Falmouth Birding (1 Viewer)

[flible]

I was down in Falmouth for the week visiting my brother Samuel, saw some great birds, and the Ring-billed Gull, on Swanpool, showed exceptionally well, so I thought I would share this image.

Also:
CARRICK ROADS (17/02/15)
3 Great Northern Divers
2+ Red-breasted Mergansers
c.29 Black-necked Grebes
2 Raven
4+ Med Gulls

 

[Trotsky1977]

Nipped to Devoran Quay after work as the forecast said it would be clearing up. It didn't..oooh dear.

Hoping for the Godwits but instead:

Dunlin at very close range (3m) sitting on a large pebble in the water
20 Shelduck
40 Curlew
20 Redshank

 

[Trotsky1977]

I was down in Falmouth for the week visiting my brother Samuel, saw some great birds, and the Ring-billed Gull, on Swanpool, showed exceptionally well,

Nice to meet you, Ephraim! Glad you enjoyed your Cornish foray :t:

 

[dantheman]

Nipped to Devoran Quay after work as the forecast said it would be clearing up. It didn't..oooh dear.

Hoping for the Godwits but instead:

Dunlin at very close range (3m) sitting on a large pebble in the water
20 Shelduck
40 Curlew
20 Redshank

If you go a bit further along the road and park up just after the next bay you can usually see them in that bay (Tallack's Creek running into it) not far from the road. Catching it at high tide of course best.

Weather ...

 

[Trotsky1977]

If you go a bit further along the road and park up just after the next bay you can usually see them in that bay (Tallack's Creek running into it) not far from the road. Catching it at high tide of course best.

Weather ...

Ah yes...forgot about that creek up the road towards Point.

I was at Devoran Quay about 1.5 hrs before high tide but it is Spring tides at the mo, so it was already high. At that level, they are all over the other side of the main creek. Dang.

Dunlin very tame though. I think it thought that I couldn't see it! :-O

 

[Trotsky1977]

Nipped to Devoran Quay after work as the forecast said it would be clearing up. It didn't..oooh dear.

Hoping for the Godwits but instead:

Dunlin at very close range (3m) sitting on a large pebble in the water
20 Shelduck
40 Curlew
20 Redshank

Forgot some others:
30+ Wigeon
10 Teal

 

[Samuel Perfect]

I was down in Falmouth for the week visiting my brother Samuel, saw some great birds, and the Ring-billed Gull, on Swanpool, showed exceptionally well, so I thought I would share this image.

Also:
CARRICK ROADS (17/02/15)
3 Great Northern Divers
2+ Red-breasted Mergansers
c.29 Black-necked Grebes
2 Raven
4+ Med Gulls

Nice underwing shot! :t: I like the water reflection on the BhGulls wing too.

 

[dantheman]

Bit disappointed to see the Great White Egret from the 18th noted on the CBWPS bird sightings page as 'reported' - usually code for 'stringy' in birding terms, or a report of a bird for which no observer is known.

 

[dantheman]

Going through photos, a few from Devoran the other day -

Spotted Redshank x2

A 4 bird selection

The leucistic Redshank in amongst roosting Redshank

 

[dantheman]

And catching up with bird news reporting - Stithians stuff from yesterday on the blog, but highlights -

(20/02/15 Stithians) -

Slavonian Grebe
female Goldeneye
40 Wigeon
15 Lapwing
2+ Little Egret
with Water Rail and 4 Reed Bunting at the feeders

Called by Gorrangorras on the way back too with Samuel -

c.40 Curlew
26 Redshank
7 Greenshank
2 Turnstone
41 Teal
3 Mallard
3+ Mute Swan etc
5 Little Grebe (1 appearing to be sum plum)

with 3 Linnet on the rooftops near Samuel's in Beacon road with Gold and greenfinches - seemingly a bit bizarre in the middle of town.

