No 57 - Winter 2016

‘Birds in ’ - an update We would like to introduce ourselves as the The report will have species reports for new editors of Birds in Cornwall and to take both 2011 and 2012, but will otherwise the opportunity to update everyone on the follow the same format as previous years. progress of the 2011-12 report. In the longer term, we aim to improve the All the data has been compiled and presentation of the report, but at the mo- sent out to the various section writers; some ment we feel we need to focus our efforts has been returned for editing already. As the on catching up on the “missing years”. This total database comprises in excess of 100,000 is the first time that two years have been separate observations for each year it is abun- combined in one report, and this is throw- Humpback Whale at St Ives, 5th January dantly clear that distilling this into a report ing up quite enough challenges to be going 2016, photographed by Mashuq Ahmad requires a team effort. We would therefore on with. like to thank all our section writers for their If all goes well, we hope to go on to CBWPS board notes efforts in translating this mass of information produce a 2013-2014 report in 2017, and into coherent species accounts. We hope to be 2015-2016 in 2018, and then to go back to Recent discussions at meetings of the able to organise a feedback session for cur- single-year reports after that. CBWPS board have centred on ideas for: rent and future contributors later in the year, We haven’t been directly involved and that this will also encourage some poten- in the production of the 2010 report, apart 1. Scheduling a meeting to discuss tial new contributors to step forward. from having written a number of the spe- improvements in the recording of rare We are aiming to have sections ready cies accounts, but we understand that it breeding birds in the county. for editing by the end of February, and have should be available for distribution soon. 2. Further discussion of a planning issue text out for proof-reading by the beginning of Many thanks to Dave Parker for all his help with respect to land adjacent to the Maer May. Hopefully this means that we will be on in getting us up and running with 2011 and Lake reserve. course for having printed copies completed 2012. 3. Reassessment of the status descriptions of by the autumn. Phil Taylor & Hilary Mitchell all species in the county. 4. Further developments at Middle Amble Short-eared Owl, Bartinney Down, 27.12.15 Marsh, including construction of the new by A. James hide. 5. The possibility of seeking funding for education/interpretation boards at all Reserves.

Wildlife of Ethiopia - a talk by Ian Gasper

I doubt if many UK birders, or all round Whooper Swan and juv Bewick’s (right) naturalists, will ever go to Ethiopia. To Dinham Flats 5.1.16 by Alex McKechnie most people it means starving children and long-distance runners. Roger Lane 1940-2015 To birders and those into natural history it is a land of riches yet to be discov- Roger Lane, known to many in the ered by the average person who travels CBWPS, has died. He was an accom- abroad to see new species. Ian Gasper is not plished and respected naturalist and con- your average traveller. He has spent a cou- tributed much to various wildlife bodies, ple of years in Ethiopia working for charita- The New Year diet starts here! including local trusts and the forebears of ble NGOs and watching the local birds and Shag in Harbour by Simon Maycock Natural England. See our website for more. wildlife when he can. He comes highly recommended by birding friends in Ply- Diary date: CONTENTS mouth and will be travelling from his home News p1 in Torbay all the way to Chacewater Village 5th March Chair’s Chat p3 Hall to share some of his experiences in the CBWPS Develop’t Day p3 ‘Horn of Africa’. It should be a very inter- Development Day Bird report p4 esting evening. 10am Middle Entrance is £3 and there will be our Amble Marsh Reserves report p8 usual break for tea and coffee halfway 1pm Egloshayle Storks p10 through the evening, which starts at 7.30 pm Pavilion, Wade- My Local Patch p12 on Friday 11th March. (see also page 12) bridge Field meetings p14 Roger Hooper See p3 Hoopoe! p16

President: Steve Madge Palores – January 2016 A very Happy—and bird-filled—New Year to all CBWPS members. CBWPS Board The first thing you will notice immediately to the right of this column is an updated contact list of Society board members and other officers. For lack of space we have Chairman: Mark Grantham included email addresses and telephone numbers only. On the increasingly rare 07818 497470 occasions when you may wish or need to write a letter perhaps you would be good [email protected] enough to call first to get the address details, if you don’t already have them. Vice-chairman: Bruce Taggart You will see plenty of detail on the page opposite about the Development 01752 829163 Day scheduled for 5th March and to be held in . This is your chance to [email protected] come and contribute positively to the future shaping of the CBWPS—whoever you Hon. Secretary & Phil McVey are. All practical ideas and initiatives will be welcomed and debated. Minutes Secretary 07740 923385 The weather over the last few [email protected] weeks has been pretty grim for Honorary Treasurer: John Stanlake humans and for wildlife. Whether 01752 848541 it’s climate change or just the [email protected] vagaries of the weather it is Conservation Officer: Tony Blunden probably still too difficult to say with certainty. What is undenia- 01326 291064 bly clear is the importance of [email protected] managing our landscapes and County Recorder: Dave Parker environment better than we cur- 07932 354711 rently do. The flooding in many [email protected] Memories of sunnier days: Fulmar, Lundy Bay, parts of the UK should not really Honorary Solicitor: Greg Adams be ‘blamed’ on the weather. Rather it highlights the lack of sensible planning and 07770 638443 precautions taken by the authorities. Allowing new houses to be built on flood [email protected] plains seems pretty daft and yet it is being done all around the country. Rushing the Editors Birds in Cornwall: water off the hills makes the problem worse not better. Concreting over gardens, etc Phil Taylor, Hilary Mitchell etc etc. 01736 810933 In the headlong rush for economic growth (and perhaps votes) our political [email protected] leaders seem to pay almost no heed to the environment and what used to be called Director: Dan Chaney the balance of nature. There is little chance of this changing until the public de- [email protected] mands it. Until then, it is societies like ours—and other much bigger ones of course Director: Peter Kent – that have to do what we can to champion the broader environment and the welfare [email protected] of the creatures that we share it with. It’s a big responsibility and an important one, 07762 179343 and it means that what you read about on the reserves pages and elsewhere in Director: Derek Spooner Palores all counts towards keeping our planet habitable. Simon Marquis 01503 265590 [email protected] The Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society Officers

Membership Secretary: Angela Tonry 20 The Copse, Boscoppa, PL25 3EU 07944 988599 [email protected] Registered Charity No 1144724 Assistant County Recorders: Tony Mills, Mike Spicer The CBWPS was founded in 1931 to encourage the study and pres- Editor, Palores: Simon Marquis ervation of birds in Cornwall. The Society has over 1000 members in 07711 883876 total. It owns 4 reserves and manages jointly several others. The [email protected] Society organises weekly bird watching field trips (some jointly with Website administrator: the RSPB local members group). Palores (its colour newsletter for Nigel Climpson members) is published quarterly. [email protected] Field Meetings Officer: 2016 Subscriptions: Adult £17 Gordon Mills Family £21 01209 718144 Senior Citizen £14 [email protected] Senior Family £16 Life Membership (contact Angela) Reserve Wardens:

Subscriptions are due by 31st January 2016. Cheques made out to [email protected] Adrian Langdon ‘CBWPS’ or pay by Gift Aid if you can - it saves the Society £1900 a [email protected] Dougy Wright year. For all payments, membership applications and enquiries [email protected] Dave Parker please contact: Angela Tonry, Membership Secretary, [email protected] Dave Conway 20 The Copse, Boscoppa, St Austell PL25 3EU [email protected] Dan Chaney Email: membership @cbwps.org.uk [email protected] Graham Sutton

