Meandering Med Gulls

Its been a little while since our bird filled week has finished and I am just about recovered! I have not had any free time since to go birding or ringing locally but have started receiving details of some of the colour ringed birds that we encountered.

For me one of the most interesting species that I encounter that are regularly colour ringed is the Mediterranean Gull. They seem to wonder quite a lot in their first couple of years and often end up in some far flung places before settling into a regular routine. I was delighted to get results back for two birds that we spotted on the Hayle Estuary.

The first was an adult French ringed bird wearing a Green ring coded: REX2. It was ringed as a Pullus on the 29th of June, 2014 at Barbatre, Vendee, France and stayed here until at least the 17th of July, 2014. It was not recorded again until the 27th of February, 2016 this time at Alges, Portugal! Its final sighting was by Bob and I on the Hayle Estuary, Cornwall on the 9th of October, 2016. 

A well travelled Gull! 

The second was another old friend and from a little further a field! It was another adult bird and was sporting a Red ring coded: HJR4. 

It was ringed as a pullus on the 5th of June, 2011 at Szeged, Csongrád, Hungary. From here it travelled east and 4 months later on the 17th of October, 2011 it was spotted on Omaha Beach, France. In 2012 it was still in France and located at Carantec, France on the 23rd and 24th of January. It then made its way north and was found on Braunton River, Devon, UK on the 23rd of August, 2012. There was then a period of 12 months absence before it was located on Hayle Estuary, Cornwall on the 9th of October, 2013. It has only been recorded on Hayle since and turned up in September, 2014 and October 2015. Bob and I encountered this bird again on the 9th of October, 2016.  

It makes me tired just thinking about the distance this bird has travelled! 

I love these birds and will continue to look for ringed individuals for the rest of my days! I have learnt so much out about their travels and behaviour in just a few short years by submitting this information. 

Car birding at Dozmary and Colliford

Over the last week I have been snowed in with work, 2 Nuthatches and some Siskins at Ladock and a Woodcock at Stenalee's whilst I have been out and about in the car being my only sightings...

Today was my chance to get out birding but I didn't really feel like it, it was so cold out and the strong north wind with heavy rain did little to tempt me into getting up early! However by 3pm I had itchy feet and decided to bomb up the A30 to Colliford and check out the gull roost . The great thing about Colliford is that you can be really lazy if you want to be and I was not about to get out of the car today! 

I drove down to Dozmary Pool first and was greeted with a small flock of diving ducks: 1 female Goldeneye ( my first of the autumn ) , 6 Pochard and 5 Tufted Duck. Further scanning resulted in a nice female Pintail ( scarce here) and an interesting female Aythya duck that I didn't fully sort out. It was feeding some distance away on it's own  but some features reminded me a little of a 1st Winter female Lesser Scaup. The peaked head shape with no apparent tuft, greyish flanks , small nail on the bill and narrow white blaze around the bill looked positive with the spikey tail feathers ageing it as a first winter. However time was ticking ,the light was going and the rain was frustrating me so for now I have let it go, I will take my time with it and I'll nip up on Saturday after the CBPWS bird report meeting and sort it out if it's still there... 

Colliford itself was o.k , plenty of gulls to look through but they were not really congregating at any particular part of the lake to roost so it made checking them difficult , I could have done with some birding help! ( I'll drag Pete along next time.. ) . Still I had 2 Yellow legged Gulls; an adult and a second winter along with a 1st winter Common Gull and the hundreds of Lesser black-backed Gull's, Black headed Gulls and Herring Gulls made a nice spectacle.

2nd Winter Yellow-legged Gull

Sunday morning at Trevose Head

Peregrine Falcon

The last week has been pretty manic and if I haven't been working I have been at home with the flu puking! However I felt well enough to get out to Trevose Head on Sunday morning in the hope of some late migration....

I had been itching to get out all week and I can only imagine what I have missed lately in all these easterly winds, however Sunday was rather gloomy overhead and I think it slowed the birding down somewhat. I spent most of the morning stood overlooking the golf course and I enjoyed half decent numbers overhead . Thrushes were moving in good numbers and I logged 26 Blackbird, 6 Fieldfare, 136 Redwing and 12 Song Thrush throughout the morning. Wood Pigeons also seemed to be on the move and several flocks numbering 139 birds moved through along with 2 Collared Doves. The bird of the morning was a Brambling which was a welcome year tick whilst other finches included 150 Chaffinch, 1 Siskin and 37 Goldfinch.