 

[dantheman]

Today 21/02/15, couple of hours local with Samuel -

Pendennis -

1 Kingfisher on the rocks (later seen in flight across the middle of the bay)
1 Guillemot distant
4+ Gannet
Med Gull

Castle Beach -

veritable smorgasbord of passerine activity in the sunshine and low tide - all on the rocks, beach or wall

2 Stonechat (mf)
2 Black Redstart mm (ad and poss 2nd sum?)
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
1 Chiffchaff
4+ Rock Pipit
1 Meadow Pipit
Wren
Robin
House Sparrow
4 Oystercatchers

From Swanpool -

2 Slavonian Grebe
3 Ringed Plover on Swanpool Point

On Swanpool -

1 Med Gull
1 (the) Ring-billed Gull
1 Firecrest in holly along the eastern side (picked up by Samuel's sharp ears)
1 Long-tailed Duck
1 Water Rail in flight
1 vocal Coal Tit
1 Great Crested Grebe
vocal Jays in vicinity

All nice stuff, good to get out for a few hours.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Raining heavily but the Black Red still made a brief visit to my garden on Beacon Road.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Raining heavily but the Black Red still made a brief visit to my garden on Beacon Road.

Ditto, but with a little less rain.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Ditto, but with a little less rain.

Ditto, but with no rain. 8-P

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Had a great time meeting Gary Prescott (the Biking Birder) on his travels through Falmouth today! :-O A great guy attempting to break the record for birds seen in Britain during the course of one year solely by bike and foot!

I rushed down to Maenporth on the 23rd around dusk to try and help locate the King Eider for Gary's list on his arrival in Falmouth. Although a distant duck on the sea looked to fit the bill it was simply too dark and distant to be absolutely certain so a second visit the following day was due.

Leaving around 8am from Dan's place the following day, we made our way back to Maenporth via Swanpool. First up was the Long-tailed Duck and Ring-billed Gull which I'd confidently told Gary would still be there today thanks to their ongoing presence. As such I was rather worried when all I could point out was the RbGull with no initial sign of the LtDuck! Thankfully, after several more minutes of scanning there was a sigh of relief when the 1st win LtDuck flew in and landed in its usual favoured corner. In fact, this was my first time I had seen it in flight in all the 4 months it's been present so I'm beginning to wonder if it's getting a little more edgy and keener to leave.

On to Maenporth... To begin with there was only the female Eider to be seen, along with 2 Great Northern Divers and a distant grebe sp. off Bream Cove. It was a full three-quarters of an hour or so until Gary came back from a brief scan lower along the cliff exclaiming he had 2 distant eiders (most likely the female Common and the 1st win drk King). Being at Maenporth and looking south meant there was a great deal of glare from the sun on the water which had been disguising the bird. Fortunately, walking a short distance south along the coastal footpath, we obtained much better views enabling us to confirm the ongoing presence of both Eiders, including the King! Brilliant!!

Best of luck Gary for the rest of your adventures! I look forward to challenging your biking birding year list record in the near future! :-O

PS. Note the rather conveniently placed camera bag over the jacket, now reads "King Birder" 3

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Black Redstart still outside my bedroom window for its 75th day...

 

[fishybarry]

Black Redstart still outside my bedroom window for its 75th day...

Sure i'ts not stuffed.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Sure i'ts not stuffed.

Alive and well :-O

1-2 outside my bedroom window again! Both (if there are two) are "cairii" males (1st win males of the grey form) with their silvery/white fringes to the tertials and secondaries, females and juv males having much buffer fringes.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Walked down to Pendennis in the rain this afternoon with the intention of scanning through the gulls on the dock. Looking back into the Carrick Roads revealed 1 GND towards Mylor and 3 Oyks at Middle Point (on the east side of Pendennis). Seawatching ended up taking up most of my time (after all it only involved resting my arse on the bench :-O) I lost count of the number of hours I was sat there... Even so I only managed to rake in 1 Guillemot sat in Falmouth Bay, a GND off the point before finally scoring with the highlight, a Bonxie chasing a Kittiwake in the distance. The pursuit only lasted a short while before it dropped in height and landed on the sea where it disappeared behind the swell. c.30 auks flew west through the bay and given the number of hours I was sat there several hundred Gannets must have passed through, few large flocks but a steady passage none the less. Every few second would be ounctuated by singles or pairs of Shags flying back towards St Anthony's whilst Kittiwakes were also moving westwards (sorry didn't count them either) along with a single Fulmar. 13 Turnstone were also scurrying around on the rocks below the point and a final check of the docks before the main gull roost started didn't reveal much other than the usual Herrings, GBBGs and LBBGs. I headed home a little sooner than planned as my cold and rain soaked clothes were getting to me (probs turning soft 8-P).

The Black Red was still frequenting my backgarden yesterday.

 

[Samuel Perfect]

Also forgot to mention yesterday: 6 Buzzards and a Kestrel gliding over the Roseland (all in one scope view across the Carrick Roads!)