post or more likely, I serriously misread the original post) :-C

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Grey Plover still at Penryn River (seen with Dan roosting at high tide). Also about were 2 Med Gulls (including 1 sum plum bird). 1 littoralis Rock Pipit at Trefusis Point (pics on my blog) and a rather sad sight of a Shag in distress with a fish hook pierced through its beak and throat! Thankfully, this was removed by one of the locals who managed to reach it by boat.

 

[dantheman]

We've lost the swell and surf but not much to see in Falmouth Bay this morning.

1 Whimbrel at Castle Beach, with the presumed Scandinavian Rock Pipit at Gyllyngvase Beach still.

Popped over to Mylor Churchtown - 31 BN Grebe scattered in the Roads, 9 RB Merganser and 4 Common Scoter.

 

[dantheman]

Have received back the info from the BTO on the ringed Tawny Owl -


Thank you for taking the time to report to us details of a bird ring you found. Information about this bird and its movements is given below. If you notice any errors in the information, please return it (or a copy) with your corrections, so we can update our records.

Ringing Scheme: London Ring Number: GN98131 Species of bird: Tawny Owl

This bird was ringed by A McGowan as age at least 3 years, sex unknown on 21-Aug-2011 at College Reservoir, Cornwall
OS Map reference SW7633, co-ordinates 50deg 9min N 5deg 8min W.

It was found on 06-Feb-2013 at College Reservoir, Falmouth, Cornwall
OS Map reference SW7633, co-ordinates 50deg 9min N 5deg 8min W.
The bird was Freshly dead Bird Found
Remarks Possibly drowned

It was found 535 days after it was ringed, 0 km from the ringing site, direction ---.

 

[dantheman]

Oh, and my first butterfly of the year - a Small Tortoiseshell on Lamb's Lane.



(That sounds far too spring like? It still feels pretty cold out there ...)

 

[dantheman]

A brief look this morning -

Pendennis - female Black Redstart on the point, with 4 Linnet in-off (probably from St Anthony's Head, although could have been France ...). Good numbers of Gannet and auks west, with smaller numbers of Kittiwake and Fulmar. A smart sum plum Black-throated Diver flying about in the bay was nice.


Grey Plover still at Gorrangorras this afternoon.