Palores is published in January, April, July & October. Independent Examiner: Mr S.G. Hawkey ACA Design and typesetting by the editor. To advertise contact the editor. Full page ad £100. Half page £50. Small ads and notices free to members. 01637 873838 Printed by R. Booth Ltd, Penryn. Distribution by Envelope Supplies. 2

and a glance at the BTO winter Atlas map for the species Chairman’s Chat does show a good density of birds here. Just looking at the number of reports of colour-ringed birds reported to the ell we're into a New Year (already!) BTO, Cornwall (at 265 reports) is right up there, only bet- W and what a dreary affair it is... tered by Kent, Norfolk, East Sussex and Cork. Interestingly, Although this morning it was actually calm the has only just recorded its second colour- and dry outside, so the perfect day to get my ringed bird, but not through any lack of effort. local sector walked for NEWS (the BTO's As for looking ahead, we're pleased to be hosting Non-Estuarine Waterbirds Survey). This another Development Day for the Society (see below for was never going to be an easy prospect for a details), following on from the successful one in 2012. lot of Cornwall, where your best hope for These are the days when we can take a fresh look at where Mark Grantham surveying the coast is a glimpse at a bit of we would like to see the Society heading over the next few shore way below from the coast path, but I firmly believe years. it's important we have good representation from Cornwall in We'd like to open this up to all members and would all such national surveys. hope to see a lot of you there. But bear in mind that this isn't New Year is also that time when we look back at the the forum to merely suggest a long list of things that we year just passed and forward to the next, and I'm no excep- should be doing (that someone else will ultimately do), but tion to that rule. It's been great writing the annual report for to develop ideas that we can all contribute to. the West Cornwall Ringing Group, looking back at some of Yes, it'd be great to produce bird reports six months the projects we continued into 2015 and the hints at changes after the end of the year or have a schools' programme to in our bird populations. Some of this is bad news, with just encourage the younger generation to get more involved, but two Reed Bunting caught on our Constant Effort Site at without the resources (manpower or otherwise) to imple- Gunwalloe, down from catches of 21, 11, 17 and 6 in previ- ment such ideas, they're unlikely to run. ous years. This does seem to be a general pattern across the So please do come along, but be prepared to come county, but one not yet showing up in regional survey re- with genuine ideas and a suggestion as to how we might see sults. those ideas through to fruition. It's also a great opportunity On the positive side, there are some signs that our to come and see what is happening at Middle Amble Marsh Kittiwake population on is recovering from a and what's planned for the future! couple of poor years (on the back of big failures elsewhere So in the spirit of looking both backwards and for- regionally) and we do continue to be blessed with large wards, here's to what was a good 2015 and hopefully to a numbers of Med Gulls; to look through for colour-rings in productive 2016! my case. It's surprising how many we do see in the county CBWPS Development Day Plans for 2016 and Beyond

Are we in a position to organise another single-species th 5 March 2016 survey? If we have the support of the wider member- Middle Amble Marsh (10am) ship, would it be possible to complete a census (not Egloshayle Pavilion, Wadebridge (1pm) a survey) of rookeries (first done in the 1960s)? Or is a simpler survey of a more localised species such as We're pleased to announce that we will be hosting another Dipper (and Grey Wagtail) more achievable? Development Day at which trustees and members alike can Following the very successful members' conference in gather and discuss where we would like to see the Society 2015, should we be looking to organise another? If develop over the coming years and how we might achieve so, should we once again work with students at the any goals set. University of Exeter in Penryn? Any suggestions for It can be easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day a theme? work of managing the Society, so every few years we like to How might we work to boost membership from the step back and have a fresh look at how we might further de- younger generation of birders and students? velop. The last Development Day was in 2012, so this upcom- Should we aim to further develop our online presence, ing day will help us to set the agenda for the Society over the via social media or by a discussion forum? next three years. The day will start with a behind-the-scenes We'll meet in the village car park in Chapel Amble at 10am to tour of the newly-acquired reserve at Middle Amble Marsh, walk down to the reserve (wellies are essential), then aim to led by reserve warden Adrian Langdon, before heading to the be at the Egloshayle Pavillion at 1pm for lunch (bring your meeting itself at the Egloshayle Pavillion in Wadebridge own please!) and a meeting start at 2pm. There is free park- (PL27 6AE). ing available in the council car park by the tennis courts. We'll try to keep the day as open as possible, as this is YOUR Society and much of the work we do should be driven by members. But do be aware that this isn't a wish-making meeting, as we need to set goals that are achievable, so bear this in mind when thinking of ideas. Some of the ideas raised by Board members recently have included: Is it possible to increase our species protection work in any useful way? As a small organisation, are we really able to impact the population of species such as Willow Tit, Dipper or Barn Owl?

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Bird report

October- December 2015 Yellow-browed Warbler by Alan James

Smew: 1 redhead at Lower Tamar Lake 30th Nov - 1st Dec; 1 NB These are all unchecked and By Tony Mills redhead Siblyback Reservoir 1st - 24th Dec at least. unauthenticated records. Publica- Red-breasted Merganser: high count of 10 off Mylor on 23rd tion here does not constitute acceptance. If you were lucky enough Nov and 21 on 11th Dec. to see or find a rarity please submit a description to the county Goosander: 4 Estuary RSPB 25th Oct; 6 Lower Tamar recorder, [email protected]. County and national rarity de- Lake 15th Nov; 10 Lower Tamar Lake 24th Nov; 12 Lower Tamar scription forms can be downloaded from the daily bird news sec- Lake 26th Nov; 13 Lower Tamar Lake 14th Dec. Low numbers tion of the website, www.cbwps.org.uk. Below is a summary of reported from elsewhere. notable records for the quarter. Grey Partridge: 1 reported with Red-legged Partridge, Treraven

Meadows 27th Oct and 2nd Nov. Bewick’s Swan: one juvenile joining the 4 Whooper Swans, Din- Quail: Pendeen 7th Nov. ham Flats, 2nd Dec to end of year. Red-throated Diver: maximum count of 10 past St Ives 21st Nov. Whooper Swan: reports of this species only came from the Camel Pacific Diver: 1 adult off 26th Nov and present in Estuary area. 2 arrived Walmsley Sanctuary 3rd Nov; 2 on the Mount’s Bay to end of year; 2nd returning adult was reported from Camel Estuary 18th Nov; 6 Walmsley Sanctuary 24th Nov; 4 Din- Maenporth 31st Dec. ham Flats 25th Nov to end of year. Sooty Shearwater: numbers were reported on many dates into the Brent Goose: small numbers of both pale-bellied and dark-bellied autumn under suitable weather conditions, notably 38 past Brent were recorded, with 11 on the beach at Marazion (1st Oct); 1 Pendeen and 30 past 13th Nov. pale-bellied and 1 dark-bellied at Hayle Estuary RSPB from 16th Balearic Shearwater: high count of 68 past Pendeen 13th Nov. Oct; 4 pale-bellied on St John’s Lake 17th Nov. Storm Petrel: a few records when weather was favourable, Lizard Egyptian Goose: 1 Walmsley Sanctuary 26th Nov. Point 5th Oct, 7th Dec; Newlyn 8th & 28th Dec. Mandarin Duck: 1 drake at Marazion Marsh 14th Oct was pre- Leach’s Petrel: 1 past Penlee Point 7th Nov; Towan Head 13th sumed to be the usual Drift Reservoir individual. Nov; 9 past St Ives 21st Nov. Gadwall: 3 Drift Reservoir 5th Nov; 14 Walmsley Sanctuary 25th Bittern: With the mild autumn and early winter then records have Nov; one drake Marazion Marsh 13th Dec; 12 Walmsley Sanctu- been few although there were briefly 3 at Marazion Marsh (1st ary 23rd Dec. Oct) but only single sightings continued to be reported from there. Green-winged Teal: Walmsley Sanctuary 23rd-24th Nov. One at College Reservoir 22nd Oct. Pintail: 5 Hayle Estuary RSPB 28th Oct; 2 Walmsley Sanctuary Squacco Heron: Nanjizal 24th Oct; Skewjack 26th Oct (assumed 23rd Dec. to be same bird). Garganey: a late bird at Hayle Estuary RSPB 23rd Oct. Cattle Egret: Camel Estuary 31st Oct - 1st Nov and again 8th Shoveler: 2 at St Gothian Sands LNR 15 - 18th Oct; College Res- Nov; 2 on Camel Estuary on 11th Nov; just one on Camel Estuary ervoir 17th Oct; Stithians Reservoir 18th Oct; 3 Walmsley Sanctu- 16th Nov; one flew over Polgigga 17th Dec. ary 23rd Dec & 15 there 29th Dec. Great White Egret: Marazion Marsh 18th Oct; Porth Reservoir Scaup: 1 Crowdy Reservoir 17th Oct; 2 Lower Tamar Lake 24th 23rd Oct; Walmsley Sanctuary/Camel Trail 29th Oct- 4th Nov; Nov; Siblyback Reservoir 7th Dec. Horsebridge, Tamar 12th Nov. Lesser Scaup: the regular wintering drake returned to Dozmary Glossy Ibis: Walmsley Sanctuary 9th Dec. Pool 17th Dec. Spoonbill: recorded throughout quarter with one at Stithians 1st Eider: 1 drake off Penzance and 1 off Hannafore Point for most of Oct; one, then 2, and then one again, at Hayle Estuary RSPB for the quarter. remainder of year; 2 over Sennen Cove, 13th Oct and probably the Common Scoter: a maximum count of 44 past St Ives 21st Nov. same 2 circling over Marazion Marsh 14th Oct. Velvet Scoter: 2 were photographed off Lizard Point on 15 Nov; Great Crested Grebe: maximum count of 15 Upper Tamar Lake one at Rumps Point and another or same past St Ives 21st Nov; 1st Dec. Marazion 23rd Nov.

