CORNWALL BIRD-WATCHING AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY OFFICERS 1998-99 President: Steve Madge Sea Winds, Lower Trerieve, Downderry, Torpoint, PL 15 3LZ Chairman: Graham Sutton 'Harcombe', West Park Road, Bude, EX23 8PB. Tel: 01288 356605 Vice-Chairman: Andy Pay Salena Cottage, Wendron, Helston, TR13 OEA. Tel: 01326 565371 General Secretary: Michael Lord 'Gue Gassel', Church Cove, The Lizard, Helston TR12 7PH. Treasurer: Keith Harris 'Lowena', Chyvarloe, Gunwalloe, Helston TR21 7PY. Tel: 01326 565418 Membership Secretary: Debbie Melarickas 20 Midway Drive, Truro TR1 1NQ. Tel: 01872 241603 Conservation Officer: Martin Rule 2 Trussal Row, Treloquithack, Wendron, Helston, TR13 ONT Tel: 01326 561952 Newsletter Editor: Steve Rogers Roseland, Cyril Road, Truro TR1 3TA. Tel: 01872 273004 Field Meetings Officer: Dave Thomas 'Mirador', Whitecross, Newquay TR8 4LW Public Relations Officer: Tony Langford 'Miango' Trewirgie Road, Redruth TR15 2SX. Tel: 01209 313895 Recorder and Editor "Birds in Cornwall": Greg Conway 'Tregenna', Cooksland, Bodmin PL31 2AR. Tel: 01208 77686 Editor "Isles of Scilly Bird Report": Peter Robinson Riviera House, The Parade, St.Mary's, Isles of Scilly TR21 0LT Recorder: Isles of Scilly: Will Wagstaff 42 Sally Port, St.Mary's, Isles of Scilly TR21 0J Assistant Recorder: Isles of Scilly: Dick Barrett 12 Lewis Close, Ashill, Thetford, Norfolk IP25 7BH Committee Members: Darrell Clegg (Saltash), Francis Couch (Bodmin), Brian Craven (Launceston), John Hillier (Helston), Richard James (Penryn), Adrian Langdon (Wadebridge), Matt Southam (Penzance), Royston Wilkins (Truro) Photographs: Front Cover: Tawny Owl, Bude, July 1998 (Graham Sutton) Back Cover: Bar-tailed Godwits, Bude, May 1998 (Graham Sutton) CORNWALL BIRD-WATCHING & PRESERVATION SOCIETY SIXTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT 1998 1 2 Contents Page Editorial Andy Pay 4 Review of the Year 1998 Andy Pay and 6 Tony Spiller Systematic List for 1998 16 Divers, Fulmar to Shag, raptors: John Phillips Grebes: Richard James Herons, terns: Sara McMahon Wildfowl: Dave Conway Plovers, waders: Steve Jackson Red-legged Partridge to Avocet, skuas, gulls, Guillemot to Cuckoo: Jim Dustow Barn Owl to Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Cetti's Warbler to Starling, rarities: Andy Pay Woodlark to Mistle Thrush: Matt Southam Sparrows, finches, buntings: Daniel Eva Exotica 120 First & Last Dates of Summer Migrants 120 Contributors 121 Gazetteer 122 Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler: the First Record for Cornwall Mark Tunmore 126 West Penwith Moors E.S.A. Leigh Lock 127 Stonechat Survey: West Penwith Moors and Coast Leigh Lock 134 Ringing Report 1998 Greg Conway 136 Chairman's Report Graham Sutton 144 Conservation Officer's Report Martin Rule 145 Statement of Financial Activities Keith Harris 147 The Society's Rules 152 Printed by B.J Press Ltd, Unit 29 Threemilestone Ind Estate, Truro, Cornwall TR4 9LB 3 Editorial I had big plans for this Report, especially as it was the only one I was ever likely to edit. But as the enormity of the task gradually dawned on me, it became apparent that, despite the efforts of all those who have contributed and helped, I would never have the time to achieve my ambitions for it. Not whilst remaining happily married and in employment anyway! The compilers of the species accounts were given free rein in drafting their sections if they so requested. I then hoped to blend the various styles together during the editing process. I have been fiddling around with the text for some time and hoped to carry on refining it, but with publication already some ten months behind schedule, I have had to call a halt and get it off to the printers, or suffer the indignity of seeing the 1999 edition out before it! Inconsistencies in the amount of data and degree of comment throughout the systematic list section are therefore down to me. Readers may also be disappointed to find that there are no graphs or maps enhancing the text. Greg Conway offered to prepare some, but I never got round to letting him have the necessary data. Perhaps more importantly, the accounts for our common species are again somewhat lacking in useful information. It is difficult to write something interesting and meaningful about them when our knowledge is so sketchy. The situation should improve, however, as the new Cornwall Bird Atlas project gathers momentum. I would urge all those who can to get involved in it (see below for details). I have made two significant changes to previous formats, which I hope will be viewed as improvements. The first involves the contentious issue of species names. Frankly, I despise most of the assortment of new names that have been adopted by some authorities. The fact that the situation has become thoroughly confusing gives me an excuse to revert to the old ones, with the names specified in the British Ornithological Union's publication "The British List 