Falmouth Birding (3 Viewers)

[dantheman]

Hi Dan,
Been away up country for a few days but before I went, saw this otter at Sett Bridge, Ruan Lanihorne. Managed to get a photo but wasn't quick enough to get a good focus.
Carol

Totally missed this, sorry.

Still a nice pic!

 

[dantheman]

hi dan sorry for late reply been away on honeymoon to sharm.
my summer was ok lots of work and wedding planning.went stithians few times over summer but like argal too much water nothing intresting up there through summer,not sure what it's been like last few weeks.been to hayle bit more recently,hopefully it will pick up closer to home soon

Erm, and I'm far worse, sorry ...

Did you get to go diving/snorkelling at Sharm? I was in Israel last year, fantastic experience, even though only did it for a few hours. Manage to do any birding?- again a top birding destination!

And congratulations of course!

 

[warren30]

Erm, and I'm far worse, sorry ...

Did you get to go diving/snorkelling at Sharm? I was in Israel last year, fantastic experience, even though only did it for a few hours. Manage to do any birding?- again a top birding destination!

And congratulations of course!

hi dan that's ok we are both busy,thanks for the congratulations had a great wedding and honeymoon in sharm,I went diving couple of times and snorkelling all but one day while there,amazing sites took some good underwater pictures,there was a good coral reef off the hotel beach,I didn't really do much birding only when browsing tree's etc on hotel grounds seen couple egrets a black heron (not sure what heron) lesser kestrels caspian gulls and bee eaters couldn't get pics of latter tried for days they wouldn't land long enough,seen lots warblers great hotel for wildlife birds etc,wanted go to raj Mohammed nations park lots birds there had no time.
college argal should pick up soon now then,did you go to cot valley the other day.nice birds in the county at the min

 

[dantheman]

Pendennis in the fog this morning was quiet - 1 1st winter Med Gull flew past and the Whimbrel was on the east side, with 10+ Oystercatchers. A few Goldcrests kicking about on the top. Castle Beach had 1 Curlew and 1 Little Egret and Gyllyngvase had another (adult) Med Gull, a couple of Rock Pipits and the like.
The best birding was up towards the golf course however, with a female-type Black Redstart by the footpath to Pennance/Start point. Or does the presence of a white wing panel make it a 1st winter male? Anyway, nice, possibly the first reported in Cornwall this autumn?
Two Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Song Thrushes (seeing lots of these the last week or so) here too, with 50 Meadow Pipit up by the golf course, with a Wheatear and c.15 Pied and 2 White Wagtails.

Lots of LTTits about, and Goldcrests noticeable too, with a Grey Wagtail at the feeding spot at Swanpool.

(Oh and there were 6(+) Snipe roosting at College Res yesterday too in the vegetation around the island ...)

 

[dantheman]

hi dan that's ok we are both busy,thanks for the congratulations had a great wedding and honeymoon in sharm,I went diving couple of times and snorkelling all but one day while there,amazing sites took some good underwater pictures,there was a good coral reef off the hotel beach,I didn't really do much birding only when browsing tree's etc on hotel grounds seen couple egrets a black heron (not sure what heron) lesser kestrels caspian gulls and bee eaters couldn't get pics of latter tried for days they wouldn't land long enough,seen lots warblers great hotel for wildlife birds etc,wanted go to raj Mohammed nations park lots birds there had no time.
college argal should pick up soon now then,did you go to cot valley the other day.nice birds in the county at the min

Cool, put some pics up if you want to, It'd be nice to pretend it's still warm here!

The heron would almost certainly have been a Western Reef Egret ... and no, didn't go west for any rarities - Falmouth has all anyone ever needs ... ummm

 

[warren30]

Cool, put some pics up if you want to, It'd be nice to pretend it's still warm here!

The heron would almost certainly have been a Western Reef Egret ... and no, didn't go west for any rarities - Falmouth has all anyone ever needs ... ummm

are you on facebook mate pics are on there I can add you,
I am going to pop in to waterstones browse through Africa Asia bird books see if can Id it. that red foot booby will fly past pendennis point one day.
hoping to get out wed/thurs got Both days off at moment if raritys around still down west might head that way

 

[dantheman]

are you on facebook mate pics are on there I can add you ...

I don't, but the girlfriend does ... I'll send you an email soon.


The weather looks possibly ok for a seawatch tomorrow, see how the wind holds up ... (forecast westerly)

 

[warren30]

I don't, but the girlfriend does ... I'll send you an email soon.


The weather looks possibly ok for a seawatch tomorrow, see how the wind holds up ... (forecast westerly)

ok dan I will add her when you email,have a good seawatch mate hopefully go birding with you again soon

 

[dantheman]

Seawatching wasn't going to be a success - the winds turned wrong, too light and heavy rain didn't tempt me out in the evening. Some nice Harbour Porpoise action mid afternoon though - bit of breaching not too far out, although I only saw one individual at a time there could have been several out there.

Yesterday (13th Oct) -

Gorrangorras, Penryn River - the usual Curlews and Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Greenshank still, highlight 2 Water Rail coming out of the reedbed, one having a good wash in the little stream. Meadow Pipits and Pied Wags (c. 4 each) in the pony field.

Devoran high tide late afternoon -

Greenshank - 4
Redshank 80+
Curlew 40+
Oyk 10+ etc etc

Further afield, there was a Grey Wagtail in the Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project, and 13 Little Egret flew over Ryan's Field in the general direction of Marazion at dusk.

