Falmouth Birding (1 Viewer)

[dantheman]

Drake Common Scoter at Swanpool still this morning showing rather well! A birding associate (native to the area) needed it as a Swanpool tick, so obviously a good bird, apart from its inherent beauty ... Kittiwake there too. And a birder Chris Benton (?), apparently a local resident, another tick for me. Couple of Sandwich Terns at least out in the bay and Med Gull.

Swanvale - Water Rail, Nuthatch, Bullfinch, Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 furiously fighting Coal Tits etc

Falmouth Golf Course as expected quiet (a few golfers too) - Meadow Pipit 2, Pied Wagtail 12, Chiffchaff 2 etc. Didn't head towards Pendennis, but later in the morning managed to get to the reservoirs.

Argal Res -

Mute Swan 1
Goosander 1 female (phew!)
Tufted Duck 9
Great Crested Grebe (6 -paired up)
Mallard, Cormorant etc
Sand Martin 1, Pied Wagtail 2, LTTit 2, Coal Tit, Chiffchaff lots, including 8 on the small sloping lawn below the car park, one with a yellow neck ring.

College Res -

Mute Swan 2
Canada Goose 11
Tufted Duck 6
Teal 1
Coot 8
Moorhen 8+
Great Crested Grebe 2
Herring Gulls etc
Chiffchaff lots, eg 9 on a sweep of side of the island.
Sand Martin 20

 

[dantheman]

Finally posting a few photos up ...

Probably too many gratuitous shots of the bay (but dawn rather than sunset!), some device at College (any ideas? - obviously some monitoring) and the sadly deceased Tawny ...

 

[dantheman]

Minor sea incursion damage at Swanpool, icicles at College Res, the Black-necked Grebe at Stithians and a note about a lost camera at Argal a few weeks back (?)

 

[dantheman]

Pesky photographer and Sandwich Terns (!), The Common Scoter at Swanpool, an interesting Chiffchaff at Argal Res and a record shot (!) of the Goosander.


(All mobile phone shots, some scoped or binned.)

 

[Paul Freestone]

Finally posting a few photos up ...

Probably too many gratuitous shots of the bay (but dawn rather than sunset!), some device at College (any ideas? - obviously some monitoring) and the sadly deceased Tawny ...

Any idea how the Owl died Dan?

 

[dantheman]

Any idea how the Owl died Dan?

Presumably drowning - by the side of the reservoir and its talons were full of frogspawn. Ironically received a second confirmatory email today back from the monitoring people, although they probably won't be doing any toxicology tests.

 

[dantheman]

An hour around the circuit this morning, highlights -

Swanpool - Common Scoter still, 60+ Herring Gull, 3 Chiffchaff in the reeds

Gyllyngvase - 4 Sandwich Tern, 1 1st yr Common Gull, c.15 Turnstone flew towards Swanpool

Gorrangorras, Penryn River - Greenshank 3, Redshank 10+, Grey Plover 1, Whimbrel 1, Teal 10+, Mute Swan, Little Egret, Sandwich Tern 2

 

[dantheman]

Managed to call in by the reservoirs briefly this afternoon -

College Res -

Bittern 1
Sand Martin c.10
Great Crested Grebe 2, Little grebe 3, Tufted Duck 16, Teal 4, Goldcrest 2 etc, Mute Swan 2, Canada Goose 13 (pr nesting), also Grey Heron 2, Coots and Moorhens etc

Argal Res -

Goosander 1f
Great Crested Grebe 6, Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 6 etc

Still plenty of Chiffs - tbh, probably a 3 figure number if one was to count them all. Bumped into Lawrence for only about the second time.

Since it was high tide called by Gorrangorras on the way back - 3 Sandwich Terns flyby, 16 Redshank, 3 Little Grebe, 30 Teal additional to this mornings counts.

 

[Puckle]

Finally posting a few photos up ...

, some device at College (any ideas? - obviously some monitoring)

Looks very much like a bat detector.

Went to Collage today got some great views of the Bittern.

 

[dantheman]

Managed to get out for a brief look around this morning.