2000" in brackets after each species heading. Whilst this may be seen by some as a retrograde step, I can at least claim that this Report and the already published 1998 Isles of Scilly Bird Report are in accordance on the matter, which, both being produced by the same Society, is as it should be. The other modification concerns the statements relating to species' status in the county, which have not been revised for many years. For a number of species there has been no attempt in the past to describe relative abundance or rarity. Furthermore, some of the statements that have been repeated each year in previous Reports are clearly inaccurate. For example, Dunlin are not "abundant" in the county, neither are Buzzards nor Willow Warblers; the Long-tailed Duck is not "uncommon" down here: it's rare; etc., etc. I have therefore adopted the following system of allocating status terms to each species, based on estimated population size: Non-breeding Breeding Term Individuals* Pairs* Very common >100,000 >50,000 Common 10,001-100,000 5,001-50,000 Fairly common 1,001-10,000 501-5,000 Uncommon 101-1,000 51-500 Fairly rare 11-100 6-50 Rare 1-10 0.5-5 Very rare <1 <0.5 *present in an average year 4 This was devised by Paul McCartney of the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The information in this Report now largely accords with that contained in the new Biological Recorders' Handbook (Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation of Biological Recorders, 2000). Other minor changes to the Report include the use of different fonts here and there, which I hope look a little more attractive, and the dropping of cumulative totals for species if they have been recorded in the county more than 100 times. For instance, it seems to me sufficient to state that the Leach's Petrel is fairly rare. The fact that about 2,349 have been counted since records began is surely irrelevant. It is useful, however, to know the patterns of occurrence, so I have retained and up-dated the monthly breakdowns of all records. I am extremely grateful to the following people: Data inputting: Dick Burn, Dave Conway, Greg Conway, Francis Couch, Roger Henry, Paul McCartney and Sara McMahon. Compiling the species accounts: John Phillips, Richard James, Sara McMahon, Dave Conway, Steve Jackson, Jim Dustow, Matt Southam and Daniel Eva. Detailed weather review: Tony Spiller. Artwork: Paul Carrier, Dave Flumm and Kester Wilson. Photographs: John Hawkey, Graham Sutton, Kester Wilson and Mark Witherall. Articles: Leigh Lock and Mark Tunmore. Ringing Report: Greg Conway. Officers' reports: Keith Harris, Martin Rule and Graham Sutton. Information on population estimates and many other matters: Paul McCartney. Data maintenance, record retrieval, word-processing advice: Greg Conway. COBRA program: Pete Fraser. Assistance with word-processing: Debbie Melarickas. Information from British Birds Rarities Committee: Mike Rogers and Kester Wilson. Adjudication on county rarities: Greg Conway, Steve Madge, Graham Sutton, Vic Tucker and Kester Wilson. Comments and suggestions: John Phillips and Vic Tucker. Proof-reading the Systematic List: Mike Lord. Kester and Ian Wilson have taken over the role of Recording and Editing "Birds in Cornwall" from 1999 onwards - I wish them every success. Andy Pay July 2000 5 Review of the Year: 1998 Although 1998 may not be remembered as a classic year for birds or birders in Cornwall, the total number of species recorded, 281, has only twice been bettered in the last ten years. This was in spite of two more mild winters at either end of the year resulting in unexceptional numbers of wildfowl and waders and another wet, cool summer leading to a very poor breeding season for many species. For birders shrewd enough, to keep an eye on the weather and act accordingly, there was plenty to enjoy. Birding highlights included a sprinkling of unusually early spring migrants, a plethora of rarities over a five day period in May, a huge passage of Cory's Shearwaters in September and influxes of North American wildfowl during the autumn and early winter. Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler was recorded in the county for the first time. The following major rarities also occurred: Little Swift (second record), Black Duck (second, third and fourth), Pacific Golden Plover (third), White-billed Diver (fourth), Ross's Gull (fourth), Pied-billed Grebe (fourth and fifth), Lesser Scaup (fifth and sixth) and Grey-cheeked Thrush (sixth record). January was generally a stormy and mild month in Cornwall, although it became colder toward the end. There was only one national rarity present from the start, an American Wigeon on Hayle Estuary. This site also held a wintering Spoonbill, whilst another was again on the Lynher. The first week saw some very rough weather as a series of active fronts and depressions moved eastwards, giving occasionally gale or severe gale force south-west to west winds and heavy rain.