swopticsphoto

Slimbridge selection

2012-01-29T10:31:00.000Z

I visited Slimbridge WWT yesterday and was lucky with the superb light. Below are a few highlights of a stunning day. The shots below are from both the wild side and the captive side, eg the Smew and the Flamingos rae obviously captive. I deliberated for a while on whether to post the shots here, but I liked them.

Bewick's Swans coming into roost late in the afternoon. Only 150 or so of the normal 300+ have reappeared this year.

Grey Heron feeding in one of the many pools.

Female Common Pochard

Drake Pochard

Drake Smew (captive)

Woodpigeons pairing up for the breeding season.

Flamingos going through their rituals.

Tagged Dunlin update

2012-01-19T11:34:00.000Z

I took this shot of a Dunlin amongst of flock of around 200 at Hayle Estuary back in early May 2011. I found this obvious bird with its' bright leg rings ( double orange rings on the right leg, green flag on the left), but on closer inspection, I could see a vertical aerial stuck to its' mantle plus a second aerial attached to the tail.

Mark Grantham has now confirmed that this bird was ringed as an adult on 16th March 2011 on the Tagus estuary in Portugal, so a nice record. (Thanks Mark, for the update).

A few more Egyptian Goose shots

2012-01-18T19:24:00.000Z

Below are a few more images of the popular Egyptian Goose at Helston. For those of you who still haven't connected, Richard Menari and me also saw it by the reed bed at Loe Pool (Degibna end). It seems to fly between here and the lake regularly during the day.

Chiffchaffs at Helston sewerage works

2012-01-15T21:39:00.001Z

Chiffchaffs seem to be the flavour of the month with good numbers at various popular sites in Cornwall. The photos below were all taken at Helston last week where I counted about twenty. (At nearby Carnon Downs sewerage works, Mark Grantham ringed forty birds). Included among the twenty are a couple of paler tristis type birds. Tony Blunden also mentioned to me that they responded positively to song. The upper two images are standard, warmer more olive coloured Chiffchaff and the lower three are the paler tristis type.

Young ibis shows some gloss

2012-01-15T21:07:00.000Z

This first year Glossy Ibis has been present at Chapel Amble since last Friday. It appears quite content feeding in the middle of the meadow at the edge of the village. This individual shows a mixture of young feathers and a hint of the adult's glossy greens and purples in the flight feathers. A closer look and comparison of the bird seen at Stithians last October would appear to rule out them being the same individual. There has been another Glossy Ibis at Exminster Marshes, Devon present since the end of December. Glossy Ibis records are increasing in Cornwall and the species is not the major rarity it once was. Just a couple years ago, a flock of 17 were seen in the Lizard area.

Please note that these images are Copyright and are not for re-posting to other websites.

Crowdy Crossbill

2012-01-15T18:08:00.000Z

There are several Crossbills in the fir trees around Crowdy reservoir. I managed to connect with about six, including this first year male and first year female near the entrance to the hide.

Walks like an Egyptian

2012-01-12T19:24:00.003Z

This Egyptian Goose has been present at Helston boating lake for several days. I went to see it yesterday in perfect winter sunshine. In fact, the first decent day since Christmas. This individual has been a bit tricky to catch up with. I've visited three times already only to find that it had flown to Drift Reservoir or Loe Pool.

Egyptian Goose is a naturalised British species originating from sub-Saharan Africa. There is a healthy breeding population in Norfolk and the species has also bred in Devon in 2005. It is regarded as a feral wanderer and of course escapees from collections cannot be ruled out. This winter has also seen "new" birds appear in Wiltshire. Whether you tick it or not remains up to you. But for me, I just enjoyed seeing it...

Egyptian Goose at Helston boating lake. This image is copyright and not for reposting.

Close-up on a Mallard

2012-01-12T19:02:00.000Z

I took these shots yesterday at Helston boating lake in perfect low sunshine. I also used a new gadget in a right-angled viewfinder. Nothing new to science I know, but these Mallards offered the best opportunity to use it. The benefits are that you can lower the lens to ground level without breaking your neck.

These shots were in effect taken just a few inches above the water level, ensuring maximum light into the camera. I have deliberatly resized these images very large so if you are lucky enough to be viewing on a 27" Mac screen, then I'm sure you will enjoy these shots!

Good numbers of Lapwing at Stithians

2012-01-12T18:48:00.001Z

There is an unusual number of Lapwings currently at Stithians Reservoir, probably due to the water levels there currently. Yesterday there was a flock of 400 or so, mainly congregated in front of the hide. The water level is perfect at the moment for resting birds, ie plenty of water for protection but raised banks for resting and feeding. The light yesterday was perfect as well for some fairly close photography.

Med Gulls at Swanpool

2012-01-01T19:50:00.003Z

These two adult Mediterranean Gulls were resting up on the car park at Swanpool today. The lower bird sports two leg rings, the white darvic plastic ring reading 3P71. It was ringed at Fiskeholm, Hårby, in Denmark on 13 June 2007 and is one of the very few Danish white-ringed Med Gulls. (Thanks Mark Grantham and Camille Duponcheel.)

Ring-necked Duck at Par today

2011-12-31T18:58:00.000Z

I went to Par beach pool today and stumbled across this drake Ring-necked Duck. It's the first time I've seen this species here. Whether or not this individual is the same bird from St Gothians, I'm not sure? It remained quite close to the island at the back of the pool, so was always distant. The images below are 50% crops taken with an 840mm lens.

Some favourite images of 2011

2011-12-28T21:00:00.001Z

Below are some of my favourite images of 2011. Several have already appeared here and some are new showings. They are not in any particular order but there is a brief summary of each shot below the image. Let's hope 2012 is as good as this year...

First year Curlew Sandpiper at Achna Dam, Cyprus in September.

Adult male Lapland Bunting in May, Varanger Fjord, Norway.

Steller's Eider at Vardo, Arctic Norway, May. One of a flock of 100 or so birds.

Puffins on Hornoy Island, Norway. A fantastic place with photo opportunities around every corner.

Bar-tailed Godwit at Marazion beach in February. This site is one of the best for natural light.

Bewick's Swan at Par beach pool in March. A scarce bird in Cornwall offering stunning views.

Goosander at St Andrew's Pool. The cold weather brought scores of this species to the county.

Red-throated Diver at St Andrew's in March.

Paired up Waxwings berry-passing in courtship, previously unrecorded in Cornwall. Penzance.

The same pair of Waxwings preening together.

Winter plumage Sanderling at Gwithian.

Pair of Cream-coloured Coursers at Cape Verde in March. This desert species breeds in healthy numbers here.

Adult female Kentish Plover near the nest, Cape Verde in March

Ad male Black-crowned Finch Lark with a juvenile, Cape Verde.

Bridled Guillemot, Hornoy, Norway coming in to land in a blizzard

First year Kentish Plover on Larnaca beach, Cyprus. September.

European Bee Eater in September in Cyprus. Just one of thousands seen this September.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-28T19:25:00.000Z

Little Gull at Par

2011-12-18T22:29:00.000Z

This adult Little Gull performed well today at Par beach pool. The low winter sunshine provided a decent amount of light this morning, just long enough to capture behaviour common of Little Gull. This species likes to wing-stretch and lower its neck parallel with the water. as shown below. This adult has been present here for several weeks and is occasionally joined by a second winter bird.

Black-headed Gulls in flight

2011-12-05T20:26:00.000Z

Adult Black-headed Gulls at Swanpool

Something different

2011-12-05T20:18:00.000Z

Wild animal images seldom appear on this blog but I took these two at the weekend. The fox was seen at the cut-off hide at Stithians and the rat was taken at Swanpool yesterday. They are fairly small subjects in a wide scenery setting. The are once again taken at F2 with the focus directly on the eyes.

Drake Gadwall on Helston boating lake

2011-12-05T20:07:00.000Z

This drake Gadwall was very confiding as it dabbled close to the perimeter path. The shots were taken with the 200mm F2 wide open at F2. They have been cropped approx 33%.