 

[henerz1]

14/10/2012 - birded some old hotspots in the Falmouth area which were productive and then down to the Lizard peninsula which was a total dip-out:

Swanvale + Swanpool NR -
1 Yellow-browed Warbler
4 Chiffchaffs
3 Bullfinches
15 Little Grebes
2 Water Rails

Pendennis Headland -
3 Firecrests - around the castle grounds
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Whimbrel
20+ Skylarks - over
2 Siskins
7 Linnets

 

[henerz1]

15/10/2012 - another morning around a few Falmouth destinations with dantheman:

Swanvale NR -
1 Yellow-browed Warbler

Pendennis Headland -
4 Firecrests - 2 around the castle car park and another 2 behind the castle by the gun emplacement
4 Med Gulls - adult winter
1 Whimbrel

Gorrangorras -
3 Greenshank
7 Turnstones
c40 Redshanks
c60 Curlews
1 Little Egret

Trescobeas park area-
1 Wheatear
1 Siskin
1 Reed Bunting
20+ Linnets
50+ Meadow Pipits

Devoran in the pm -
2 Knots
3 Black-tailed Godwits
1 Bar-tailed Godwit
4 Greenshanks
1 Snipe
1 Kingfisher
4 Little Egret
44 Wigeon
c340 Canada Geese
1 Raven

 

[dantheman]

Additional to the above today -

Pennance Point -

Stonechat 3
Swallow 1
Skylark 1
Meadow Pipit 20+

4 Med Gulls between Swanpool and Gyllyngvase quite probably the same, with 4 Ringed Plover and 10 Turnstone (flushed at one point by one of the 2 Sparrowhawks present).

A (not surprisingly really) very poor seawatch from Pendennis for a couple of hours in the evening resulted in 1 Peregrine, 4 Kittiwakes and 12 Auk sps.

Total of 70+ within the area for the day, plenty of 'common' species not seen.

 

[henerz1]

16/10/2012 - Big day around the Falmouth area (78 species seen):

Swanvale NR area -
1 Yellow-browed Warbler - still present though elusive
2 Firecrest
1 Water Rail
1 Green Woodpecker - in the cemetary

Pendennis Headland -
2 Firecrest
5 Med Gull
1 Common Gull
40+ Gannet
1 Common Scoter
2 Kittiwakes

Falmouth Golf Course -
1 Lesser Redpoll - flyover, scarce in the Falmouth area
1 Blackcap
2 Stonechat
1 Swallow

Stithians Reservoir -
1 Marsh Tit
1 Reed Bunting
1 Teal
7 Wigeon
8 Lapwing - south of Golden Lion pub
1 Raven

Devoran -
1 Whimbrel
5 Greenshank
4 Bar-tailed Godwit
10+ Black-tailed Godwit
30+ Wigeon
7 Teal
1 Kingfisher

 

[lozzjazz]

Flock of 10 redwings over perranwell station today - my first of the season.

 

[Matt Silk]

Swanpool/Swanvale this afternoon:

Cormorant sp. - 1 small/slender looking cormorant with restricted deep yellow-orange gape with no white surround and apparent yellow on the lower mandible (features noted independently by two observers)

Yellow Browed Warbler - heard calling in the gardens west of Swanvale footpath
also 1+ firecrests and 3+ Chiffs amongst the numerous tit flocks. Grey Wag was nice too and all the normal stuff there

Med Gull - 1+ off Swanpool Beach


In Penryn y'day had 2 Firecrests (West Street and Campus), a Redwing, 15+Goldcrests and a Blackcap as a reward for not walking into work with headphones plugged in...


Matt

 

[dantheman]

Swanpool/Swanvale this afternoon:

Cormorant sp. - 1 small/slender looking cormorant with restricted deep yellow-orange gape with no white surround and apparent yellow on the lower mandible (features noted independently by two observers)

Any pics? Shag? Or thinking rare yank?


Looks like some of the winter migrants are coming in numbers, nice!

 

[Matt Silk]

Definitely not a Shag. It was the latter on my mind... Was going to let it slide (even though I had fairly good views of the bill it was in bright light and wasn't 100% on it) - I couldn't think of other features I needed to nail, didn't see it out of the water and only feature that would rule out a slightly lost sinensis was the bill) but sent a message to someone who checks Swanpool regularly and they'd made a note of the same bird this afternoon too (albeit with more distant views)....

Its about time for annual yank f*ck up going on last years events too.....
Can't get there tomorrow. Aaargh!

 

[dantheman]

Thought that's where you were going ...

Got a feeling it will get checked out again tomorrow ...



For those with the time and inclination, tomorrow looks like it has a potential for seawatching, bearing in mind it's a bit late for a lot of stuff ...

 

[Matt Silk]

See I might have been able to make it down tomorrow early am too if I hadn't spent this afternoon birding rather than preparing/practising the talk I'm giving in Exeter tomorrow pm. Fingers crossed that it gets sorted either way tomorrow!!

I just regret a) not taking my camera with me and b) being so willing not to trust what I was seeing and give up on it when it swan out of sight!

 

[Matt Silk]

Bit more of an update/clarification on the two sightings:

~3.45pm: fairly good views from the west side of Swanpool (my sighting)

~5pm: what is presumably the same bird given the features noted seen on the sea off Swanpool Beach (presumably not too distant) by a second observer

~6-6.30pm: We exchange notes and realise there might be something to it....