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Red-necked Grebe: Mousehole 5-6th Dec; The Lizard 6th Dec; Castle Beach, Falmouth 7th Dec. Slavonian Grebe: high count of 3 only at Pendower Point 26th Nov. Black-necked Grebe: a maximum count of 21 off Mylor 16th Nov and 23rd Nov. Red Kite: Nanquidno 1st Oct; Nanquidno and Morvah on 14th Oct; St Ives 16th Oct; Land’s End, and then Drift 17th Oct. (the 14th Oct - 17th Oct sightings are assumed to be the same individual). Marsh Harrier: juvenile at Windmill Farm/Predannack Downs 9- 14th Oct and then again 1st Nov. Hen Harrier: 1 ad f at Penlee Point on 13th Oct; Land’s End 15th Oct; Crowdy Reservoir 16th Oct; 3 ringtails going to roost at Men- an-Tol 18th Oct; 3 (2 ringtails + 1 male) Men-an-Tol 15th Nov. Ones or twos reported from west Cornwall for remainder of year. Goshawk: a couple of sightings, Nanquidno and Predannack Downs 3rd Oct (the Nanquidno bird was later indentified as a falconer’s escapee); it or another at 18th Oct. Osprey: mostly reported as singletons, (St Ives 4/10; Nanjizal and Cot Valley 28th Oct; Walmsley Sanctuary 28th Oct; Pednavounder 2nd Nov). Merlin: individuals were reported widely over the county through- out the period. Hobby: Several reports with the last being at Porthmeor Cove 18th Oct. Peregrine: reported from many sites across the county with a western bias. Corncrake: 1 at Land’s End 13th Oct. Avocet: high count of 125 at Kingsmill Lake 26th Nov and 150 10th Dec. American Golden Plover: one Soapy Cove/Kynance 3rd-4th Oct; Windmill Farm 10- 17th Oct (reports assumed to refer to the one individual). Golden Plover: maxima counts, 800+ at St Breock Downs 19th Oct; 3000+ Dinham Flats 23rd Dec. Little Stint: Stithians Reservoir 5th Oct. Purple Sandpiper: a high count of 16 at Battery Rocks, Penzance 7th Dec. Dunlin: a maximum count of 262 Porthmeor Beach, St Ives 27th Dec. Jack Snipe: Land’s End 19th Oct; Marazion Marsh RSPB 26th Oct; Nanjizal 16th Nov; 21st Nov; St Gothian Sands LNR 1st Dec; Probus 5th Dec; Windmill Farm 28th Dec. Woodcock: Cot Valley 28th Oct; 4 Zennor 7th Nov; 5 Stithians 6th Dec. Black-tailed Godwit: high count of 120 at Walmsley Sanctuary 23rd Dec. Hudsonian Whimbrel: Little London/Trenow Cove from 30th Oct - 8th Nov. Spotted Redshank: 1 Kingsmill Lake 19th Oct; Devoran 20- 25th Oct; Dinham Flats from 2nd Nov into 2016; St Clements 20th Dec. Marsh Sandpiper: one over Nanjizal 9th Oct.

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Grey Phalarope: 2 Towan Head 7th Nov; 6 past Pendeen 13th Nov; 6 past St Ives 21st Nov; 1 past St Ives 25th Nov; 1 past Pendeen 28th Nov; Porthgwarra 4th Dec; Towan Head 24th Dec; The Lizard 30th Dec; Trewellard 31st Dec. Pomarine Skua: reported on several ‘sea-watching’ days; Pendeen 7th Oct; Levant 19th Oct; Towan Head 7th Nov; 15 past Pendeen and 14 past St Ives 13th Nov; 1 past Pendeen 21st Nov. Arctic Skua: maximum count of 15 past Pendeen 13th Nov. Long-tailed Skua: Levant 7th Oct; Pendeen 13th Nov. Great Skua: high counts of 112 past Pendeen, 58 past St Ives and 55 past Cape Cornwall on 13th Nov; 5 past 28th Dec. Sabine’s Gull: 1w at St Agnes 7th Nov; 1 adult Lizard Point 9th Nov. Little Gull: 3 1w past St Ives 21st Nov; 1 past Pendeen 28th Nov. Mediterranean Gull: maximum count of 54 Hayle estuary RSPB 9th Dec and c140 Portscatho also 9th Dec. Ring-billed Gull: one 2w at Hayle Estuary RSPB from 10th Oct onwards and one 1w at Sancreed from 15th Nov and seen in area on to year end. Yellow-legged Gull: several reports, notable was 3 at Mousehole 4th Oct; Sancreed 11th Oct; Camel Estuary 16th & 23rd Dec. Caspian Gull: 1 at Rumps Point, 9th Nov. American Herring Gull: 3w seen at Jericho Farm, St Just, 17th Oct and then reported intermittently around Penwith through to New Year. Iceland Gull: one 1w Loe 31st Dec. Glaucous Gull: just one report this quarter of this species as well; Port Quin 1w 20th Dec. Sandwich Tern: 1 Penzance 27th Oct; Lizard Point 13th Dec; Newlyn 19th - 20th Dec; Towan Head 24th Dec, Carrick Roads 29th Dec. Little Auk: 1 past Pendeen 17th Nov and another past The Lizard on the same day; 1 past St Ives 25th Nov. Turtle Dove: 1 late/overwintering individual St Ives 4th Dec onwards. Cuckoo: a late juvenile at 8th Oct. Long-eared Owl: 2 Porthgwarra 1st Nov; Ruan High Lanes 9th Nov; Nanjizal 17th Dec. Short-eared Owl: following a slow trickle through October there was a significant arrival in early November but their presence didn’t last with only a few sightings from mid November onwards. Notable sighting of 13 at Porthgwarra 1st Nov. Swift: a late individual accompanying the Alpine Swift. Alpine Swift: one at Land’s End 10th - 11th Oct, was also re- ported up and down the coast, to Carn Gloose. Reported taken by a Merlin in evening of 11th Oct. Hoopoe: Rinsey Head 19th Oct. Wryneck: several reports with the last at Nanjizal 18th Oct. Brown Shrike: Porthgwarra 20th Oct. Chough: a flock of 15 seen at Kenidjack 17th Oct and also 15 at Cape Cornwall 19th Oct. Coal Tit: a few were reported to be of the ‘continental’ race. Willow Tit: coming to the feeders at Lower Tamar Lake along with Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch etc throughout period. Woodlark: 5 Cot Valley area, 14th Oct; 19 Cot Valley area 23rd Oct; 12 Polgigga 30th Oct. Swallow: 4 late birds, 2 at Pednavounder, 1 at Kuggar and 1 at Marazion Marsh 31st Oct; 1 Mullion 4th Nov; 3 Widemouth Bay 1st Dec. House Martin: 2 Trevescan 31st Oct. Pallas’s Warbler: one at Pendeen 12-13th Oct; Nanjizal, one ringed and re-trapped a few times from 20th Oct; Carminowe Val- ley 31st Oct; St Levan 10-11th Nov; Newlyn, Sandy Cove 1st Dec. Yellow-browed Warbler: This autumn was a ‘good’ year for the species and were recorded virtually every day with a maximum of 22 reported across the county on 9th Oct. 2 at Ryan’s Field 16th Dec. with one staying into 2016. Radde’s Warbler: 1 heard only at Kenidjack, 17th Oct. Dusky Warbler: one at Land’s End, 15-18th Oct. Chiffchaff: first autumnal record of Siberian Chiffchaff (P.c.tristis) was 6th Oct at Kenidjack with one being reported there for remainder of quarter intermittently; also others at several sites throughout period. Notable record of 5 Siberian Chiffchaff at Nanjizal 23rd Nov. 6