Nikon 200mm F2 wide open

2011-11-30T18:35:00.001Z

I went to Par beach pool today with a new lens. It's one which I have been waiting a while for to come my way. The 200 F2 is world renowned as a sports lens but I have also wanted to try it on wildlife. I wasn't disappointed. In good light today, I used it at F2 (ie. aperture wide open at the maximum) ensuring fastest possible shutter speed and lowest depth of field. The first results are below and I am pleased. The main downside is the lack of reach though coupled to a 2x teleconverter, I'm not anticipating any real headaches. Shutter speed by the way, was 1/5000s !

Gulls give above Par performance

2011-11-20T17:57:00.000Z

Two Little Gulls have been present at Par Beach pool for several days. I managed to catch up with them today and also saw a very obliging adult Med Gull. All were seen at close quarters as they rested and preened on the grass in front of the car park.

Common Crane reaches new heights

2011-11-17T19:28:00.001Z

There are approximately 36 records of Common Crane in Cornwall up to 2010. This Autumn, Cornwall has hosted an unprecedented influx. The number of birds in 2011 is likely to equal or better the total records to date!

The first reported Common Crane seen in 2011 was a single bird flying south over Bosistow Lane and other sites around Land's End on 10th Nov. On the 12th Nov, an impressive flock of 24 flew over Winnard's Perch near the Bird of Prey Centre. All but one of these were adults. By dusk, they had settled in a stubble field at Trewince Farm, St Issey. The same flock was present all of the next day (Sunday 13th). This same flock was seen flying over St Kew Highway on the 15th in the morning and later in the afternoon at St Mabyn. The flock increased to "c27" at St. Mabyn on the 17th Nov. Adrian Langdon's excellent images can be seen here: > Adrian Langdon

On Monday 14th Nov, six Common Cranes were found at Trethvas Farm, Lizard (images below). Two more were seen at Madron but disappeared by 9.58am. Possibly the same two were seen later in the day flying over Troon, Camborne at 14.30. Meanwhile, the six adults at Trethvas Farm were still present on the 17th and appeared content feeding on vegetable matter on the corn-cobs. They were always wary and kept their distance. Sam William's photos from today in challenging conditions can also be found here Sam Williams

Thus the Cornwall total for 2011 so far is a maximum possible 37 birds, but definitly 32.

In context, in County Cork, Ireland, a flock of 19 Cranes are still to the west of Waterrock. There have also been seven birds south of Burgh Castle (Norfolk) in recent days and of course the resident 30 are present in the Horsey area of East Norfolk. Others have also been recorded in Devon, Hampshire, Suffolk and Dumfries & Galloway in the last couple days.

The origins of birds recorded in western Europe originate from breeding populations in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. They winter in Spain and Portugal after resting up in large numbers in Germany and France.

Six adult Common Cranes were seen today at the Lizard.

Desert Wheatear at Nanjizal

2011-11-07T19:55:00.000Z

Jean Lawman found this adult male Desert Wheatear near the National Coastwatch station at Porthgwarra on Sunday afternoon, 6th November. It was seen briefly the following morning at the same location. Thankfully, it was relocated by Mark Wallis a mile further west at Nanjizal (100 yards from the Alder Flycatcher site).

This is the seventh record for mainland Cornwall, all of which have typically occurred late in the Autumn.

1984. Male. Porthgwarra. 17th-24th Nov.
1988. Female. Sennen Cove. 5th Nov.
1994. First winter female. Torpoint. 28th Nov - 16th Dec. This bird was then relocated at Gwithian from 21st Dec to 20th Mar 1995.
1997. Female. Loe Bar. 28th Nov - 3rd Dec.
1997. One at Hannafore, Looe 3rd-12th Dec.
2007. Female. Land's End. 17th Oct.
2011. Male. Porthgwarra. 6th Nov. Relocated during the next morning (7th) to Nanjizal.

Meds and misses

2011-11-06T20:54:00.000Z

The weekend has been a strange one. I have missed all the big shouts including a male Desert Wheatear at Porthgwarra today. I actually went to Pg; the only trouble was I didn't check the coastguard station area where a male has been present all afternoon. I also dipped on a Great White Egret, missed a Caspian Gull by an hour, failed to connect with the Rufous Turtle Dove and a Pallid Harrier. I took some shots of two first winter Med Gulls at Sennen though :-(

North American birds in Cornwall - Autumn 2011

2011-11-02T19:04:00.000Z

The following is a report on all North American birds reported on mainland Cornwall this Autumn.

Summary:

In one of the most exciting periods of birding for many years, no less than thirteen species occurred. The jewel in the crown must surely be awarded to the first year Scarlet Tanager at St Levan, closely followed by the Greater Yellowlegs at Treraven and the first year female Bufflehead on the Lizard. Each followed the same pattern of an all too brief, two day stay. The supporting cast of numerous Pectoral Sandpipers and Buff-breasted Sandpipers will be remembered forever.

Weather:

Hurricane Katia was the main reason for the incredible run of rarities. Katia is a Greek name and means Pure. To a Cornish birder, this can be extended to Pure Delight as this is what Autumn 2011 was to most of us. Hurrican Katia has been written about extensively across the internet and more detail can be found HERE .

In summary, as a post tropical cyclone, Katia moved quickly from the Eastern USA seaboard, north towards Newfoundland and then across the Atlantic. It was then expected to start affecting the UK during September 11th with hurricane force wind speeds and possible hurricane force wind gusts.On September 9, in preparation for this both the Met Office and Met Airenann started to issue alerts and warnings for parts of the British Isles. They warned that parts of the British Isles were likely to experience gale-force and storm-force windspeeds during September 11th and 12th which could be strong enough to uproot trees. The maximum wind gust recorded in the United Kingdom at a non-mountain station on the day of landfall was 81 mph (130 km/h) at Capel Curig, Wales. From an analysis of the Cornish records, it is easy to see that Katia was responsible for the large number of waders that started to appear from the 12th September.

Species:

Bufflehead. The Waterings, Lizard. 26th-27th Oct. First Year Female. Also seen briefly on 29th Oct at Loe Pool. This is the first record for Cornwall and given its age, lack of leg-irons, plumage condition, location and time of year, its provenance would seem impeccable.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper. At least fifteen individuals, occurring in two defined "waves" across the county. The peak counts were a flock of five at Stithians Reservoir and conservatively, presumably the same flock, plus two more at Predannack Airfield (restricted military access) mid September. The record of surprise was one was one at Pendeen Lighthouse; whilst watching migrating seabirds, the Buff-breast was seen to fly around the rocks before flying north.

Baird's Sandpiper. One first year bird on Hayle Estuary. 30th Aug - 11th Sep.

Semipalmated Sandpiper. Drift Res. 12th - 17th Sep. Davidstow Airfield 2nd- 6th Oct. Both first year birds. A third individual was photographed (photo on Cornwall Birding Yahoo Group) at Crowdy Res but dates are to be submitted.

Spotted Sandpiper. Sithians Res, opposite Watersports Centre. 30th Sep.

White-rumped Sandpiper. Devoran 17th - 18th Adult. Davidstow Airfield 18th-19th Adult. Polgigga, Lower Bosistow 23rd one, age unknown. Devoran images by Ilya Maclean here.

Pectoral Sandpiper. A conservative count suggests as many as 18 birds were involved. The first was at Hayle on the 4th Sep and last at Drift on 25th Oct. Highlights were the four birds photographed together at Drift Res in front of the hide and three together at Davidstow on 1st Oct.

Long-billed Dowitcher. Two birds appeared, both first winters. Stithians Res 14th - 28th Sep and Davidstow Airfield 7th-8th Oct. Both were photographed well.

Lesser Yellowlegs. Drift Res. 14th - 27th Sep and St Clement, Truro 21st Sep - 20th Oct. The latter afforded unbelievable views as it fed in the shallows at high tide, beside the village car park.

Greater Yellowlegs. Treraven Meadows 12th - 13th Adult. The second record for Cornwall though arguably now the first. The 1955 record of one at Upper Tamar Lakes was most likely seen on the north lake which politically sits inside Devon. Either way, this is a long-overdue vagrant and one that was on many "prediction lists".

Ring-billed Gull. St Johns Lake. 12th Sep 2nd year bird.

Bonaparte's Gull. Sennen Cove. 28th Oct - 1st Nov Adult resting on the beach and feeding during the day on the fields near the school.