Gorrangorras had a Curlew, 12 Turnstone, 2 Greenshank and c.10 Redshank, 2 Little Egret, Little grebe etc.

The escaped ( ) Common Scoter still at Swanpool - actually diving, 15 Pied Wagtail on Swanpool Beach.

2 Sandwich Tern in Falmouth Bay, with Razorbill, Guillemot and Gannets off Pendennis Point.

Bit brisk.

 

[dantheman]

Looks very much like a bat detector.

Went to Collage today got some great views of the Bittern.

Cheers - there's lots of bat boxes been put in the general area, which makes sense. Nice one on the Bittern.

 

[dantheman]

Just noticed an Iceland Gull was seen at Swanpool yesterday evening - reported this afternoon (along with a video) on Cornwall Birding.

First for Falmouth for a few years?

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Just noticed an Iceland Gull was seen at Swanpool yesterday evening - reported this afternoon (along with a video) on Cornwall Birding.

First for Falmouth for a few years?

Now I'm gripped off! :C

 

[dantheman]

Now I'm gripped off! :C

I think you're going to miss a few bits over the next month ... unfort.
Managed to get down for ten to seven this evening - stayed for an hour but no Iceland Gull. No other birders either!!

Plenty of Herring Gulls, all adults for the latter part. 1 BH Gull, Common Scoter still (it even flew!). To while the time also counted 20+ Mallard, 16 Coot, 6 Little Grebe, 3 Chiffchaff and Water Rail heard.

 

[dantheman]

Incidently, the Cornwall Birding site seems to have disappeared, to be replaced by a site advertising holiday cottages in the county ...

???

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Incidently, the Cornwall Birding site seems to have disappeared, to be replaced by a site advertising holiday cottages in the county ...

???

Noticed that too. Not sure what the problem might be?

Guess you've already heard about the reported Osprey over Boslowick in Falmouth.

 

[dantheman]

Yep, possibly just a fly-through though (although Argal could've been worth a look (if I'd known at the time), but it could as easily headed for the Helford or carried on ...)

Busy sorting the house out at the mo ... looks like spring is almost on the way (9C today and sunny!)

 

[dantheman]

Plus my own bit of 'suppression' from the last week (not getting around to it) -

Yesterday, 2nd April - 8 Little Egret at Gorrangorras on the receding tide (think that might be a personal high count) as viewed from the bedroom window in Falmouth.

Saturday, 30th March - 1 Knot, 1 Dunlin and 2 Sandwich Tern etc at Gorrangorras

 

[dantheman]

Temperature as recorded by the car up to 10.5C today! Although still a brisk (N)E wind.

A few Bumblebees about, also had a Comma butterfly at Gorrangorras on 30th March.

Common Scoter still at Swanpool, 6+ Sandwich Terns about (2 entrance to Carrick Roads, 4 Gyllyngvase, 1 Gorrangorras (finally on the garden list!).

Other birds - 2nd sum Med Gull Gyllyngvase, c.15 Pied Wag and a Rock Pipit Swanpool beach, with 2 Water Rail and 4 Ravens heading inland at Swanpool,with 2 Linnet and 3 Greenfinch at Pendennis.

Up to 200 Herring Gull (probably a lot of turnover (literally)) following the plough in the field behind Trescobeas Park, with 11 Buzzard, 1 LBBGull, 10+ BH Gull, various corvids, Pied Wag, 10+ Woodpigeon etc ...

 

[dantheman]

Been hearing Chiffchaffs singing the last few days, which was nice after a break of a few weeks.

Argal Res - 6 Great Crested Grebes, Grey Wagtail

College Res - Nuthatch, Blackcap 2 (f, singing male), Chichaff 10+, Bullfinch, Sparrowhawk etc
Mute Swan 2, Canada Goose 12, Moorhen 8+, Coot 4, Mallard 2, Teal 2, Tufted Duck 8, Grey Heron 5, Sand Martin 4, Swallow 2, Cormorants.

Looks like they may have started allowing fishing at College Res again (or else people are doing it illegally), as seeing more and more fishing going on there.