Neil and Ashley spent an amazing couple of days in Cornwall from 18th – 20th February 2008 on a fact finding trip for our new joint Cornwall Winter tour. We enjoyed some absolutely superb birding and great weather and the views were exceptional of just about everything we saw, but pride of place must surely go to the extraordinary Great Bittern that spent ten minutes filling our scopes outside the hide at Stithians Reservoir – fantastic! Other highlights of Day One were three Iceland Gulls including a full adult bird that gave prolonged views in Newlyn Harbour, where a Black-necked Grebe was also present, a second winter Glaucous Gull at Drift Reservoir, eleven Cattle Egrets also seen in the Drift/Sancreed area, a single Pied Avocet at Hayle Estuary, a Hume’s Leaf Warbler at Tehidy Country Park and a Water Pipit advancing rapidly into breeding plumage at Gwithian Sands; phew! Day Two saw us exploring the extensive network of channels, creeks and vast bays of the Fal Estuary complex at sites such as Loe Beach, Pendower and Rosevine. Once again, we found an excellent selection of birds with eight Great Northern Diver, three Black-throated Diver, a breeding plumaged Red-necked Grebe, approximately fifty Red-breasted Mergansers, a single flock of nineteen Black-necked Grebes that included several breeding plumaged birds and small numbers of Northern Gannets, a Black-legged Kittiwake, Razorbills, Northern Fulmar and Common Guillemots. We also encountered a Common Nuthatch and a Firecrest, as well as good numbers of Little Egrets, Common Raven, Common Kestrel and Stonechat. Day Three saw us finish our trip with a displaying Firecrest, at least ten Common and one Siberian Chiffchaff and a Yellow-browed Warbler at Loe Pool, while a return visit to Stithians Reservoir produced a cracking first winter Ring-billed Gull which rounded off a superb few days birding. We also stopped on the way back at Bowling Green Marsh, where a Long-billed Dowitcher was the highlight, but where we also added Grey Plover, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and both Bar and Black-tailed Godwits to the trip list which totalled 104 species. If you would like to join us from 23rd – 26th February 2009, we are taking bookings now and with spaces limited to just seven, we expect the tour to fill very quickly. Tour Cost is £425.00. We are based at the excellent Green Lawns Hotel in sunny Falmouth.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
CORNWALL WINTER
Neil and Ashley spent an amazing couple of days in Cornwall from 18th – 20th February 2008 on a fact finding trip for our new joint Cornwall Winter tour. We enjoyed some absolutely superb birding and great weather and the views were exceptional of just about everything we saw, but pride of place must surely go to the extraordinary Great Bittern that spent ten minutes filling our scopes outside the hide at Stithians Reservoir – fantastic! Other highlights of Day One were three Iceland Gulls including a full adult bird that gave prolonged views in Newlyn Harbour, where a Black-necked Grebe was also present, a second winter Glaucous Gull at Drift Reservoir, eleven Cattle Egrets also seen in the Drift/Sancreed area, a single Pied Avocet at Hayle Estuary, a Hume’s Leaf Warbler at Tehidy Country Park and a Water Pipit advancing rapidly into breeding plumage at Gwithian Sands; phew! Day Two saw us exploring the extensive network of channels, creeks and vast bays of the Fal Estuary complex at sites such as Loe Beach, Pendower and Rosevine. Once again, we found an excellent selection of birds with eight Great Northern Diver, three Black-throated Diver, a breeding plumaged Red-necked Grebe, approximately fifty Red-breasted Mergansers, a single flock of nineteen Black-necked Grebes that included several breeding plumaged birds and small numbers of Northern Gannets, a Black-legged Kittiwake, Razorbills, Northern Fulmar and Common Guillemots. We also encountered a Common Nuthatch and a Firecrest, as well as good numbers of Little Egrets, Common Raven, Common Kestrel and Stonechat. Day Three saw us finish our trip with a displaying Firecrest, at least ten Common and one Siberian Chiffchaff and a Yellow-browed Warbler at Loe Pool, while a return visit to Stithians Reservoir produced a cracking first winter Ring-billed Gull which rounded off a superb few days birding. We also stopped on the way back at Bowling Green Marsh, where a Long-billed Dowitcher was the highlight, but where we also added Grey Plover, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and both Bar and Black-tailed Godwits to the trip list which totalled 104 species. If you would like to join us from 23rd – 26th February 2009, we are taking bookings now and with spaces limited to just seven, we expect the tour to fill very quickly. Tour Cost is £425.00. We are based at the excellent Green Lawns Hotel in sunny Falmouth.