Scarlet Tanager. St Levan. 20th-21st Oct. First year, probably female. This is the second record for mainland Cornwall and just the fifth for the UK. The previous record was 30 years ago at Nanquidno. Found by Dave Lewis on the 20th, him and Matt Southam observed it four times at close range as it fed on pear fruit in Grey Gables garden. Incredibly, just 25 or so birders saw it next day at 9.45am for just three minutes. That was the last good view of this stunning bird. (Of interest, another Scarlet Tanager appeared on St Mary's on the 22nd. It was initially thought to be the same bird. However, this was a first year male and comparison of photo's by Jane Turner strongly suggests that two birds were indeed involved. The St Levan bird was most likely a first year female).

(Though not part of this report, the Scillies also recorded some truly superb vagrants, including Black and White Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Baltimore Oriole, Solitary Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, Red-eyed Vireo and Blue-winged Teal plus several Buff-breasted Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers!)

I like the name Katia.

Bufflehead on the Lizard

2011-10-27T20:58:00.001+01:00

This first winter female Bufflehead was found yesterday at the Waterings, Housel Bay. Many thanks to Steve Pilbeam and Andy Pay for putting the news out as soon as they could. Perhaps surprisingly, this is the first record for Cornwall. The pond is about 30 square yards in size and approx quarter mile from the Lizard Point.

The bird was feeding well when I arrived at 3.45pm today. It dived about twenty times with each dive taking about ten to fifteen seconds. It kept a safe distance and was spooked once by a dog walker; it flew briefly across the pond and back again to the far side.

I'm reasonably sure that it is a first winter female, based on the mottled grey underparts, rather than white, the small white head patch and the limited extent of white on the wing. I have also shown the bird preening with both left and right leg visible. There are no rings. The flight feathers also look to be perfect... Given the appalling weather conditions that Cornwall has experienced over the last couple days, I'm assuming that it has just arrived. (Another Bufflehead has apparenly also been found on the Azores today.)

All images taken with an old Nikon D50 six mega pixel SLR, 600mm lens plus 1.4 teleconverter. Ap F/5.6 -1.0 EV exposure, WB Cloudy, ISO 400. If anyone wants to use an image on their own blog, can you please have the courtesy to ask.

Trip report from Arctic Norway

2011-10-23T16:20:00.002+01:00

I recently went to Arctic Norway and have already posted quite a few pictures from that trip. The link below is a summary report by the trip organiser, Tormod Amundsen and is certainly worth a read, especially if anyone is interested in visiting this unique location. We went there in mid-May, so you may be surprised to see so much snow and cold weather gear being worn!

LINK HERE

Willow Tit on willows on the edge of the taiga.

Scarlet fever

2011-10-21T19:17:00.033+01:00

This first winter Scarlet Tanager was originally found by Dave Lewis and Matt Southam on Thursday as it fed in the pear tree in the garden of Grey Gables House, St Levan. They saw it four times over a couple hours as it fed on pears in the upper canopy. They must have had stunning views as the pear tree is only 15 yards from the road! In contrast, about thirty of us this morning had to sweat it out until just before 10 o'clock before the shout went out. A brisk run up the hill and we managed to see it at about 60 yards distance on top of the elm trees, for about three minutes. It moved along the tree tops a couple times before disappearing somewhere near the house. That was the only good view afforded all day. I didn't expect this bird to be so elusive. The shot below is the only decent one I could manage. About 100 or so more birders appeared during the morning and as far as I know, didn't connect.

This bird is the second record for mainland Cornwall, the first being some thirty years ago in nearby Nanquidno valley. This was a first year male, found by Brian Mellow (11th Oct 1981) and independently seen later by a crew from Wales.

There are four other records in Britain, the first being a first year male on St. Mary's, Scilly Oct 1970. Another first year male appeared on Tresco in Sept 1975. The third record was the Nanquidno bird in 1981 and the fourth was a first year female at Porthellick, St Marys in Oct 1982.

A touch of gloss

2011-10-16T20:16:00.000+01:00

The first year Glossy Ibis has been present at the southern end of Stithians Reservoir for nearly two weeks. First found on the 4th October by Steve Kolodziejski, it can be quite mobile, but is normally quite content feeding in the shallow pools near the wire road fence. Formerly a major county rarity, this delightful species has recently become an annual occurrence. Indeed just a couple years ago, a flock of 17 were seen in the Lizard area.

Nice legs

2011-10-11T20:50:00.000+01:00

This Lesser Yellowlegs arrived three weeks ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Katia and seems quite content here at St Clement, Truro, no doubt content with its new surroundings. Initially I found this individual quite flighty but today it was very confiding, affording unbelievably close views at high tide, beside the village car park.

My own Nikon camera is away being serviced so was using Kate's D300s. I completely underestimated the camera's 1.5x crop value and had to remove the 1.4x converter. Even so, I struggled to fit those long yellow legs into the frame! The light was poor this evening and the shutter speed was very low at 1/80s. I reduced the aperture to F/5,6 and achieved a maximum 1/250s. I'm always reluctant though to raise the ISO as you can always detect noice when cropping. These shots below were the best of the batch.

New Hawfinch images

2011-10-09T20:47:00.000+01:00

Several birders enjoyed the previous Hawfinch post, so here are four more of the best ones I took last week at Nanquidno. I was lucky to get such unexpected close views. The camera has recorded some intricate detail of this adult male, including the strange primary feathers and huge head. According to the literature, the massive bill packs around 80 lb of pressure, just enough to crack open the sloe berry kernels, as shown below.

BBRC Report on Rare Birds in Cornwall 2010

2011-10-06T15:56:00.003+01:00

The list of rarities summarised below are those accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) for Cornwall in 2010 and recently published in the BBRC Report October 2011.

American Bittern. Trewey Common, 26th-31st Oct and presumed same at Walmsley Sanctuary, 1st-6th Nov. R.Moores et al.

Green Heron. First winter. Heligan Gardens. 6th Oct-1st Dec. R Mitchell. S.Christophers. D.Julian.

Squacco Heron. Par. 22nd-24th May. (BISvcs.)

Pallid Harrier. Juv. St Just. 4th Dec 2009 - 25th Jan 2010. Roy Phillips.

Spotted Sandpiper. Juv. St. Ives. 18th Sep. R Sharples. D Parker.

Lesser Yellowlegs. Walmsley Sanctuary. 10th-14th May. C Selway.

Wilson's Phalarope. Juv/first winter. Hayle Estuary. 6th Sep. CC Barnard. T Twiggs.

Whiskered Tern. Adult. Dinham Flats, Camel Estuary. 20th-23rd April. Ian Prophet.

Brown Shrike. Ad female. Sennen. 20th May. M Warren.

Woodchat Shrike (race badius). First summer male. Windmill Farm NR. 10th-11th April.

Common Stonechat (race Siberian Stonechat maurus). First winter male. Nanquidno. 2nd-5th Oct. K Dalziel. J Hawkey.

Yellow Wagtail (race Black-headed Wagtail feldegg). First summer male. Land's End. 29th Apr-1st May. M Warren.

Citrine Wagtail. First winter. Tregiffian, Sennen. 3rd-7th Sep. M Warren.

Blyth's Pipit. 2007. Brew Pool. First winter. 20th Oct-1st Nov. K A Wilson.

Olive-backed Pipit. Two. Nanjizal. 11th-14th Oct. K A Wilson.

White-thoated Sparrow. Male in song. Boscastle. 30th Apr-2nd May. J Fanshawe.

Dark-eyed Junco. 2008. Ventonleague, Hayle. 26th Nov. P A Rutter.

Rejected records included Gyr Falcon, Newquay 10th Feb and Maer Lake 18th Feb and Calandra Lark, Penlee, 29th May. Another rejection of interest was the 2002 Tropicbird sp record of Penzance on 16th May.

Semipalmated Sandpiper at Davidstow

2011-10-03T21:36:00.000+01:00

The images below were taken this afternoon at Davidstow airport. Today's misty light was completely different to yesterday's extremely harsh light and thus the bird appears far greyer and cleaner. The side-on views show the dark centres to the scapulars, the generally scaly appearance, dark centre to the crown and short thick-based bill .