Willow Warbler: a late individual at St Levan, 14th Oct. Garden Warbler: Only a handful of autumn reports, last one being at Nanjizal 29th Oct. Barred Warbler: one Treeve Moor 9th Oct; 20th Oct; Cot Valley 20th Oct; St Levan 30 - 31st Oct. Lesser Whitethroat: one or two late individuals may refer to central Asian birds, notably one into the New Year at Falmouth, Goldenbank. Whitethroat: a late individual at Porthgwarra, 14th Oct. Grasshopper Warbler: 2 reports, latest at Buttermilk Hill 4thOct. Aquatic Warbler: The Lizard 3rd Oct. Sedge Warbler: late bird at St Levan 17th Oct. Reed Warbler: late individual Nanjizal 29th Oct. Starling: roost at Marazion Marsh peaked during mid to late No- vember at about 50,000 birds. Rose-coloured Starling: 1 adult in the Lizard village probably throughout quarter; at least 2 juveniles continued to be seen in the Land’s End to St Levan area with a very confiding bird in the Land’s End Complex until 30th Oct. White’s Thrush: a probable at Porthgwarra 20th Oct. Ring Ouzel: 2 at Nanquidno 12th Oct; 1, Treeve Moor 15th Oct; 1 Nanjizal 16th Oct; Nanjulian 18th Oct; 2 at Nanquidno 18th Oct; 2 at Carn Galver 20th Oct; Kenidjack 21st Oct. Fieldfare: 1st report from South Petherwin 13th Oct; 2000+ over Temple 15th Oct. Redwing: winter arrivals started from 9th Oct; 500+ at , 13th Oct. Spotted Flycatcher: a trickle of autumnal reports with the last being recorded at Sennen 16th Oct. Red-breasted Flycatcher: one at Land’s End 2nd Oct, one at Porthgwarra 5-9th Oct, one at Rame Head 9th Oct. Pied Flycatcher: one Nanquidno 7-9th Oct; The Lizard 10th Oct; Trevescan 11th Oct. Whinchat: many were reported as migrants mostly in the west of the county with reasonably high numbers being reported at some locations; 10 Land’s End 2nd Oct. Wheatear: 1 late bird at Aerohub 9th and 17th Dec at least. Pied Wheatear: 1w male at Botallack 17th Oct. Tree Sparrow: 1 coming to feeder in St Ives, 23rd Oct onwards. Yellow Wagtail: last report was Nanquidno 13th Oct. Richard’s Pipit: mostly reported as singles and as ‘fly-overs’, 2 Sennen 7th Nov. Blyth’s Pipit: 1 over Nanjizal 31st Oct. Olive-backed Pipit: one Nanjizal 9th Oct. Tree Pipit: a small number of reports through October and November. Water Pipit: 2 Treraven Meadows 29th Oct; Carleon Cove 31st Oct; 3 Treraven Meadows 4th Nov later just 2 to end of year; 1 Gannel Estuary 26th Nov onwards became 2 27th Dec; 1 Hayle Estuary RSPB 12th Dec. Chaffinch: large movement of 3555 over Porthgwarra 31st Oct. Brambling: 1 Nanquidno 14-15th Oct; 2 Kelynack 16th Oct; Nan- jizal 20th Oct; 3x Cot Valley 28th Oct; Carminowe Creek 1st Nov; one male from 3rd Nov regularly visiting a garden in Ruan Lani- horne. Serin: Cot Valley/ Boscregan 27-28th Oct; St Levan 30th Oct. Twite: 9 over Towan Head 18th Nov. Common Crossbill: reported from their usual sites, Davidstow Plantation (4+ 1st Oct), Halvanna Plantation (29 2nd Oct), Portheras Common (15 8th Oct), Crowdy Reservoir (39 20th Oct) but eruptive flocks were recorded elsewhere, notably 27 at Nan- quidno 9th Oct. Common Rosefinch: one Cot Valley 9-11th Oct; Hawfinch: 2 at Porthgwarra 31st Oct; 1 at Kenidjack 6th Nov. Photographs from the top of the Bird Report: Snow Bunting: just a handful of records; 2 at Kynance 7th Oct; 1 Mandarin by Kevin Bowers; Great Northern Diver by Roger Porthtowan 8th Oct; 1 Navax Point, 9th Oct; The Lizard Daddow; Storm Petrel by Linton Proctor; Spoonbill by Alan 11th Oct; 3 at Pendeen, 14th Oct; St Ives 26-17th Oct; Nanquidno 27th Oct; St Levan 30th Oct; James; Hudsonian Whimbrel by M. Ahmad: Ring-billed Gull by Lapland Bunting: singles reported with no long-staying birds, Tony Mills; Little Auk by M. Ahmad; Alpine Swift by Adam notable were 3 at Mayon, 14th Oct. Hartley; Brown Shrike by J. St Ledger; Aquatic Warbler by Little Bunting: The Lizard 11th Oct; 2 at Nanjizal 12th Oct; 1 at Tony Blunden; Common Rosefinch by Brian Field; Nanjizal 23rd Nov and 17th Dec. Pied Wheatear by Adrian Davey 7

Many of these ditches also act as highways for one of our favourite mammals, the otter, and members have Reserves been treated to good views throughout much of 2015. More worrying was the sighting of a possible mink report before Christmas. I saw it and one of our members photo- graphed it, but the jury is still out on the exact identification as it was almost dark and it was only a fleeting glance as it swam between islands in front of the tower hide. The heavy rain and gales have led to many wildfowl and waders sheltering in the reserve as well as roosting at night. Early one morning over the Christmas period I counted 85 Shelduck using the open water to bathe before October- leaving for the estuary as soon as it got daylight. All the December regular birds are in situ and we have also had Green-winged 2015 Teal, Short-eared Owl and a very brief Glossy Ibis.

ork towards getting the Walmsley W proposed hide at Middle By Adrian Langdon Amble reserve has continued through the late autumn with our work party assisting the professionals from the Corn- wall Wildlife Trust. Trees have been cut back and some removed altogether from some of the flood banks in order to give both access and visibility from the new hide posi- tion. We have also cut back the ditches and channels to allow access for heavy mechanical plant later in the year so we can control the water levels in them.