Woodpigeon's on the move

Even though I checked the hedges and tree's very thoroughly I found it tough going to see any migrants with 5 Goldcrests, 3 Chiff-chaffs and 2 smart Blackcaps my only reward . By the end of an enjoyable morning I had also seen 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 90 Golden Plover, 1 Lapwing, 1 Common Snipe, 30 Black headed Gull , 1 Med Gull, 3 Common Gull ,2 Peregrine Falcon's ,118 Skylark, 71 Starling, 5 Grey Wagtail, 12 Pied Wagtail, 47 Meadow Pipit, 3 Reed Buntings and 11 Corn Buntings . I was happy with my haul of common migrants and I guess the Dusky Warbler and the Pallid Harrier will have to wait for another day ha ha .....

Somerset Saunter and Bearded Bonanza!

I returned yesterday evening from a lovely weekend away with the family. We stayed near Wells in Somerset for a short break predominantly to go sightseeing and spend some quality time together. However I did still manage to fit a couple of short birding sessions in!

A short drive away was the Westhay Reserve, a 261 acre reedbed and wetland. It was such an easy reserve to navigate around and was signed well. More information and directions can be found here: http://avalonmarshes.org/explore/nature-reserves/westhay-moor/

I went with my dad and young niece and we all enjoyed the facilities. I had gleaned some information from Adrian Langdon before my trip and he had pin-pointed a species that I was hoping to catch up with whilst in the area! But first we ambled to the nearest hide that impressed my young niece and me! I have never been in a hide so beautifully decorated and it was a real credit to Avalon Marshes. It was lovely that not only did it look good but she was able to interact with it making the impact even greater.

Is there a better decorated hide anywhere else in the UK?

Even the amazing hide wasn't enough to keep hunger at bay and my little nieces belly could take it no longer! Faint from her physical early morning stroll Grampy needed to carry her back to the car and we needed to get her home for sustenance fast! Oh to be that age again :-). After a bite to eat Dad and I decided to head back and try for our intended species. We made our way to the recommended spot and joined the small crowd that had assembled to cast their eyes on our intended quarry. After a whispered conversation with one of the party I was a little worried as our target species had been seen half an hour before but not since! I settled myself and concentrated and was rewarded a few minutes later with a distant ping-ping call that started to get closer and louder. The reeds started to jink and rustle in an unorthodox fashion! Then just a few meters away a pristine female Bearded Reedling bounced on to the boardwalk and started to fill up on the grit provided.

Little did I know that the morning was going to get even more glorious! Whilst enjoying the perfect female a stonking male came and joined her! I am not sure if there are words that can describe how amazing these birds look. I only wish I concentrated on getting some better photos rather than looking at them through the bins.

The most stunning of birds!

Sunday morning I decided to head up to Shapwick with my Dad and again have a wonder around. You can find more information here: http://avalonmarshes.org/explore/nature-reserves/shapwick-moor/

This is a vast reserve and you could easily spend a whole day here exploring and it has many facilities too. We spent a lot of time walking through the woods and then around the reed beds and water ways. There is a huge variety of bird life to wet the appetite and the short time spent here did it no justice at all. However we did manage to find a couple of good birds in the form of a Firecrest and a Marsh Harrier. It was lovely to see that the Wildfowl was represented in good numbers and we also enjoyed views of Kingfishers flying near the hide.  I would definitely recommend that anyone who is passing or staying near any of the Avalon Marshes reserves takes the time to go and experience them, they really are a delight and everyone of them has something to offer.

View from the Decoy Hide at Shapwick

Migration this weekend

I had a few things on this weekend so even though I had plenty of time in the field I decided to stay local and try birding Trevose Head in the mornings and give Walmsley Sanctuary and the Camel Estuary a go on sunday afternoon.

Fieldfare

I was at Trevose for sunrise on Saturday morning ( which isn't that early at the moment! Why can't it always be like this ! ) and instead of starting at the bottom of the headland I drove straight to the top car park , found some shelter from the biting easterly wind and began to count the migrants overhead. It was busy! Meadow Pipits and Chaffinch's were trickling through in small flocks and after only a few minutes I heard the characteristic call of a Short-toed Lark ! Surely not! But again it called and several more times until I locked on to this super bird as it seemingly went straight through heading North . This was only my second in Cornwall , my first at Trevose Head and my first Autumn record , boom! Still buzzing from the Lark I settled into counting again and enjoyed the spectacle of seeing 100's of migrants moving through , from Long-tailed Tits to Little Egrets and Golden Plover ,even a casual look at the sea produced a fab adult pale phased Pomarine Skua. Seeing all these different birds out of context is always a buzz for me and it shows just how many birds ( that aren't always known as migrants) travel through Cornwall at this time of year. After a couple of hours migration overhead slowed down and I had a good walk around the headland without seeing an awful lot so I headed home buzzing after a great morning out. Final totals included:

4 Balearic Shearwater

2 Little Egret

3 Golden Pover

1 Common Snipe

1 Pomarine Skua ( adult pale phase)

1 ad Mediterranean Gull

1 Peregrine Falcon

2 Jay

1 Short-toed Lark ( flew north calling overhead at 8:04am )

82 Skylark

6 Long-tailed Tit 

7 Goldcrest

3 Chiff-chaff

7 Blackbird

1 Fieldfare

9 Redwing

2 Song Thrush

1 Mistle Thrush

134 Starling

1 Grey Wagtail

3 Pied Wagtail

57 Meadow Pipit

1 Reed Bunting

381 Chaffinch

6 Siskin

7 Goldfinch

Goldfinches on the move

I didn't get up quite so early this morning ( after a few beers last night! ) but I was still in place at Trevose before 8am...  It was much windier today which made birding quite uncomfortable, the headland was pretty well blown out and to be honest I made a mistake  as I should have started at the bottom of the headland were it was more sheltered, birding would be boring if it was easy and you got it right every time and I learned what not to do in a howling easterly wind!

Counts today included:

8 Goldcrest

1 Chiff chaff

7 Blackbird

6 Fieldfare

21 Redwing

4 Song Thrush

1 Grey Wagtail

15 Meadow Pipit

1 Yellowhammer

1 Corn Bunting

9 Chaffinch

2 Bullfinch

68 Goldfinch

As you can see , what a difference a day makes!

In the afternoon I went to Walmsley Sanctuary and although the water level is quite low at the moment there was still plenty to be seen , a Barnacle Goose amongst the flock of Canada's was easily the bird of the day but I was also happy to see 6 Shoveler, 9 Pintail, 164 Teal, 1 Water Rail, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Common Gull and 2 Mistle Thrush.

Barnacle Goose 

                                                     

                                        

                                                         

The Estuary itself was teeming with winter waders including 400 Golden Plover. 36 Med Gulls ( 2x 1st Winter, 9 x 2nd Winter and 25 Adult ) looked stunning in the autumn light and I also saw a nice flock of 24 Red-legged Partridges, but after an hour or so I had enough of the wind and was happy to head home for tea... 

Silent Sea watching and Perfect Pink Feet

Strong south westerly winds were forecast and Bob and I hoped for a decent sea watch at Porthgwarra to boost our weeks species count. We both managed to scrape ourselves out of bed bright and early, despite feeling a little tired and tender from a full on week in the field. We arrived in the car park at first light and were a little surprised to see some other birders already in-situ. I suspected that they also were hoping for some late sea birds on the move. After exchanging pleasant chit chat we found out that a Red-eyed Vireo had been found in the toilet block the previous day and had showed well! We decided to stick with our plan and carry on up to the headland and have a sea watch and try for the Vireo on our return later.

From the get go we knew something was wrong! The birds were heading in the wrong direction and all that could be seen was a steady trickle of Gannets and Great Black-backed Gulls. We persevered for two hours and by-jove was that enough! All we had to show for our effort was 1 Balearic Shearwater, 3 Manx Shearwater, 4 Common Scoter and 6 Wigeon. If anyone can let me know why it was so bad this morning I would be grateful for the knowledge?

Dawn at Porthgwarra

It was a stunning morning and we were comfortable, warm and sat down so our spirits were high and we had other plans to fulfil during the day. Plus a Red-eyed Vireo could still be in the vicinity and we would both like a peek at that! Before we left a flock of 9 Choughs passed us over head, a record flock number for Bob and I and a sight that always makes me feel rather patriotic and proud of my Cornish heritage! We made our way to the car park and caught up with several familiar faces and was a lovely way to spend an hour sharing lots of laughter and catching up on latest exploits and ventures. It was apparent that the Vireo was not showing so Bob hatched a plan and we flogged the wooded area of the valley but sadly to no avail! We did however have amazing views of a Firecrest and Chiffchaff, and also heard a distant Yellow-browed Warbler.  

We had done all we can to find the Vireo and decided that we would cut our losses and head on. We opted for a quick look at Sennen where we noted 15 Mediterranean Gulls and 1 Common Gull. It was also apparent that some sea birds were passing the cove and amongst these Bob picked out a Balearic and 2 Manx Shearwater. We then headed back to Mounts Bay and had a little tour around but were struggling in the strong winds to pick anything up noteworthy.