Nearctic waders at Davidstow today

2011-10-02T21:00:00.001+01:00

I visited one of my favourite sites today and came across this wader below, which I have to admit, gave me some headaches. My first reaction was Semi-palmated Sandpiper but moved to Little Stint and then back again once the bird was aged as a first year. Back home I downloaded the images and became more confused! Red-necked Stint was also considered but following conversations with Kester Wilson, John Chapple and Brian Field, the consensus is indeed a first year Semi-p. Close inspection does show palmations between the webs, the anchor shaped centres to some of the scapulars and the generally greyish-brown scaly upperparts.

The first winter Pectoral Sandpiper below was one of three present from the previous evening.

Nanquidno Hawfinch

2011-09-29T21:50:00.000+01:00

Late afternoon birding in Naquidno finished off what was a brilliant days' birding. I was chatting about the days' sightings with Chris Griffin when he saw a Hawfinch feeding on sloes about thirty yards away. We got a few record shots but it soon flew off. We moved closer to where it was first seen and waited for it to reappear on the original sloes. Within ten minutes it suddenly reappeared about ten yards away and I managed to take some nice shots of it in full sunshine. About 40 minutes later the bird was refound near the Mill feeding on more sloes ( lower photo). The bird was an adult male.

BTO / CBWPS Conference 29th October

2011-09-29T09:33:00.000+01:00

The BTO and Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society will be holding a joint Conference all day at the Bedruthan Steps Hotel. In addition to the six guest speakers, South West Optics, Swarovski and Opticron will be displaying some of their latest wares adjacent to the main Conference Hall. Viewing facilities are stunning at this venue. An optional evening dinner is also available. The booking form can be found here > LINK HERE

Various shrikes in the Cape Greco area

2011-09-26T21:38:00.000+01:00

Shrikes were easily the most common passerines with healthy numbers seen daily. Fifty plus Red-backs was not an uncommon sight though we never reached our record 120 seen in spring. Lesser Greys were the least common with the majority being young birds. Photo opportunites were plentiful with this male below taken from the car window. ALL of the other shots were taken in the field birding in a normal manner.

Male Red-backed Shrike - easily the most common passerine

First year Red-backed Shrike - young birds outnumbered adults 10:1

Adult male Masked Shrike - seen daily in small numbers

First year Red-backed

First year Lesser Grey Shrike showing the barred mantle and reduced dark forehead. One or two seen daily.

Some dragonflies in SE Cyprus

2011-09-26T21:01:00.001+01:00

Below are some images of dragonflies seen during the week in the Cape Greco area. During the intense midday heat, our attentions turned to dragonflies which were plentiful around water and in drier areas as well.

Scarlet Darter - fairly common - Crocothemis erythraea

Small Skimmer - just a couple seen - Orthetrum taeniolatum

Male Violet Dropwing in the obelisk position Trithemis annulata

Female Violet Dropwing - very common - Trithemis annulata

Male Red-veined Dropwing - scarce - Trithemis arteriosa

Male Lesser Emperor - fairly common - Anax parthenope

Slender Skimmer - locally common - Orthetrum sabina

Black Percher in the obelisk position

Birding in Cape Greco area Day 2

2011-09-19T19:03:00.000+01:00

Numbers of birds were reduced from Monday’s haul though there was still enough to keep you interested. Another 5:30am start proved beneficial as we saw 60 Honey Buzzards move through Cape Greco very early, with many flyovers no more than a hundred feet above us. Alongside them were a couple Hobby’s, one Osprey, two Marsh Harrier and a couple ringtail harriers, most likely Montagu’s. Bee Eaters continued to move south in high numbers along with Isabelline Wheatears, Eastern Black-eared, Northern and Cyprus Pied. Further passerines included many Whinchat, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Barred Warbler, 60 Red-rumped Swallow and two Citrine Wagtails (Achna Dam).

Whiskered Tern

A second visit to Achna Dam proved fruitful as there were six Whiskered Terns feeding close to the water edge as well as good numbers of mixed waders.

Whiskered Tern

The weather is ridiculously hot and humid, reaching a max 39 degs by midday, all but halting concentrated birding. Not content to remain static, we turned our attention to some local dragonflies. Unusual species included Black Percher, Black Pennant, Violet Dropwing, Red-veined Dropwing, Small Skimmer, Lesser Emperor, Vagrant Emperor, Slender Skimmer and hundreds of Red-veined Darter.

Slender Skimmer

First year Curlew Sandpiper

First year Red-backed Shrike, the most common passerine

Birding around Cape Greco area, Cyprus

2011-09-17T18:53:00.000+01:00

Honey Buzzard, one of fifty seen on the first day.

This is the first time we have been to Cyprus in the Autumn and we were unsure what to expect. Juvenile and first winter plumages as well as adults in moult all awaited us and a healthy library of field guides kept us busy in the evenings discussing finer points of ID. An overnight flight from Exeter to Larnaca ensured that we started birding early on Monday 12th Sept. We were not disappointed as there had been a reasonable fall of passerines and waders. Highlights included a decent movement of 50 Honey Buzzards, three Marsh Harrier, one Montagu’s Harrier and one Eleonora’s Falcon. Shrikes were plentiful with 25 Red-backed, a Lesser Grey and five Masked, all in varying stages of moult. Around sixty Bee Eaters kept us busy checking for possible Blue-cheeked. A juv. Rock Thrush was the only one seen on the trip. A visit to nearby Achna Dam was fruitful with six Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, 77 Spur-winged Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, six Temminck’s Stint, 25 Little Stint, 14 Wood Sandpiper and ten Curlew Sandpiper.

First year Rock Thrush

First year Red-backed Shrike

Seawatching at Pendeen today

2011-09-07T19:48:00.000+01:00

A nine hour seawatch at Pendeen today was not quite a classic but still well worth the effort. Three year ticks and a constant stream of shearwaters kept me happy. Highlights included a Red-necked Phalarope, two Leach's Petrels, two close Great Shearwaters and good numbers of Sooty Shearwaters. Twenty of us missed a Wilson's Petrel which was claimed by another group viewing from a different area.

Sooty Shearwater (taken from a pelagic last yeear)

Total numbers from first light to 2.30pm are as follows: 68 Sooty Shearwater, three Great Shearwater, 16 Balearic Shearwater, one Red-necked Phalarope, one Grey Phalarope, two Leach's Petrel, ten Euro Stormy's, 21 Sandwich Tern, one Black Tern, three Arctic Tern, 30 comic terns, 42 Bonxie and 26 Arctic Skuas. A male Peregrine flew past and a Northern Wheatear was favouring the viewpoint area.

Balearic Shearwater - one of at least 16 seen today (taken from St Ives last year)

One of three seen today, two very close (taken from a Pelagic)

Yellow Wagtail is small consolation

2011-09-04T16:13:00.001+01:00

I paid another visit to Davidstow today in the hope of finding some waders but there were none at all. Not even a single Dunlin. I did find a couple first year Yellow Wagtails, two White Wagtails and about twenty Northern Wheatears though. Just to rub some salt in the wound, my work colleague Kate Jones texted me to say she and John had found a Pectoral Sandpiper at Drift ! Nice.

Irene sends a Baird's Sandpiper

2011-09-01T20:20:00.001+01:00

The images below were taken this afternoon of the first year Baird's Sandpiper at Hayle Estuary. It was found on Tuesday this week by Dave Parker and Phil Rutter and is presumably the start of a nice run of Nearctic vagrants this Autumn ! With some luck, Hurricane Irene will do us all proud.

Regarding past Baird's records in Cornwall, the exact numbers are curiously difficult to reconcile as records rejected by the BBRC are in fact included in the official CBWPS file. Including this bird, there has been a total of approximately 32 birds, the first of which apparently occurred in 1965, though this bird does not appear in the CBWPS Report as it was rejected (presumably by BBRC). A similar fate happened to another report in 1966. Thus the first authentic Cornish record was at Ruan Lanihorne and is attributed to Ted Griffiths and Stan Gay in 1980.