Shelduck and Otter at Walmsley, 29.12.15 by A. Langdon

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indy and wet; that fairly hroughout the period wild- Stithians W adequately sums up the Drift T fowl were slow to build up last 3 months or so in weather in numbers with the following By Dan Chaney terms at least here at Stithians, By Dave Parker peak counts: just 1 Mute Swan and probably everywhere: November the gloomiest month but a record breaking 314 Canada Geese on 23rd November, in the UK since records began, apparently. At least there accompanied by 32 Greylag and 10 hybrid geese. were some nice birds about to brighten things up at times. Ducks were also disappointingly low in numbers The period started well with the continuing presence with the 2 Muscovy Ducks and drake Mandarin present of the juvenile Spoonbill until the 3rd October, when it throughout the period but a peak of just 52 Mallard. There probably relocated to the Hayle estuary. December then saw were also peaks of 4 Wigeon, 3 Gadwall, 5 Teal, 1 Shoveler the return, presumably, of last year’s Slavonian Grebe, with and 14 Tufted Duck. Presumably the unseasonal mild tem- perhaps the same Water Rail as last year’s by the feeders on peratures have allowed wildfowl to stay further north than the 2nd November. Impossible to know for sure of course. usual. Wader numbers and variety were naturally a lot Up to 8 Little Grebes were reported, including a few lower after the main autumn migration spectacle but new juvenile birds, 4 Great Crested Grebes were present at the bits continued to drop in now and then; the odd Green Sand- start of the period but the last bird was seen on 23rd Novem- piper, with 3 together on the 31st October, Little Stint with 2 ber. A maximum of 8 Cormorants were reported plus the Dunlin on the 5th, a probable Curlew Sandpiper with 3 Red- odd Grey Heron and Little Egret. shank on the 21st November, and 10 Golden Plover drop- A late Red Kite paid a brief visit on 17th November ping in on the 19th October. Snipe and Lapwing peaked at but surprisingly the only other raptors reported were Buz- c20 and over 200 respectively by the end of the year. zards, with a maximum of just 4 on 12th December. Exciting ducks included a female Pintail associating Moorhens, like the Water Rails, were more often with the Mallard from 2nd November onwards, up to 3 Shov- heard than seen although present throughout, peaking at 10 eler, a pair of Gadwall in late December, Goldeneye on the and 2 respectively, while Coots failed to make an appear- 24th October and then occasionally throughout and a male ance at all. With the water levels high throughout the period Pochard on the 7th November. Mallard peaked at 100, Teal at the only waders noted were the occasional Snipe. 75+ and Wigeon at a rather low 34. Tufted Duck at 12 and Large gulls were reported in good numbers through- Canada Goose at 80+ complete the waterfowl line up. out the period coming in briefly to bathe and preen before Gulls included a Yellow-legged Gull again on the moving off again. The first Black-headed Gulls were not 17th October, with Mediterranean Gulls appearing in small reported until 17th October and the first Mediterranean Gull numbers (7 on one date), the occasional Great Black-backed wasn’t recorded until 14th November with only 4 others Gull and an interesting party of 60+ Lesser Black-backed reported in the period. The only surprises were an immature Gulls on the 7th November. Common Gulls first put in an Kittiwake on 14th November in extremely windy conditions appearance on the 27th November with 6 present. with a first winter Ring-billed Gull on the following day. Stock Dove and Barn Owl were seen on the 9th Octo- The only large flock of Swallows was c200 on 2nd ber, with the Barn Owl occasionally thereafter. A Short- October with about 10 House Martins accompanying them eared Owl over on the 13th and a ringtail (i.e. female or and these proved to be the last of the year. Only a single immature) Hen Harrier on the 14th were reward for one Firecrest was reported and there were very few Goldcrests lucky (or perhaps persistent) observer. or Chiffchaffs. Up to 3 Kingfishers were reported early in Back to the remnants of the summer, and the last 3 the autumn but seemed to have moved on by the end of No- Swallows of the year were recorded on the 5th October with vember Wheatears a little later with 2 on the 9th and 1 on the 13th. As usual this is a quiet time of year for management Pied Wagtail at times were present in good numbers (25+). on the reserve with even the seemingly never ending strim- The bird feeders by the Southern Hide continued to ming of footpaths and vegetation in front of the hide slow- draw the commoner species, with up to 3 Great Spotted ing down. Woodpeckers showing well at times, and 2+ Bullfinches, 2 The sluice for the new reed bed has worked well and Coal Tits and on one sublime occasion 9 House Sparrows the reeds are slowly spreading across the scrape, filtering representing more unusual visitors. A couple of Firecrest the run off water from the surrounding farms. by the hide were rather nice, with reports on several dates. 200 Fieldfare looking to roost on the 24th October were probably just passing through, with up to 50 of this species and Redwing thereafter occasionally reported. Mammal highlight was undoubtedly the surprise Harvest Mouse encountered on one of the work parties, seen by the lucky few hardy souls present. Maintenance work on the hides and surrounding areas continued (the roofing in particular will need future attention), with exciting inroads made into pulling the willows in front of the Southern Hide and digging a scrape (literally, scraping the surface, so far) by hand. The number of species recorded this year at Stithians at 118 or so was probably around the average; some nice birds in there, but undoubtedly others passed through unob- served. Wishing all a great 2016, with especial thanks to the work party and bird feeder volunteers.

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t has been a busy time at the wise they apparently remained continu- Windmill Farm I Farm this Autumn - in terms ously at until 09:30 on 12th. Next of work, improvements and there is a record on 12th and 13th of two By Dougy Wright maintenance. You will all be ringed White Storks another 160 km to the aware of the viewing tower south-west on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, followed on 15th by a further sighting of added to the Windmill. In addition to this the Wildlife Trust (in two, again ringed, in the Hayle estuary. consultation with CBWPS) has been putting in fire breaks; clear- The birds left Newlyn at about 11:00 ing paths; repairing boardwalks; digging out the scrape; improving hours on 18th, soaring off in a south- water flow in the Dragonfly Ponds; and most exciting they have westerly direction. There is a further re- discovered a WW2 underground Command HQ. This is situated cord of them being seen again briefly on St on the south side of the airfield road and would have been used by Mary's about an hour later. Finally, the the Home Guard as a command HQ in the event of an invasion. In stork carrying ring number 1352 was later the picture you can see the entrance that leads to an underground found 'in a bad condition' in Madeira, building which is fitted out with a briefing room, sleeping areas about 2,000 km SSW of the Isles of Scilly, and a toilet! The structure on this information being given in a telegram datelined 21st September. An interesting footnote has been supplied by Robert Hudson of the British the left is a fortified viewing Trust for Ornithology concerning the history in Denmark of the parents of position. these three White Storks. The female was found some years ago with a Unfortunately the long broken wing and has never been able to fly since. The farmer who found boardwalk is reaching the end her provided an artificial nest-site in the form of a cartwheel on a pole and of its life and has severely col- added a ladder for the handicapped bird's use. Then about four years ago lapsed in a few places on the she was joined by a male and they have remained paired ever since. The southern section - we therefore female obviously cannot migrate and the male has remained with her, the have had to close this section of two spending each winter in a barn provided by the farmer who occasion- the boardwalk. I am uncertain if ally liberates the male for exercise; the latter always returns to his mate in it will ever be repaired but am in discussions with CWT to see the barn. They have nested every year since pairing, the female using the ladder provided. In 1970 the young were stolen from the nest and then what can be done (boardwalks are expensive to put in and main- killed in an attempt to destroy the evidence; the thieves were subsequently tain). convicted and the event created a nationwide scandal in Denmark at the On the birding front we have had no new bird species in time. It was reported that when the three fledglings left on migration in 2015 - compared with 4 in 2014 and Mute Swan is still not on the September 1971 the direction they took was approximately 90 degrees to list! Highlights of the last few months include frequent sightings of the west of that normally followed by Danish White Storks, which head a male Marsh Harrier (presumed to be the 4th year bird that is south-east to the Bosphorus. often around The Lizard). Other raptors seen include Hen Harrier, An extra footnote concerns the fate of the bird with ring number Merlin, Peregrine, Short Eared Owl and the resident 1353 which was taken into care, with the below taken from Birds in Som- Sparrowhawks, Kestrels and Buzzards. erset: The Rode bird was released in early September 1972, and this was Overwintering birds were seen as follows: 100 Golden presumably the bird seen at Huntworth on 25 and 26 September. However, there is then a further record on the BTO database of this bird Plover on 10 Oct building to 4000+ on the 7 Dec; Snipe on 11 Oct; being found dead, having been electrocuted (hit overhead powerlines?) Lapwing, Fieldfare and Redwing on 25 Oct and Woodcock on the near Launceston on 26 September 1972. 22 Nov. Other notable sightings were Water Rail on 1 and 22 Nov (I have seen Water Rail on the small pond by the information cen- tre), Med Gull on 22 Nov and Jack Snipe on the 28 Dec. One of my goals for 2016 is to find a January Adder. The other is to keep an eye out for Lesser Emperors as the offspring from the pair that were seen mating in 2014 could emerge this summer. Keep an eye out for the guided walks - good numbers have been turning up lately and I enjoy doing them. Happy New Year to all and hope to see some of you at the Farm in 2016.

Stork story by Mark Grantham

came across this unusual story whilst looking at Cornish ringing recov- I eries, but thanks to Derek Julian for pointing me in the right direction for the full story. The shortened text and images below (by JB & S Bottomley) are reproduced with the permission of British Birds. On hearing that two White Storks had been seen at Newlyn, my wife and I went there on the morning of 17th September 1971 to try to pho- tograph them. The day was sunny, warm and calm and we found the storks - immatures, showing blackish tips to their bills and pale pinkish legs - standing on the chimney stack of a house near the harbour. We were able to watch them for about two hours and take photographs; they only occa- sionally left their vantage point, and visits to other chimneys and roofs were brief. They did, however, make two apparently aimless soaring flights in a north-easterly direction towards Penzance, during which they rose to an estimated 200 metres or more. Each stork carried a ring on its right leg, and through a telescope we and others among the many observers who had come to see the birds were able to read the name of the ringing authority (Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark) and the ring numbers (1351 and 1352). Subse- quent enquiries revealed that they had been ringed, with one other (number 1353), as a late brood at Frostrup, North Jutland, where they fledged on 6th September 1971. On 9th September three White Storks were observed at Combe Down, Bath, Somerset. On the same day they moved 15 km to the south-west, where one of them fell down a large chimney and was taken into captivity. The other two moved on, being seen nearby at Net- tlebridge, and then on the afternoon of 10th the same two reached Bude, Cornwall. Two White Storks appeared briefly at St Issey near the Camel estuary from 1st July, and these were presumably the same birds, but other-