We were both tired from our week and were starting to flag. We needed a plan to rejuvenate energy levels and I knew just the thing, a Pasty and Jam doughnut should do the trick! Hayle was our next destination and Phillips was open. After some satisfying sustenance our energy levels were refreshed enough to do some more birding. We checked the Estuary and Carnsew Pool as best we could and species of note included 1 Spoonbill, 26 Mediterranean Gulls, 9 Grey Plover, 3 Greenshank, 33 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Dunlin. 

Pink-footed Goose at Gwithian Pool

Our final destination for the day was Gwithian Pool. We have wanted to check this spot all week and only really found the time today to fit it in. Lots of Geese and Gulls could be seen as we broke the brow of the hill and peered from a distance. As we got closer we both had a long hard scan for colour ringed Gulls to no avail! 9 Tufted Ducks were feeding and added some interest. During my third sweeping scan I picked up one of my birds of the week! Not the rarest of birds but one I always appreciate seeing an adult Pink-footed Goose amongst the Canadas. We headed home after this deciding to end this cracking bird filled week on a high. It is sad that is another year done and dusted and I have enjoyed every minute. The only bit of happy news is that my alarm will not be going off at stupid o'clock tomorrow morning and I get a lie in! What will I miss?

Day 8 - North Coast Birding

With Light southerly winds and rain overnight and a nice clear morning me and Pete were up at silly O'clock and on the road to Trevose for dawn. We were both hoping for a bit of passage overhead but for whatever reason it was very quiet so after an hour we decided to have a walk around some of the gardens and tamarisk hedges in the hope for some warblers as we had already heard a couple of Chiff-chaffs and Goldcrests....

On the first hedge we checked there was a typically elusive ( and always stunning) Firecrest and a couple of Chiff-chaffs... it felt like there could well be something better in with them. Our next stop  near to some private gardens offered yet more passerine gems in the shape of a Yellow-browed Warbler ,yet another Firecrest and strangest of all a Water Rail in the tamarisk! This is only the second I have seen at Trevose in 12 years! There was certainly birds around but as always Trevose Head is very hard work and you have to be grateful with what you find and accept you probably miss just as much in the process! The main issue at the moment is the very dense Tamarisk which is still in full bloom , so unless a bird is calling you are struggling....Still we carried on picking up odds and ends as we walked around and I was particularly happy to find 12 Corn Buntings in one of the set aside fields, I hadn't seen any Corn Bunts on my last two visits so it is always a relief to know that a few are hanging on , I hope very much that the National Trust can develop a strategy for helping these character birds in the future as I worry it won't be many years until they are gone ( 10 years ago there would be 40 + birds ).More excitement came in the form of 2 Great Northern Divers which Pete picked up flying across the neck of the headland and I spotted a high flying Short-eared Owl which in typical Trevose fashion seemed to be moving through quickly. Our final counts included 2 Great Northern Diver, 1 Little Egret, 1 Water Rail, 3 Curlew, 1 2nd winter Med Gull, 1 Short-eared Owl, 6 Goldcrest, 3 Firecrest,17 Chiff-chaff, 2 Yellow-browed Warbler, 26 Blackbird, 1 Redwing, 7 Songthrush, 2 Grey Wagtail, 12 Pied Wagtail, 3 Reed Bunting, 12 Corn Bunting, 1 Bullfinch ( scarce here , only 1-2 records a year) and 1 Siskin so with time ticking on and the rain arriving we got back to the car before we got too soaked and headed up the North Coast to Maer Lake and Davidstow.

Heavily cropped photo of the Short-eared Owl, note the distinctive kinked wing shape.
Also in the field they have a very relaxed, buoyant flight style which reminds me of a Harrier.

        
We managed to get a fair bit of birding done at Maer Lake and enjoyed seeing a variety of waders including a Ruff, 4 Dunlin , 27 Snipe and 7 Black-tailed Godwits, Apart from good numbers of Teal and a few Wigeon , a single Shoveler was the only different duck. The weather at Davidstow was mental ! We chanced upon a colour ringed Lesser-black backed Gull and 14 Lapwing and although it was quiet it still looks likely to produce another good wader as long as it doesn't get too cold in the next few days...

Our next plan was to check the Camel Estuary but we misjudged the tide and it was already in quite a way... still there was plenty of common waders and still 2 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Pintail amongst the Wigeon. Sometimes birding doesn't always have to be about rarities and showing a keen young birder on holiday all the different waders on the estuary and seeing his eyes light up as he saw his first Grey Plovers and Curlew Sandpipers was a nice way to finish a days birding. ( hopefully he will keep on birding! ).