1980 Ruan Lanihorne 31 Aug - 2 Sep
1980 Predannack Airfield 20 Sep
1980 Davidstow 21 Sep - 1 Oct
1981 Davidstow 22 - 24 Sep (not in 1981 report)
1981 Marazion 28 Sep - 10 Oct
1981 Ruan Lanihorne 15 Oct - not in BBRC
1983 Siblyback first year 3 - 18 Sep
1983 Camel ad. 14 Sep
1983 Davidstow 15 - 16 Sep
1983 Marazion Beach 20 - 25 Sep
1983 Carnsew Pool 28 Sep (rejected)
1984 Record at Crowdy Res/Davidstow 12 Sep (rejected)
1984 Siblyback 26 - 29 Sep
1988 Stithians first year 4 - 15 Sep
1989 Stithians first year 24 - 30 Oct (per 1990 report)
1989 Crowdy first year 1 – 11 Oct
1995 Upper Tamar Lake first year 15 - 18 Sep
1995 Colliford Lake first year 23 Sep then Dozmary Pool on 24 Sep
1997 Gannel Est on 3 Aug.
1997 Hayle Est. on 31 Aug.
1997 Devoran, Restronguet Creek on 10 - 21 Sep
1998 Davidstow (2) one 11 - 20 Sep, with a second on 16 Sep
1999 Camel ad 22 - 25 Aug
2001 Long Rock Beach, Marazion 16 Sep – 17 Oct
2004 Crowdy/Davidstow 4 – 21 Sep, but (2) on 7 + 10 Sep
2004 Marazion Beach 7 – 11 Sep and 15 – 16 Sep
2004 Stithians 13 – 26 Sep
2005 Hayle Est 1 Sep (not in BBRC)
2006 Hayle 8 – 13 Sep (possibly another bird 4 Oct not submitted to BBRC)
2006 St John’s Ford 20 Sep
2006 Trevose Head 23 Sep (not submitted to BBRC)
2009 Marazion Beach 3 Sep to at least 17th Sep
2009 Davidstow 1 Sep to at least 16th Sep
2011 Hayle Estuary 30th Aug to at least 1st Sep

Historic Totals Aug 5, Sep 24, Oct 3. The most popular site is Marazion Beach with eight records here.

Northern Wheatears on the move

2011-08-31T21:12:00.000+01:00

Good numbers of Northern Wheatears were showing well on Sunday at Davidstow. The majority of the 25 or so were all first year birds. In addition, around 50 Pied Wagtails were present. Elsewhere, migration is picking up with a Baird's Sandpiper found at Hayle yesterday and a Great White Egret found today at Restronguet Point, Truro.

Ringed Plovers at Davidstow

2011-08-30T19:20:00.001+01:00

Below are some shots from yesterday of various age Ringed Plovers. I was lucky with the clear early morning light. EXIF details: Ap F/5.6 ISO 125. Exposure -0.3EV. Matrix metering. WB Cloudy.

Photo opportunities only at Davidstow

2011-08-29T20:57:00.000+01:00

A couple hours this morning at Davidstow was superb for photography but still too early for some nice rare waders. Maybe another few days to go. In the meantime, some common passerines and about ten Ringed Plover did show nicely. In addition, a single Yellow Wagtail was my first for the year.

Skylark

Juv Pied Wagtail

First year Northern Wheatear

First year Ringed Plover

Adult Ringed Plover

Slow start to autumn wader passage

2011-08-28T20:09:00.000+01:00

Waders seem to be thin on the ground in west Cornwall and as far as I know, there are no nearctic waders reported this weekend. That will probably change when hurricane Irene tracks further north up the east coast of America this week. For the time being, today I saw one Curlew Sandpiper and a handful of Knot at Hayle, two Spotted Redshank, one Wood Sandpiper, a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover at Stithians Reservvoir and a six Sanderling on Marazion beach.

First year Dunlin at Marazion beach

The Stuart Hutchings portfolio part 3

2011-08-26T20:26:00.000+01:00

The four photographs below were all taken in Cornwall and Scilly. Black and white photography was Stuart's favourite medium. In fact, of all the photo's given to me, none are in colour!

Blackpoll Warbler, most likely the St Agnes bird in October 1984.

Juv Pectoral Sandpiper at Stithians Reservoir.

Least Sandpiper, Feb 1986. Twitched by hundreds of birders as it fed on the cliff edge near Portscatho.

Long-billed Dowitcher.

The Stuart Hutchings portfolio

2011-08-21T20:30:00.001+01:00

Continuing with the publication of some of Stuart's work, the species below would today set pulses racing. The Belted Kingfisher image was taken at Boscathnoe Reservoir in August 1980. Originally located at Sladesbridge in 1979, John Johns later refound the same bird just west of Penzance. This was the third record for Britain.

Fresh Small Tortoiseshell

2011-08-21T20:09:00.001+01:00

I took this shot last Friday at Pennans Pool. There were a good dozen or so fresh insects on the wing feeding on the water mint flower heads. This is the first time I've posted this species. Ap F/8, ISO 250. Shutter 1/160s. Exp -0.3EV.

Beautiful Demoiselle flirting its wings

2011-08-19T22:23:00.001+01:00

I took a series of hand-held shots today of this Beautiful Demoiselle. This image caught my eye as this male was continually flirting its wings - the camera has just caught the four wings about to expand.

Aperture F/8. Shutter 1/320s. ISO 500. Matrix metering 0.0EV. 200mm F/4 Micro Nikkor.

A tribute to Stuart Hutchings

2011-08-18T19:22:00.000+01:00

Over the coming weeks, I will be featuring some of Stuart Hutchings' photographic work. His interest in photography and wildlife will be known to many but maybe not known, was his wide interest in every type of camera available at the time. Medium format, plate cameras, field cameras, digital cameras and SLR's were all held in the armoury. Stuart sadly passed away nearly five years ago. Some of his work has never been published and with Cait's kind permission, some stunning images of his are proudly shown here.

The first image is an Upland Sandpiper which was found on the Lizard Downs, Cornwall in October 1982. It was the first record since 1968 and the fifth record for Cornwall. Stuart photographed this bird with a Nikon F2 SLR film camera.

Capriole Pelagic from Penzance

2011-08-07T16:49:00.000+01:00

Ten birders spent seven hours on the Capriole last Thursday, mainly in the Runnel Stone to Wolf Rock area. The highlight was a single Great Shearwater though too distant for photography. We also saw Sooty Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, 15 Storm Petrels and several Great Skuas. Three days later we would have seen an Atlantic Petrel - I feel sea-sick!

Same Common Blue - different angle

2011-07-26T21:21:00.000+01:00

These shots of a male Common Blue were taken this evening in bright, low sunlight. The insect was docile and ready to roost so gave me the opportunity to move around it. All were taken within five minutes of each other and goes to show what a change of position does to the final image. The top shot is back-lit and directly facing the sun. Exposure was +0.3EV. The bottom shot is with the sun behind me and exposure dropped to -0.7EV. Aperture F/13. ISO 200. All handheld with 200mm Micro Nikkor F/4.

Seawatching season starts now

2011-07-25T20:26:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite aspects of birding in Cornwall is the annual movement of seabirds from July to September. Spectacular movements of around 800 Cory's hearwater have already been seen off Porthgwarra. I managed to see five off Pendeen last week, one giving quite close views, though still too distant for photography. The shots below were taken from a pelagic last year. Hopefully I will be able to get on a couple over the next month or so.

Sooty Shearwater

Fulmar

Great Green Bush Cricket in early morning dew

2011-07-18T20:50:00.000+01:00

Ap F/9. ISO 125. Exposure: 0.0 EV Matrix metering. WB: Cloudy. 200mm F/4 Micro Nikkor.

Brown Argus at first light

2011-07-14T19:59:00.000+01:00

This image was taken early this morning in very low, bright sunshine. Several mint condition Brown Argus were just emerging from the dew-sodden grass. They were quite docile as they allowed the warmth to get into their bodies.

Ap F/10. ISO 125. Exp 0.0 EV. Nikon F/4 Micro Nikkor lens. Tripod.

Dark-green Fritillary at Perranporth dunes

2011-07-12T07:08:00.001+01:00

These shots were taken yesterday evening, which is the only time of day that seems to be the best to get anywhere near this species. Dark-greens are strong fliers and only need a hint of sunshine to fly around. The species is locally common in Cornwall with the north coastal regions being the best eg Gwithian towans, Perranporth dunes and around the Camel Estuary.

Field trip to Windmill Farm, Lizard

2011-07-10T21:05:00.000+01:00

A fascinating field trip to Windmill Farm today with a dozen people unearthed a new world of fascinating macro subjects. Led by Steve Jones and Dougy Wright, we were introduced to water-based insects, dragonfly exuviae, butterflies, grass snakes, crickets and ovipositing! Many thanks to all those present for sharing their specialist knowledge. The images below are a small selection of today's highlights.