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ber. An Iceland Gull was present on the 12th December, and Maer Lake a Water Pipit on the 13th. The year finished well with a Lit- tle Gull and a Cormorant in the wind and rain of the 30th By Graham Sutton December. The Cormorant is the rarer bird at Maer! Finally he end of another a Little Stint on the 31st December was a good record, and a T year with very great end to the year. heavy rainfall, particu- I have now had a chance to test the new Nikon 200- larly on December 30th 500mm lens, and I was very impressed with the results. and strong gale force With three Extra-low Dispersion elements and the latest winds. Certainly there is generation Vibration Reduction system it is a quality prod- a very odd pattern to the weather this autumn and so far this uct. It weighs in at 2.3 Kilograms, which is considerably winter. It has been exceptionally mild and wet, with not a less than the flagship 200-400mm and 600mm lenses. I was sign of a frost. Daffodils and Camellias are out with Bees so impressed with the results and fair price that I bought one feeding on the nectar. I have already seen Peacock and and can highly recommend this to bird photographers. Small Tortoiseshell butterflies this month. I can also recommend the Nikon D750 camera. I As a keen photographer I have not enjoyed the dull originally bought this as a back up to my D810. Having overcast light levels which have restricted a good deal of owned most of the Nikon pro camera bodies since the 1970s my planned photography. Everything in life, however, is put this is one of the best - well made and beautifully balanced. into perspective when you see the news reports of the flood- The D750 is also packed full of features from the top end ing in Cumbria, Yorkshire, Lancashire and now Scotland. models, and the quality images that you can obtain with it Having had a major fire in our house many years ago, and are second to none. then having to be out of the house for six months while it As someone who likes (needs) to carry a camera at was put back together my heart goes out to those affected, all times, my camera of the year vote would go to the Sony and the problems they face long after the news reporters and 7R11 at only 625gs this full frame camera with 42.4MP politicians have departed. sensor is stunning. Combine it with a Zeiss Batis 25mm Since construction the Bude Flood Defence Scheme lens and you have a very lightweight camera capable of has functioned as designed, but could it have survived the producing stunning landscape, architectural and street pho- enormous amount of rainfall that fell on Cumbria? I am not tography results. The drawback, apart from price, is the lens convinced that it would. Since the purchase of Maer Lake in range with no quality long telephotos available at the mo- 1993 we have had a very good working relationship with ment. It out performs my D810 and weighs 355gs less! I the Environment Agency but this has been severely tested in would expect both Nikon and Canon to have to respond to the last few months because of their failure to honour the this game-changing superb Sony camera. agreements reached at the time of the Flood Defence work. I am sure this is something that the Board will be reporting back to members on at some stage in the future. The new sluice position and channel have coped well so far this win- ter and we will be cutting the access lane before the bird breeding season begins and repairing some of the fencing. We will also be planting a mix of Blackthorn and Hawthorn at the rear of the bungalow where the hedge bank was re- moved. I have thoroughly enjoyed my autumn and early win- ter bird watching at Maer. 2015 has been a good year in that respect and more than makes up for some of the prob- lems and aggravation we have experienced throughout the year. The Canada Geese numbers peaked at 953 on the 18th August (thanks to Lee Brown for help with the count); this coincided as usual with the cereal harvest on surrounding farmland. Numbers then dropped back dramatically, usu- ally due to shooting away from the reserve. Will we see 1000 birds next year? I expect so and have reservations as to the impact these numbers are having on the natural envi- ronment. The first Jack Snipe arrived on the 18th October, together with two of the increasingly scarce Gadwall. I was very pleased to be home on the 21st October when a solitary Whooper Swan was present. Maer does have an outstanding record for this species, especially considering the shallow- ness of the water. Whooper Swans are such social birds and a solitary bird rarely settles before leaving to seek others of its species. Golden Plover numbers started to build from mid-October onwards and 2500+ birds were present on the 15th November. Ruff was present on the 2nd October and also on the 23rd and 29th of that month. A Little Stint was present from 24th-27th October. A Short-eared Owl was pre- sent on Bude Golf Course on the late afternoon of the 17th November, and found its way to Maer on the 18th Novem-

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n a previous article I The open flat expanse of grassy heath above the valley along the I wrote about the coast path (SW 675 142 and SW 674 147) provides foraging habi- My Local Patch southern part of the tat for migrant waders such as Whimbrel, mainly in spring and Lizard. In this piece, as Golden Plover mainly in autumn. American Golden Plover, Buff- Lizard (II) a continuation, I will breasted Sandpiper and Dotterel have all been recorded in recent provide a brief over- years. The lawn areas are also good for pipits, larks, Wheatears view of the coast fur- and wagtails. ther north and west. Lizard Downs The whole area is well North and east of Soapy Cove the open heath of Lizard Downs served by a network of (SW 685 146) continues up towards Mullion. The whole of this footpaths most of area forms part of the greater Lizard Heath complex so vital for which have The Lizard holding the regular but declining wintering Hen Harriers, as well Tony Blunden village as a hub. as Merlins and Short-eared Owls. Scanning the heath from any vantage point in the area in the few hours around dawn and dusk is Kynance Cove and Valleys recommended. Snipe are often disturbed from damp spots whilst There are two valleys leading down to Kynance Cove, (SW 684 walking the heath and Woodcock can be found around the willow 134) both of which have scattered scrub, reed, iris and saw sedge clumps. beds with further denser scrub and willow carr developing further In spring, Cuckoos search for their Meadow Pipit hosts up the valleys onto the heath. with Linnet and Stonechat singing from the scattered gorse Access is very easy in the lower stretches reached from the clumps. car park but frequently narrow, wet and often overgrown tracks allow somewhat restricted access to the upper valley areas. Windmill Farm and Predannack Airfield The valleys, along with nearby open heath, hold and funnel This site has been mentioned in previous articles but there have migrants and host breeding Sedge, Willow and occasional Grass- been a few changes to update in the last twelve months. hopper Warblers, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. Dartford Warbler The windmill itself (SW 693 151) now offers a unique populations have fluctuated recently but should be located (often viewing opportunity across the Lizard from Black Head, The Liz- by call) on a good walk around the area. ard village, Goonhilly and north towards Helston. Time will tell, West of the Kynance valleys is one of the most dramatic but it should be a great spot for visible migration and raptor watch- areas of cliffs (SW 675 135) with stunning views south towards ing over the heath. There are also a number of new pools in the the Lizard. The rocky cliffs and boulders often hold migrant birds large field north east of the car park and on-going works are despite their exposure and lack of cover, with flocks of Song planned to refresh the scrapes and ponds making it a great site for Thrush and Redwing often found in late autumn. Black Redstarts waders and dragonflies. are regularly seen in spring, autumn and winter. Peregrine, Raven, The adjacent airfield is well known for its flocks of Golden Buzzard and Kestrel patrol the cliffs and the short cropped grass Plover and other migrant waders. Viewing the airfield has been and heath is often used by the Lizard Choughs for feeding. difficult in the past, but has now been greatly enhanced by the recently converted windmill into an observation deck which offers Kynance Farm good scope views. The old field system (SW 681 141) enclosing a block of small acid It is a unique site hosting large areas of short acid grass- grassland fields provides variation in the swath of the Lizard land and heath, which attracts large flocks of migrant Wheatears downs heath habitat. The surrounding hedges and fence lines which at times are dominated by the Icelandic race, good numbers nearly always have a sheltered and sunny aspect in most weather of breeding Skylark and Meadow Pipit. Although it may look and are a favoured area for finding groups of migrant Stonechats, unused at times, it is a very heavily used airfield and military train- Whinchat and Wheatear with the odd Ring Ouzel. The field com- ing area and it goes without saying, please do not enter the air- plex within the hedges often holds flocks of pipits and Skylarks. field. The National Trust hosts occasional guided walks during non -operational periods. Soapy Cove A remote and picturesque valley (SW 676 143) which requires a Predannack Wollas bit of effort to reach often means it is very quiet other than a few North of Soapy Cove, the next valley north along the coast is that coast path ramblers. The deep valley situated in the flat open Liz- of Lower Predannack Wollas, with a National Trust car park (SW ard Downs heathland area offers refuge in inclement weather to 668 162) accessed from Mullion. any passing migrants or to species seeking different habitat to the This is another area for migrants with clumps of sallow open heath. and other vegetation adjacent to open heath and farmland. A simi- Redstarts, Ring Ouzels, Whinchats, Pied and Spotted Fly- lar range of migrants occur to Soapy Cove with oddities such as catchers are regular migrants with Wryneck almost annual. The Mandarin on the stream and a good area for shrikes, Wrynecks, old mine workings in the mouth of the valley often echo with the flycatchers and a wide range of warblers. Barn Owls hunt the song of breeding Wheatear in spring, the Lizard being one of the coastal grassland fields at dusk. Predannack Wollas is also a good few areas where Wheatears regularly breed along the coast. site for butterflies with Dark Green, Small Pearl-bordered and Look out for the few very rare prostrate juniper trees, the Marsh Fritillaries, Silver-studded Blue, Wall and Grayling. Have only UK site and one of only a few on the Western European At- fun exploring and please consider the ground nesting birds, rare lantic fringe. breeding and wintering species that the area supports. Enjoy!

