Just a few pics

Finally sorted through my best pics from our recent trip to Cornwall so here is a selection of them.

Black redstart

The only birds we saw were a couple of 1st winter/female type birds in the rocky cove at the bottom end of Kenidjack valley. The were very mobile and I only managed to get these pics after a scramble along the cliff edge and hiding behind rocks! Always great birds to see.

Corvids

Black birds are always a nightmare to photograph especially against a dark background. I managed to get some 'flight-shot' settings sorted for my camera but didn't have them right when a chough flew right over my head in Nanquidno. I wasn't too worried as I thought I'd get another chance, I didn't for the rest of the week!
Ravens were pretty plentiful and always nice to see especially as they are so rare in Norfolk. You can't beat that cronking call along the coast.

Raptors

Buzzards were everywhere, kestrels were plentiful and the odd sparrowhawk but it was slightly odd without the regular sightings of red kite and marsh harrier that we are used to at home.

I spotted the young kestrel sat on the rock and thought I'd see how close I could get while taking pictures all the time. The bird seemed completely unconcerned by my presence and in the end I was just able to sit and watch the bird from close range until it pounced onto a beetle in the grass.

The male was pretty unconcerned too but did allow me quite as close. It wasn't until I got home that I realised that the bird was ringed with an orange colour-ring. Apparently this bird is a regular at Pendeen. 

This young sparrowhawk was chasing a blackbird around a patch of gorse but after an unsuccessful hunt is sat briefly and I managed to get a couple of shots. The original was completely over-exposed but I think I have rescued it

Little things

Every little noise, movement or twitch in the bushes always seemed to turn out to be either a wren, dunnock or robin!

but every now and again, it turned out to be something a bit better. We never found a mega but it always a good day when you see either a firecrest or yellow-browed warbler.

Firecrests were pretty reliable and we managed to see at least one of every day of the trip. As with most small birds in thick cover they were a nightmare to get photos of but I was really pleased with this one. Shows off quite nicely how elusive they can be at times. This bird in Nanquidno showed really well in front of us but when it was right out in the open it was too close for the camera!

Yellow-browed warblers didn't seem to have arrived en-masse but we did see several. This was the best one we had and was found at the bottom of Nanquidno by Rachael. She initially found it bathing in the stream with 2 chiffchaffs before is sat in the bushes to preen and then disappearing into the tall sycamores.

Cornish Coast Path

Our last day in Cornwall was a slightly different one as we decided to do more walking than birding in a circular route from Mousehole to Lamorna.
First stop of the day however was a brief detour to Drift to have a look at the 3 ring necked ducks that had been around since earlier in the week. They were showing distantly but well at the far end of the reservoir.

The gardens at the top of the hill heading out of Mousehole look great for birds, loads of cover with lots of hedges and sycamores. I'm sure there was a yank in there somewhere but it wasn't to be on that day.

We took the inland route first along the lanes through the farmland. There were plenty of skylarks and thrushes going over but nothing of note. A reed bunting in a hedge did get the pulse racing briefly but it wasn't too be.

The valley at Lamorna was much bigger and more extensively wooded than I expected so finding anything in it would be real luck. A calling nuthatch and 2 firecrest were the highlights but what else was lurking in there...

The walk back along the coast path was stunning with views back over Lamorna Cove and distantly across to the Lizard. With news of a red-eyed vireo on the Lizard it was exciting to come across the  scrubby National Trust area called Kemyel Crease. Again it was an amazing looking area with so much potential but with so much choice for any bird, finding anything would be a challenge.

The very sunny and warm rest of the walk was a lovely way to end our week in Cornwall. We didn't manage to find a mega but the catbird was very unexpected and the supporting cast was very pleasant.

Reverse valleys

Checked the valleys again today but in reverse this time, heading to Nanquidno to start
.

It was evident as soon as we got into the field that there were lots of thrushes in overnight with numerous blackbirds in the first few fields we crossed. Good numbers of starlings (540) and redwings (55) were recorded going over as we dropped into Nanquidno. By the time we we'd finished the valley the passage had stopped.

The valley was pretty quiet but Rachael did find a yellow browed warbler bathing in the stream and there was a 2nd bird by the old mill at the bottom of the valley. Surprise record of the day was a flock of 10 crossbills over calling.

We walked along the coast path to Carn Gloose but the weather had turned much colder and cloudier so there so with no sign of the vagrant hawkers we dropped into Cot Valley. 2 yellow browed warblers were in a garden on the north side of the valley and were probablg different to the ones seen in the bottom.

After searching lots of ivy we finally caught up with some ivy bees near St Just

Porthgawrra to St Levan

Having met up with Paul French last night we spent the day birding with him along the south side of Lands End.

We parked at the start of the Porthgwarra road and started along Higher Bosistow lane. The cover is dense and massive but we did manage a firecrest (probably 2) with a mobile tit flock.

The fields at the end of the lane failed to produce anything amongst the pipits and sparrows but a common redstart at the bottom of Nanjizal was a nice surprise and our first of the trip. We headed towards Porthgwarra along the coast path when a pipit flew overhead calling but sadly disappearing into the distance. I initially called it a tree pipit but in Pauls opinion it was probably an olive backed! Frustrating but the way it goes.

The small valley just before the Moor produced at least 1 yellow browed warbler with 3 wheatear on the Moor itself. 2 further yellow browed warblers were in the dense scrub below the coastguard cottages along with several chiffchaff.

The walk over to St Levan was fairly quiet but we did see the tail end of a large chaffinch movement. We had 3-400 in am hour between Porthgwarra and St Levan but over 1000 had bedn seen during the morning by others. Apart from a ton of chaffinch in the bushes, St Levan was quiet. We walked up the valley across the fields back to the car but despite looking rare we couldn't find anything.

Definitely seemed to be more common birds about today with our final totals of

Chiffchaff - 19
Firecrest - 1
Wheatear - 5
Merlin - 1
Common redstart - 1
Yellow browed warbler - 3
Brambling - 1
Chaffinch - 300+

A very pleasant walk in the late autumn sun.

Cot to Kenidjack

The plan for the day was to go the other way, starting again in Cot Valley but heading north around to Kenidjack.

The morning started promisingly with a firecrest with the tit flock where we are staying. We headed into the valley from the north side this time but again it felt quiet with less birds than yesterday. The coast path past Cape Cornwall was alive with dunnocks, robins, wrens and blackbirds but we couldn't manage to find anything else.

2 black redstarts in the cove at the bottom of Nanquidno were new for the trip but otherwise the valley was very quiet.

We stopped for a cream tea in St Just and headed back towards Cot Valley. A better route than dicing with death on the main road. This proved to be the right choice as we found a yellow browed warbler in pretty much the last garden in the town. It wasn't  much but at least we found something. Amazingly we bumped into another bird, this time calling, almost back at the campsite. We didn't really need to do all the other walking!!

I couldn't resist a couple of relaxing hours seawatching at Pendeen in the afternoon. There wasn't an endless stream of big shears but pleasant none the less. Highlights were 2 Balearic shearwaters, my 1st in the UK for a VERY long time, 3 arctic skuas and 2 med gulls among the steady stream of gannet, auk and kittiwake. 2 chough were over the lighthouse for most of the time too.