Blue-tailed Damselflies in the copulation wheel

Common Darter, approx one day old

Common Darter recently emerged from its' exuviae.

Female Emperor ovipositing

The image below is a fascinating collection of Emperor exuviae. Steve Jones is monitoring the area - 268 were collected yesterday from just two pools. Counting exuviae gives a more accurate picture of how many adults are in the area, most of which disperse.The collection is just a small sample and the actual total is probably three or four times this amount.

Emperor Dragonfly exuviae, a selection of 268 collected from just two pools at Windmill.

Female Golden-ringed Dragonfly - we witnessed an Emperor devouring another Golden-ringed Dragonfly!

Great Green Bush Cricket, female.

Water Stick Insect with freshly devoured beetle (top right) and the eggs of the stick insect growing inside the reed. Opposite the pale eggs are the breathing tubes (small spikes).

Dark-green Fritillary at Perranporth

2011-07-10T20:22:00.000+01:00

I took this image last Thursday in low light. There are actually two shown in this photo. The image was taken at about 8pm on ISO800, far higher than I normally use. The insect was also "shivering" which meant this image was the only one just in focus. Dark-green Fritillary is a bit of a speciality in this region and this was my first for the year here.

Back-lit Silver-studded Blue

2011-07-10T20:11:00.000+01:00

I took this shot last week on an evening visit to Perranporth. My friend Sam Williams also took a similar shot as we experimented with back-lit macro. The low evening sun is situated just above the 12 o'clock position. Exposure was raised to +1 EV. Ap F/10.

Bentley Wood, pt 2

2011-07-04T21:50:00.000+01:00

Below are some more images from Bentley Wood yesterday, including Her Majesty, the Purple Emperor. This mythical butterfly is rare in England and even here at it's stronghold, is difficult to find. We only saw four and were exceptionally lucky to see, let alone photo, a female sunning herself on a path. For some reason, she did not want to move from the puddle, even when a tractor drove past.

Female Purple Emperor resting on the warm track at about 10am

Female Purple Emperor, video grab, courtesy of John Chapple.

Large Skipper, male, one of hundreds seen during the day.

Male Silver-washed Fritillary

Female Silver-washed Fritillary being shown interest from a male.

Bentley Wood, Hampshire

2011-07-04T20:54:00.002+01:00

A must-visit to the famous Bentley Wood on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border on Sunday paid dividends. John Chapple and me saw every available species including four Purple Emperors (also known as His/Her Majesty), two White-letter Hairstreak, Purple Hairstreaks, scores of Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark-green Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, scores of Marbled Whites and White Admirals and hundreds of Ringlets.

Below are some shots of Marbled White and White Admiral. Further images will follow in later posts. Given the number of enthusiasts present and surrounding some species, I decided to use a longer lens as the macro would involve too close a view with so many observers to consider. It was good to see so many faces from the past there, especially the Devon crews!

A link to more information on Bentley Wood can be found HERE

Female Marbled White nectaring on Marsh Thistle

White Admiral (the first to appear on this blog).

June round-up of images

2011-06-29T22:00:00.001+01:00

June has been an annoying month, mainly because the weather has not been favourable, but also because my macro lens stopped working. Just at the wrong time. Nikon informed me there was condensation inside the lens which had stopped the motor working, no wonder I guess in the monsoon-like conditions we get in our summer. So the images below have been taken with Kate's 105 macro, a borrowed 60mm macro and my 300mm f/2.8.

They are a bit of a mixed bag, something for eveyone I guess:

Spotted Orchid

Pyramidal Orchid in Somerset

Spurge

Marsh Cinqfoil at Goss Moor

Fly in macro on a twisted blade of grass (one of my favourites this Spring).

Frog at Windmill Farm, Lizard

Small Skipper in Kent

Marbled White in Somerset

Common Blue

Silver-studded Blue in Cornwall

Silver-studded Blues at dusk, just prior to roost, all females.

Silver-studded Blues resting on Spotted Orchid, Cornwall

Large Blue at Collard Hill, Somerset

2011-06-20T21:21:00.001+01:00

We were lucky on Friday to see four male Large Blues at Collard Hill near Street last Friday. I say lucky because we had a two hour window of no rain. The high wind also made viewing and photography difficult as well. We were also grateful that the warden of the site put us on to these ultra-rare insects.

The life-cycle of the Large Blue makes incredible reading and it is this that makes the species so vulnerable. Indeed, the Large Blue became extinct in the UK in 1979. The photos below are a result of the Somerset Wildlife Trust funding a reintroduction programme of Swedish origin.

Male Large Blue resting on Self-heal

The complicated life cycle begins with the eggs being laid on Wild Thyme. When the caterpillar emerges it feeds on the thyme for up to three weeks before falling to the ground. The caterpillar then tricks a passing ant into believing it is an ant grub. It produces chemicals that smell like an ant grub, as well as secreting a sweet fluid that the ants "milk".

The ant carries the caterpillar to the nest. The caterpillar becomes a carnivore and eats the ant grubs. It hybernates in the nest in the winter and turns into a chrysalis in spring. The butterfly emerges from the nest in June but lives for just five to seven days.

If this life cycle isn't complicated enough, then in addition, the red ant itself requires a specific habitat of short grass and warm ground, specifically kept short by cattle within defined dates! A massive amount of study work has been undertaken and can be found via the link below.

A full detailed history and ecology of the Large Blue in the UK can be found HERE

Silver-studded Blues

2011-06-14T21:45:00.000+01:00

These shots were taken this evening with a 105 Nikon macro. The weather was dull and drizzly so these delightful insects were completely at ease and unwilling to fly. The lens was about six inches from the subject.

Red Kite influx in West Cornwall

2011-06-05T20:38:00.000+01:00

On Friday 3rd June, approximately a dozen Red Kites were seen over Nanjizal, West Cornwall. I went on Saturday 4th mid morning to the "Raftra viewpoint" overlooking Sennen, Skewjack and Nanjizal. After twenty minutes wait I was pleasantly surprised to count at least 46 individuals fly past me. There were three groups of a dozen or so, the rest singles or pairs. Some were within 30 metres of me and just above eye level, giving incredible photo and viewing opportunities.

Three birds came out of Nanjizal woods so presumably they had been roosting there. The majority were very worn with heavy abrasion, with feathers missing in the wing and tail. Only a handful had bright red upper-tail feathers; most were very dull. The photos below show the generally poor state they were in. I also saw two birds with small plastic markers in the wing.

When the movement finished, I went to St Just to buy a pasty and saw another (or same) group of twelve between Cot Vally and the airfield. John Chapple also saw another seven at St Buryan. Many more sightings of ones and twos the length of the county were reported, so I guess the total number probably reached a good hundred birds.

The general consensus is that these wandering, non-breeding birds are from UK stock rather than from the continent.

Green Hairstreaks at Porthgwarra

2011-06-05T18:45:00.000+01:00

These two shots were taken this afternoon on the moor at Porthgwarra, Cornwall. I saw about five in total feeding and resting on the gorse and heather. Green Hairstreak is not common in Cornwall, in fact this is the first time I've photographed the species. All past sightings have come from west Cornwall on the coast. From memory, I have never seen one inland. The species is single brooded and is mainly seen in May and June.

Summer plumage Snow and Lapland Buntings

2011-06-05T18:28:00.000+01:00

Below are four images of some stunning summer plumage Lapland Buntings and female Snow Bunting. This is the first time I've seen these species in this plumage. The male Lapland Bunting is handsome for sure, but the Snow Bunts take some beating as well. These were taken at Nesseby, Varanger. I've also put a link to Martin Garner's blog, who was also on the same trip as me to Arctic Norway. Martin was live-updating his blog via iPhone. Link is HERE

Kittiwakes in northern Norway

2011-06-01T08:02:00.000+01:00

It always pays to review past images. The poor weather over the weekend allowed some time to review the hundreds of images from my recent trip to Arctic Norway. I came across these three images of Kittiwakes, one of the most common seabirds in northern Norway. We visited several colonies holding multiple thousands of these delightful seabirds. They are indeed an icon of the area. The noise, smell and activity of these birds is memorable. I like the shots below as the adults carry nesting material in the Varanger Fjord.