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Photos by Tony Blunden Left page: Kynance and Soapy Cove This page: Dotterel; Merlin; Wryneck; Iberian Chiff- chaff; Whimbrel; Grasshopper Warbler; Whitethroat; Firecrest

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Monday 15th February 19:30 BUDE Parkhouse Centre EX23 8LD Field meetings An Illustrated talk on Panama Colin and Patricia Humphrey moved from Berkshire to Bideford, January—April 2016 in 2011. Colin, retired after a 30 year career in the Metro- politan Police, is now able to focus his energy on his interest in wildlife, particularly birds and photography. He has been a life- long member of the RSPB, BTO & the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Tricia is also an accomplished photographer and her career in British Airways has given them the opportunity to travel exten- sively in pursuit of their interests. Fee £3.

Thursday 18th February 9.30 - 1pm Bruce Taggart (01752 829163) Millbrook Lake. A walk around the lake. Good for gulls, wild- fowl and waders. Meet opposite the Doctor’s Surgery in Millbrook SX 444 523. Parking in West Street car park (pay and display), 10 minutes walk from the Lake SX 423 519.

Saturday 20th February 9:30am Leaders: Beth Heasman & Dan Chaney Email: [email protected] (07872 194812) or (01209 860301) www.swlakestrust.org.uk Grey Heron, Marazion marsh, by A. James College and Argal Reservoirs. A morning walk around these SW Water reservoirs looking for woodland and water birds. Can be muddy so suitable footwear and outdoor clothing recommended. By Gordon Mills Meet in Argal car park. Car parking charges apply. Sunday 17th January 9 am Leader: Leader: Viv Stratton Map ref: SW 762 328 (01736 796487) Marazion beach and marsh. A morning walk looking for waders, Sunday 28th February 9:30am Leader: Gordon Mills gulls and wintering birds. Meet at Folly’s Field car park (first on (01209 718144) right by phone box when approaching from direction. Tehidy Woods. A morning walk through Tehidy Woods and out to Map ref: SW 513 309 the North Cliffs. Meet at North Cliffs car park. Map ref: SW 641 437 Saturday 30th January 8am to 10am Leader: Tony Blunden (01326 291064) Saturday 5th March 8am to 10am Leader: Tony Blunden Introduction to Sea-watching at Lizard Point. Sit down and (0132291064) watch the passing seabirds with an opportunity to discuss identifi- Introduction to Sea-watching at Lizard Point. Sit down and cation. With luck we should expect to see a range of late autumn watch the passing seabirds with an opportunity to discuss identifi- and early winter seabirds with gulls on the reef, Black Redstart and cation. With luck we should expect to see a range of late autumn Chough on the cliffs, porpoise and dolphins are also regularly and early winter seabirds with gulls on the reef, Black Redstart and seen. There is always plenty to look at and often surprises. Meet Chough on the cliffs. Porpoise and dolphins are also regularly just below the Lizard Point Cafe. Park at NT car park at Southerly seen. There is always plenty to look at and often surprises. Meet Point. Map ref: SW 703 116 just below the Lizard Point Cafe. Park at NT car park at Southerly Point. Map ref: SW 703 116 Sunday 31st January 8am Leader: Roger Hooper Booking required: phone 01209 820610 or email Friday 11th March 7. 30pm Contact: Roger Hooper [email protected] (01209 820610 or email [email protected]) Minibus trip to the Exe Estuary. A repeat trip to Bowling Green Chacewater Village Hall. Marsh RSPB reserve and the Powderham shore of the Exe estuary. Ethiopia an illustrated talk by Ian Gasper who has visited this We leave at 8am to arrive at Bowling Green Marsh for the East African country many times and will be giving an illustrated high tide roost involving hundreds of birds on view. After lunch talk on its wildlife and birds. we drive around to Powderham to view the geese and waders com- ing to feed on the exposed mud as the tide falls. The fare: £14 for Saturday 12th March 9am Leader: Viv Stratton adults and £7 for a child. (01736 796487)

Zennor. A morning walk around the area to look at resident birds Thursday 4th February 1pm Leaders: Dave & Kate Williams (01209843512) and winter visitors. Meet in Zennor car park Map ref: SW454 384 Tresillian River, St. Clement. An afternoon walk along the river looking for waders, ducks and gulls. Path can be muddy so good Thursday 17th March 1pm Leaders: Dave & Kate Williams footwear recommended. Meet at St. Clement car park. (01209 843512) Map ref: SW 852 439. Tresillian River, St. Clement. An afternoon walk along the river looking for waders, ducks and gulls. Path can be muddy so good Sunday 7th February 9:30am Leader: Gordon Mills footwear recommended. Meet at St. Clement car park. (01209718144) Map ref: SW 852 439. Carminowe Creek. A morning walk through the south side of the th NT park to look for woodland birds, wild fowl and gulls. Meet in Sunday 20 March 9.30am Leader: Gordon Mills Degibna Lane Chapel car park. Map ref: SW 653 252 (01209 718144) The Lizard. A morning walk around The Lizard headland through Saturday 13th February 9am Leader: Viv Stratton heathland,valleys and cliff paths, looking for resident birds, (01736 796487) summer visitors, seabirds and hopefully Chough. Stout footwear Hayle estuary. A morning walk around the area looking for gulls essential. Meet at The Lizard Green car park .Map ref SW 703 125 waders and migrant birds. Meet at Ryan’s Field car park. Map ref: SW 549 362 14

