Saturday 18th Feb

I haven't done so much birding in the week as work has been crazy but I did see a ringtail Hen Harrier  on Caerhays Estate and a Siskin at Penwithick when I've been out driving vans . Today I spent some time birding and the rest of the day chilling with my family .

14th Feb

Ringtail Hen Harrier near to Rosevine on the Caerhays Estate quartering a set aside field .

16th Feb

Penwithick - 1 Siskin

18th Feb

Carnanton Woods - 5 Treecreeper , 2 Nuthatch , 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker , 1 Marsh Tit , 40 Redwing , 2 Mistle Thrush , 1 Dipper , 1 Chiff chaff

St Columb Sewage Works - 1 Yellow-browed Warbler , 10 Chiff Chaff , 1 Siberian Chiff Chaff ( got some nice photos of this bird , will post tomorrow ) , 23 Goldcrest , 2 Fieldfare , 18 Redwing , 1 Grey Wagtail .

Pinkson Creek - 50 Little Egret and 2 Cattle Egret roosting tonight ( I hoped for more Cattle Egrets but seeing all the Little Egrets was a lovely sight ) . Also 1 Peregrine and 4 Adult Med Gull .

Sightings this week

Pete and myself have been out a bit this week around work and on the weekend , I have been doing some of the Willow tit survey on the goss moor whilst Pete has also done some ringing... Highlights have included:

Wednesday 8th February

Gluvian

8 Woodcock

Thursday 9th February

Goss Moor

1 singing male Dartford Warbler

Friday 10th February

Rosenannon Downs

2 Merlin
3 Tawny Owl
1 Short eared Owl

Saturday 11th February

Goss Moor

2 Willow Tit ( 1 ringed by Pete )
1 Marsh Tit ( ringed by Pete )
1 Waxwing - seen near to Belowda at 9:20 am , relocated at castle caravan park opposite Castle An Dinas at 12pm but no sign since.

Hayle Estuary

1 juv Spoonbill
1 1st winter Ring-billed Gull
1 Avocet
1 Peregrine

Sunday 12th February

Walmsley Sanctuary

1 Barnacle Goose
2 Spoonbill
4 Water Pipit
1 Peregrine Falcon
3 Ruff

Divers and Grebes on the south coast

I spent the day checking St Austell Bay , Veryan Bay and Gerrans Bay . It was pretty good to be honest and I ended up with a nice variety of birds :

Gluvian

2 Grey Wagtail

St Austell Bay

33 Great Northern Diver
6 Black throated Diver
1 Red throated Diver
2 Great crested Grebe
3 Slavonian Grebe
39 Common Scoter
1 drake Velvet Scoter ( view from Polkerris )


Mevagisssy

1 adult Med Gull

Porthpean

4 adult Med Gull
1 Grey Wagtail

Hemmick Beach

1 Grey Wagtail

Caerhays

22 Med Gull ( 3,2,17)
2 Common Snipe


Veryan Bay

12 Great Northern Diver
15 Black throated Diver
1 Red throated Diver
3 Slavonian Grebe

Portholland

2 adult Med Gull
1 Porpoise

Gerrans Bay

39 Great Northern Diver
1 Black throated Diver
1 Red-necked Grebe
7 Common Scoter
1 Long-tailed Duck ( off of Portscatho )



Pendower

15 Med Gull
1 Whimbrel
1 Chough ( feeding in sheep field above the beach )
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Bottle nosed Dolphin

Portscatho

1 Whimbrel
1 Common Redshank
5 Dunlin
52 Turnstone
8 Med Gull ( 1,1,6 )
1 Cirl Bunting

Ruan Lanihorne

129 Wigeon
1 Great spotted Woodpecker

Lapland Buntings and Glaucous Gull

I started today at Mawgan Porth looking for Chough's near Bre Pen Farm but the only sighting of note was a group of 11 Rock Pipits feeding together in a sheep field, they were all nominate Petrosus but I will look here again in the spring for a Scandinavian. On the marsh at Mawgan Porth there is finally a bit of water with 40 Wigeon, 139 Teal, 38 Curlew and 2 Oystercatcher feeding in the shallow water.

I had a quick look at Park Head for Chough but again I lucked out, also rather disappointingly there are no set aside fields here so no flocks of finches and buntings this year. Porthcothan is always a good spot for wintering passerines, especially around the car park and this year I was pleased to find a nice Siberian Chiffchaff feeding around the tamarisk and small gardens. I noticed in last years Cornwall bird report that CBWPS don't separate records of Abietinus (  northern Chiffchaff ) and Tristis ( Siberian Chiffchaff ) stating that they are too similar to seperate safely. This bird was 100% Tristis and I think it is straightforward enough to claim a true Siberian Chiff chaff if you are familiar with them and you listen for calls. A grey brown Chiffchaff with some green colouration in the wings ( especially tertials) a nice strong supercilium, thin wing bar and best of all a bullfinch like soft call are features I look for. Abietinus Chiffchaff is very clean grey and white looking with a Swee-oo type call. I will try and do some sound recording in the next month to show what I mean.


Today was calm enough to check Trevose Head properly for the first time and I set out to walk all of the stubble fields and do a proper count. I was staggered with the amount of Lapland Buntings that are here this year and I finished with an impressive 84 birds! I also counted: 386 Skylark, 18 Meadow Pipit, 381 Linnet, 11 Corn Bunting, 40 Chaffinch, 7 Yellowhammer, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Manx Shearwater, 1 Red-throated Diver and a 1st Winter Glaucous Gull.

Amazingly these are nearly all Lapland Buntings

Lapland Bunting zoomed in

Corn Bunting

You don't need to walk the fields to see the Lapland Buntings, some of the flock feed on the road towards the top car park and perch on the wire fence, I'm going to count them every 2-3 weeks to avoid disturbing them too much.

Meadow Pipit

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the hide at Chaple Amble sheltering from the heavy rain, 3 Shelduck, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Redshank, 2 Little Egret and 2 Stock Dove were notable amongst the waders and wildfowl. Last stop of the day was the Camel Estuary with 1 Spotted Redshank on show amongst hundreds of winter waders...

This weeks birding so far

31st January :

Trevithick East , 1 dipper
Tregoss Moor , viewed at night with a high power torch : 19 woodcock , 1 Jack Snipe , 5 Common Snipe ,1 Bar tailed Godwit ( flew over calling )

2nd February :

Porthpean , 1 adult Little Gull in the gull roost this evening

Goss Moor , 1 Barn Owl