Common blues

2011-06-01T07:54:00.000+01:00

A pair of Common Blues mating on Bank Holiday Monday in the dunes

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary at Breney

2011-05-29T22:55:00.000+01:00

These shots were taken today at Breney Common nature reserve near Bodmin. Although the weather was dull today, around twenty were counted around the reserve. The species is locally common and widespread in Cornwall. Inland populations and greatest concentration is Goss Moor, eastwards towards Breney Common and Bodmin. Other concentrations include the Lizard and far west, where it is mainly restricted to the coastal areas. The species is normally single brooded and is on the wing from early May to June. (Source: Cornwall Butterfly Atlas).

Settled on Marsh Cinquefoil

Unusually blue female Common Blue

2011-05-29T21:56:00.001+01:00

The two images below are of the same butterfly. The underside appears just like a normal female Common Blue but the upper side has an unusual amount of blue showing. I've been shown this type once before in North Cornwall but was delighted to find this one at Breney Common. Its only the second one I've seen. The blue colour is also quite pale and reminded me of Chalkhill Blue colouring. A stunning specimen.

Common Blues at dusk

2011-05-25T07:59:00.000+01:00

This pair of Common Blue butterflies were preparing for roost. They sit up on the horsetail in the last rays of sun, before walking down the stem.

First Silver-studded Blue for the year

2011-05-24T22:47:00.000+01:00

This evening was the first calm and sunny opportunity I've had to do some butterfly photography. A trip to the local sand dunes proved worthwhile as there were about one hundred mixed Common and Silver-studded Blues, mostly commons.

Arctic Skuas are the losers at Nesseby

2011-05-23T20:51:00.000+01:00

This pair of adult dark phase Arctic Skuas were so busy chasing down the Kittiwake that they overlooked a Herring Gull waiting for the regurgitation. The Kittiwake finally unloaded its' last meal only for the gull to swoop in. The skuas looked on forlornly.

Dream bird comes true

2011-05-23T08:16:00.000+01:00

Hawk Owl was one of the species I really wanted to see in Arctic Norway. We had just about given up hope after spending some time in a known area. A chance of fate on the last morning meant our connection flight had been cancelled because the pilot was poorly. We had four hours to reach Kirkenes - just enough time. As luck would have it, Ruud van Beusehom shouted Hawk Owl on the way back! We had five minutes. Sadly my gear was packed away, but Ueli Grutter, a Swiss birder had his 300 f/4 with him and manged some very respectable record shots. This is his shot shown here. Thanks Ueli.

Passerines and a few flakes of snow in the Varanger area

2011-05-16T20:01:00.000+01:00

Below are a selection of images of passerines in and around Varanger Fjord. The only plentiful species was Snow Bunting, especially as the heavy snow drove them down off the high tundra to lower ground. I don't normally post landscape images but the shots below backup what I have mentioned in previous posts. This is real snow.

In addition, other top passerines on the trip included Pine Grosbeak, Waxwings, Siberian Tit and Arctic Redpolls (including two gorgeous snow white males).

Willow Tit - a pair were seen at Varjjat

Female Snow Bunting - common in suitable areas. Large flocks of up to 200 in the far north.

Male Lapland Bunting - just started arriving; we saw about ten individuals.

Male Snow Bunting at Kongsfjord - part of a flock of 120+ birds.

High tundra near Kongsfjord, a site for Dotterel, but they haven't arrived yet! The darker patch is a frozen lake.

Holiday cottage at Kongsfjord. This area is good for Temminck's Stint and Purple Sandpiper, but not right now!

The road from Siltefjord to Batsfjord, specially cleared for our party! When exactly does all this lot melt...

Seabirds on Hornoy Island, Vardo, Norway

2011-05-15T10:52:00.000+01:00

Hornoy Island is ten minutes by boat from Vardo. The visit here has left a lasting impression - it is the home of 150 thousand seabirds, with up to 10,000 pairs of Puffin, 3500 pairs of Guillemot, 500 Razorbill and 3-400 pairs of Brunnich's Guillemot. The noise and smell can only be imagined! We also saw a single drake King Eider here as well as Sea Eagle. The latter is particularly fond of Kittiwakes and they have developed a unique way of catching them, as described below in an earlier post.

Brunnich's Guillemot

Sea Eagles, the commonest raptor in Varanger

Shag close up

Razorbill

Common Guillemot and Bridled Guillemt

Arctic Skuas preying on Kittiwakes in Varanger Fjord

2011-05-15T10:37:00.001+01:00

We visited an area around Nesseby, Varanger where many Kittiwakes pass by the "island". This site is famous as this is where the Soft-plumaged Petrel was found a couple years ago. Skuas are regularly seen in the fjords and on the tundra, but these two were close enough to be photo'd harrassing a Kittiwake. The Kittiwake eventually disgorged its last meal, only for a cunning Herring Gull to be watching and jumped in quick to take the food.

Early morning image of a Kittiwake near Ekkeroy, Varanger

Kittiwake carrying nesting material

Blue Fulmar Pelagic from Batsfjord, Arctic Norway

2011-05-15T10:27:00.000+01:00

All of the photos in this post were taken by my colleague Joerg Kretzchmar. A link to his web site can be found here: OZELLUS

We hired the services of a local fisherman who also specialises in dedicated pelagic trips out of Batsfjord. The main aim was to see at close quarters the Blue Fulmar, a huge breeding Kittiwake colony and also a small Gannetry. The boat used was a 12 man rib ! Sea conditions, as one would expect from a trip well into the Barents Sea, were very wet, windy and cold. The swell was approx ten to fifteen feet.

After a couple hours we found a hauling trawler. We started chumming and attracted hundreds of Blue Fulmars and smaller numbers of auks. Exceptionally close views were obtained but given the comparatively small boat and big seas, the skipper was reluctant to stop as the huge swell immediately causes sea sickness... I've experienced the same on Cornish pelagics - the down side is that photography and viewing is more difficult when moving.

We arrived at the huge Kittiwake colony and experienced Sea Eagles at close quarters grabbing Kittiwakes from the nest. The eagles have developed a local strategy of patrolling the cliff edge extremely closely and suddenly creating a strong wind draft beside a nest with its' vast wings. The sudden wind-force topples the sitting adult off the nest, only to be grabbed by the eagle. We saw it happen. Awesome.

Entrance to the huge Syltefjord, approx 60 kms from our staring point at Batsfjord, on the Barents Sea

A very dark morph Blue Fulmar

Variation of colours of Blue Fulmars

Kittiwakes feeding on chum

Many thanks to Joerg for allowing me to show his photos.

Male Snow Bunting

2011-05-11T06:44:00.000+01:00

This stunning male Snow Bunting was taken this morning outside our B&B. Another 200 were present as they fed in the snow covered field beside the house. They have all descended to lower ground to escape the thick layer of snow on the high tundra.

Arctic Norway living up to its' name

2011-05-11T05:49:00.000+01:00

The Arctic describes exactly where we are! Yesterday's weather was predominantly snow and blizzard conditions. The winter snow scene on the higher tundra reminded me of the high alps in France. Luckily we have all brought our salopettes and extreme cold weather gear.

The Puffin shot below shows the blizzard well! The seabirds were taken on the island of Hornoy off Vardo, in the Veranger Fjord area. This place hosts thousands of seabirds including 200,000 Kittiwakes, numerous Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Brunnich's Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Eider and of course the odd Killer Whale.

The other images include high Arctic breeding specialities: Bean Geese and Pink-footed Geese, Steller's Eider on pack-ice and Arctic Redpoll.

Arctic Norway - four seasons in one day

2011-05-09T21:30:00.000+01:00

We were warned to bring cold weather clothing and today the weather showed us what it can do in a short space of time. Bright sun, rain, sleet and finally snow, coupled with gale force winds were unleashed today. Luckily we were all prepared.

Highlights included Arctic Redpoll, about 150 plus Steller's Eider ( a true local speciality), a feeding group of about 30 White-tailed Eagle, Brunnich's Guillemot, White-billed Diver, Willow Grouse, close views of summer plumage Lapland Bunting nd Snow Bunting, plus two Orca's.