Saturday 2nd April 8am to 10am Leader: Tony Blunden (01326 291064) Fancy some birding in Devon? Introduction to Sea-watching at Lizard Point. Sit down and watch the passing seabirds with an opportunity to discuss identifi- By Roger Hooper cation. With luck we should expect to see a range of late autumn and early winter seabirds with gulls on the reef, Black Redstart and As you will see in the Field Meetings programme, I am Chough on the cliffs. Porpoise and dolphins are also regularly running two mini-bus trips to watch birds on the Exe seen. There is always plenty to look at and often surprises. Meet and later in the year on Dartmoor. just below the Lizard Point Cafe. Park at NT car park at Southerly st Point. Grid ref: SW 703 116 Firstly, on Sunday January 31 we will be visit- ing Bowling Green Marsh just as the tide comes fully Sunday 3rd April, 9:30am to 12noon up. This RSPB reserve is a wonderful high tide roost CWT and Helford VMCA event and gets jam-packed with waders in the shallow water Contact: Sue Scott (01326 340961) or check CWT website. straight out in front of the big new hide. There are Heron survey near Port Navas - the annual heronry survey on the Helford. some fantastic views to be had here and everyone who Walk across the fields, checking on other birds, and complete a went on this trip last year was really impressed. nest count for the British Trust for Ornithology. Meet at entrance After lunch nearby we will go around to the to Calamansac, between Port Navas and Constantine. nearest bank of the Exe to Cornwall, i.e. the Cornish Grid Ref: SW 746 281. Fee £3. Helford VMCA members and children free. side, to park up at Powderham Church and have a walk along the sea wall to watch the waders and geese Saturday 16th April 9.30am Leader: Roger Hooper return to the mud to feed. (01209 820610) In the spring, on Sunday May 8th the destination Hell’s Mouth to Godrevy. A walk to from Hell’s Mouth to Godrevy Point and back looking at the Cormorant and Auk colo- is firstly Yarner Wood National Nature Reserve where nies at Hell’s Mouth and the heath and open grassland species on we should see Wood Warbler, Redstart and Pied Fly- the way to Godrevy. Lovely birds on a spectacular stretch of coast. catcher and whatever else is about in this species-rich Meet at Hell’s Mouth on the Portreath to Hayle coast road. woodland. I’m not mentioning a certain very small Grid ref: SW 603 428 and elusive woodpecker because every year that I Tuesday 19th April, 1pm Leader: John Cope have, we never see one, so this year you never know. (01872 865108) From the towering oaks and beeches of Yarner Tresillian River, St. Clement. An afternoon walk along the river we will head out onto high moorland, unfortunately looking for waders, ducks and gulls. Path can be muddy so good vacated several years ago by Ring Ouzels, but still a footwear recommended. Meet at St. Clement car park. Map ref: SW 852 439. fantastic area for birds. Summer plumage Whinchats sing from the heather and low scrub and Willow War- Sunday 24th April 9am Leader: Roger Hooper bler, Reed Bunting, Wheatear and possibly Tree Pipit (01209 820610) can be seen. Cuckoos favour this open heath and a Pentire and . A walk from Pentire Farm out to the spectacular coast at Rumps Point. Farmland and coastal birds as Hobby could be hunting if we are lucky with the well as possible Puffin on the sea off The Mouls, the island just off weather. It really is a lovely habitat just to be in. Rumps Point. There is always something to see in this area, just to Both these trips will start out from Redruth, but the north of the Camel Estuary, with auks on the sea and Wheat- pick-ups en-route are ok so long as they are near a ears, Stonechats and Pipits all probable. A good area for raptors like Peregrine. Meet at Pentire Farm car park, SW 936 803. Small major road. We often pick people up in Wadebridge fee to NT who own the property. and so that would be fine. The fare for each is the same, £14 per seat for an adult, half price for keen Camel Trail Nature Walks. Duration approximately 4 hours. young birdwatchers. These walks cover flora and fauna as well as birds and take place If you would like to come on either, or both, every Wednesday through January, February, March and April contact me, Roger Hooper, by either phone or email, 2016. Walks start at 10am and will be led by Jack Humphrey, Bernard Ide, Alan Taylor and Charles Travis. Meet outside 01209 820610 or Countrywise, Eddystone Road, Wadebridge. Phone Country- [email protected]. wise on 01208 812423 to check that walk is on. Map ref: SW 989 725

May 2016 The Camarge and Languedoc Roussillon south east France. A proposed local group spring birding trip to this French Mediterranean region. If interested please contact Gordon and Suzanne Mills 01209 718144 (evenings)

PLEASE NOTE Walk leaders have given their telephone numbers for each walk. However, before contacting them would you please check the websites for the latest information: CBWPS www.cbwps.org.uk RSPB www.rspb.org.uk/groups/cornwall CWT (www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk). Every effort will be made to keep the websites updated with cancellations, changes in venue or route or any access problems.

Goldfinch by Brian Field

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periences fleshing out these bare bones, sharing some magic moments and perhaps triggering your own Hoopoe! special reminiscences or spurring the uninterested among you to right a serious birding wrong! I first encountered this ono- matopoeic species near my home on the outskirts of Plymouth, aged nearly 12 in 1957, birdwatching in a local wood, when an apparition flew up in front of me alighting on a branch. I instantly knew its identity from drooling over its picture in my Observer’s Book of Birds. I was in awe – a lasting memory from all those years ago. I reckon there are two kinds of Hoopoes: those that allow an ap- proach to within a couple of hundred metres before rapidly flying off and (many fewer) that will just about run around your feet. Over the years I have been lucky enough to find sev- eral of my own as well as see in Devon and Cornwall Hoopoes that fall into both my approachability categories. Eight years after my first encounter, I was on St Agnes in the Vic Tucker enthuses about this exotic Isles of Scilly; the only bird of real interest being a long-staying, ringed female Hoopoe which my pals and I visited regularly. visitor and recounts a lifetime of close Luckily she proved resilient to our attentions as we watched her feed, dust bathe and preen. (and not so close) encounters with it. My next I travelled to see—train from Plymouth to Pen- zance on the 20th March 1966 at Marazion. The next was at Carbis he exclamation mark in my title sums up the excitement felt Bay on the 9th May 1971—another memorable event, visiting a T by birdwatchers and laymen alike when they chance upon this very tame individual gracing a small public garden and feeding exotic, zebra-striped migrant. ‘Little brown job’ it ain’t - incongru- avidly on the lawn’s leatherjackets. It flew into a cherry tree, its ous in this country it certainly is. pale pink breast contrasting with the deep pink blossoms. I had not Not classed as ‘rare’ here – officially rated as ‘scarce’ as a month previously found one at South Devon’s dramatic Start numbers annually exceed the criterion for rare – there is however Point on 12th April—again an evocative scene: special bird, majes- definite kudos attached to this graceful bird. Few birders in tic backdrop. My next at Prawle Point, the most southerly tip of mainland UK have found more than single figures of this striking Devon, was early (13th March 1977). It was also my wife’s first. species making it more of a special find. She was suitably impressed not least by its trusting nature allowing The vast majority of these easily identified wanderers visit close, unhurried views giving us sheer, simple enjoyment. The our shores during spring as over-shooting migrants, a phenomenon 26th March that same year we saw one of two that had been pre- usually caused when they follow favourable weather systems sent at St John near . It was exceptionally tame, feeding (strong southerly-based, northward-moving airflows) emanating on copious crane fly larvae (leatherjackets), and we watched as it from north Africa and the near continent. They carry migrants past prodded its long beak from side to side using rapid head move- their intended destinations, happily for us failing to apply their ments, each grub tossed into the air and deftly caught in that fine brakes. de-curved bill. Prolonged watching showed it preening on a bare Cornwall is as good a county as anywhere to witness such branch, spreading oil from preen gland over its fully opened arrivals. In fact you are in with a better chance than in many other wings, rounded and butterfly-shaped, prior to attending to its cin- areas of Britain. In inland and northern regions its status changes namon coloured breast. Breath-taking. to ‘rarity’ – no matter what the official designation is. Roger Pen- In marked contrast, a bird at Porthgwarra on the 3rd April hallurick, in his avifauna The Birds of Cornwall and the Isles of 1983 was extremely flighty affording only a series of brief black Scilly (1978), offers a masterly overview of its Cornish status not- and white striped views before it bounded off in typical deeply- ing years of both good and bad occurrence e.g. none in spring undulating flight, with a very Jay-like jizz. Much better was one at 1967 but 17 in the following year. In other random years it may Land’s End on the 21st April 1984, again feeding in short grass, not be uncommon, reaching double figures. Rarely reported from leatherjackets and earthworms on the menu. This was a less showy Bodmin Moor areas but all other parts of Cornwall record them female, nonetheless creating a perfect springtime scene as baby though most are seen from southern coastal locations. rabbits hopped around her—all set in soft evening light. Days later In general, visitations are many fewer nowadays, reflecting on the 23rd April at Trevorian a resplendent male with its spec- a much lower population in southern Europe. Though there are tacular deep orange, black-tipped crest frequently raised also al- February records for Cornwall and Devon too, their peak month is lowed prolonged close viewing. Another, gave briefest possible April, building from late March, waning by early May. This se- views on the 7th April the following year at Land’s End as it pow- quence of arrivals was certainly known during the 19th century, if ered away across a field never to be seen again—no doubting that not before. Historically, nesting has been noted several times in one’s category! Cornwall: the first undisputed nest was in 1901 at St Columb Ma- Apart from all but driving over one in a narrow Dartmoor jor, successfully rearing four young. The nest in a hole in a hedge lane these are many of my Hoopoe observations over a lifetime of bank being described as ‘unsavoury’, a well-known nest feature birding in the far South West. No wonder my co-author and I abroad. chose it for the cover of the third edition of Where to Watch Birds Cornwall’s annual reports record many hundreds of sight- in Devon and Cornwall. So, Hoopoe, far from ranking among ings over the years, meticulously detailing facts and figures for Cornwall’s rarer birds, and I have seen some of the county’s rarest, that is its remit, but here I would like to recount some of my ex- certainly tops the charts for ‘wow factor’. Here’s to the next one. 16