Puffin on territory

Common Gull - a common breeder on the tundra

Male Steller's Eider - a Norway speciality

Northern Norway pt 2

2011-05-07T21:52:00.000+01:00

Today is our first full day in the field and it has taken a few hours to become acclimatised to the birding. We have travelled through mixed taiga forest, alongside many fjords and then on to sub-tundra. The weather has been very changeable from pure blue sky to heavy rain, and surprisingly a large amount of snow still on the ground. I woke at 2.45am in full sunlight and birded immediately. The temperature was minus 1 degree. As I write this it is now nearly 11 o'clock local time, minus 3 and my eyes are nearly closed!

I have posted some shots below but photography was generally difficult. In addition, we also saw a few White-tailed Eagles, several Rough-legged Buzzards, many Fieldfare and Redwing in full song, Brambling, Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, Parrot Crossbill, Siberian Tit, White-billed Diver, Bean Geese, Common Crane feeding on the tundra, Spotted Redshank in summer plumage and Snipe drumming. Sea duck were numerous. Tomorrow we bird Veranger Fjord properly.

Inside the Arctic Circle, Northern Norway

2011-05-07T04:24:00.000+01:00

I arrived at Kirkenes in Finnmark, Northern Norway late today. The group was collected from the airport by our very excited local guide, who took us immediately to the side of a mountain. All the commotion was about this Brown Bear, seen at about 100 yards distance. The light was failing but just enough to get a shot. The interest created a bit of a local twitch, perhaps twenty people watching it. Although the image is dark, you can see his eyes looking directly at the crowd. I didn't fancy getting closer as our guide said he eats reindeer for breakfast.

Depending on internet access, I will post some more images as and when through the week.

Bonaparte's Gull flight shots

2011-05-02T21:45:00.001+01:00

Bonaparte's Gull at Hayle Estuary

2011-05-02T21:41:00.000+01:00

The long-staying first summer Bonaparte's Gull at Hayle Estuary today performed for the cameras! Five of us were treated to half an hour of very obliging views. The small black bill and very pale flesh coloured legs were very obvious, as was the pearly grey upperparts.

Text me when you get there...

2011-05-02T20:52:00.000+01:00

I took these shots today of a Dunlin amongst of flock of around 200 at Hayle Estuary. I found this obvious bird with its' bright leg rings ( double orange rings on the right leg, green flag on the left), but on closer inspection, I could see a vertical aerial stuck to its' mantle plus a second aerial attached to the tail. Whatever your personal opinion is on this new method of migration study, this individual seems to be unperturbed by the encumberance. (If it is a female, good luck to the interested male...)

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) at Windmill Farm, Lizard

2011-04-29T08:53:00.002+01:00

I revisted Windmill Farm in the hope of re-finding the Vagrant Emperor but had no such luck. I did catch up with this nice male Red-veined Darter though. Whilst nowhere near as rare as a Vagrant Emperor, Red-veined Darter is a fairly frequent migrant, principally to southwest England. There are scattered records from elsewhere and the species has reached Scotland. The species breeds nearly annually, but colonies are seemingly not stable. Breeds in large shallow water bodies such as rice paddies in Southern Europe.

Shown here looking upwards displaying its' characteristic blue base to the eye

Some macro photography from Perran dunes tonight

2011-04-20T22:22:00.000+01:00

Tonight's stunningly warm and unseasonal weather tempted me to do some macro photography at Perran dunes. Macro is one area that I will be majoring on this year and these four shots below are my first trials this year. Given the right weather, hopefully I will be posting a lot more through the spring and summer. The shots were taken with a 200mm F/4 Micro Nikkor, with aperture between F/10 and F/32.

Spider spinning a web at sunset

Dandelion clock close-up taken at F/32

Dung Fly with low sun directly behind it

Micro beetle approx 3 or 4 mm long with sun behind it.

Record shot of Bonaparte's Gull at Hayle

2011-04-20T22:13:00.000+01:00

I took this shot on Monday evening at about 8pm in half light. The ISO was high but it's this technology that captures quite incredible detail given the very low light and long distance of this first year Bonaparte's Gull.

First suspected by Chris Townend and Russ last Tuesday, it was confirmed independently by Laurie Williams on Wednesday at Copperhouse Creek. This is approximately the 40th Cornish record. Over a third of all records in Cornwall occur in March and April, the dates tying in nicely with this individual.

Male Montagu's Harrier at Goonhilly

2011-04-17T21:10:00.000+01:00

This stunning male Montagu's Harrier was seen today on Goonhilly Downs on the south side of the Croft Pasco plantation. The best views were obtained from the road. Sadly I just missed the ultimate views at just 20 yards when it settled in front of John Chapple's cam corder.

These shots were taken at about 75 yards, midday in strong heat haze, hence the slight blur. Montagu's Harrier is the rarest of all British breeding raptors. The species once bred in north Cornwall in the early 70's but is now long since extinct as a breeder. Even as a migrant, it is scarce. This is also the first male that I have seen in Cornwall.

Purple Heron at Marazion Marsh

2011-04-17T20:24:00.000+01:00

The continuing run of easterly airflow over the south west has resulted in a brilliant start to the Spring. There have been no less than four Purple Herons this Spring in west Cornwall with two showing well at College and
Marazion this weekend. There are about 40 records of this stunning heron in Cornwall and records seem to be increasing in recent years. Indeed, in 2006, a pair were present at College up to the end of June, though no breding was proved.

Purple Heron breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia. It is a rare but regular wanderer north of its breeding range, as we have witnessed in Cornwall.

The two record shots below were taken today at Marazion today.

You can't beat a good servicing

2011-04-17T19:58:00.000+01:00

Nikon have just returned my camera after a sensor clean and service and I have to say, I am pleased to be reunited. Typicaly, the recent Subalpine Warbler, Gull-billed Tern and Woodchat(s) were begging to be photographed! How things have changed; a few years ago I would have been delighted just to see those species in Cornwall, but now they have to be photographed as well.

Those three species have moved on but I did get a chance to photo some common birds, as shown below. The male Stonechat was singing his heart out to a nearby female at Marazion today. While he was thinking about services of a different kind, my camera's own service seems to have paid off and those dreaded dust spots have gone for now.

Purple Heron and Garganey at College Res.

2011-04-13T17:29:00.001+01:00

These images were taken early this morning in dull overcast light. Given the long distance and low light, I was pleased with the results. The ISO was set to 1250 and they were taken with a D300s.

Both these species in recent years have been regular at this site. The Purple Herons always feed in the same area on the south side of the island and roost in the tall trees. Five years ago, two were present though no breeding occurred. Purple Heron is an annual vagrant to Cornwall, with records in Spring and Autumn.

Male Garganey, scarce passage migrant in Cornwall, mainly Spring. Garganey are regularly seen here at College.

This male was accompanied by a female at the weekend though she has since moved on.

Ring-necked Duck displays to Tufted Duck at Stithians Res.

2011-04-13T16:54:00.000+01:00

Cornwall's wintering Ring-necked Duck was today seen courting this female Tufted Duck at Stithians Res. He couldn't keep his eyes off her but she didn't take much notice! The display included head flicking, neck stretches, skypointing and spraying water, all very similar to a Goldeneye's courtship behaviour.

All images taken with a Nikon D300s, courtesy of Kate Jones.

Cape Verde Pt 4 - desert birding

2011-04-07T22:20:00.001+01:00

Below are some images of typical desert species I saw in Boa Vista, Cape Verde last month. Boa Vista was the only island I visited and held enough to keep me occupied. Other islands are expensive to visit and the locals seem to know how to charge the Euro200 inter-island flight. A further 200 euros paid for a trip to Razo island for the endemic Razo Lark but I declined when told you cannot now land !

A typical ribeira, or dry river bed. This area alone held three species of lark and Cream-coloured Courser

Hoopoe Lark, a common bird of the open desert

Hoopoe Lark, adult seen feeding a fledgling nearby.

Hoopoe Lark, in open desert with no vegetation. The tube in the foreground is actually a parched branch from an ancient woodland.

Adult Spectacled Warbler, common in all habitats.

Bar-tailed Desert Lark; more localised but still present in good numbers.

Female Black-capped Finch Lark, common in arid desert.

Juv Black-capped Finch Lark

Adult male Iago Sparrow, a common endemic of the Cape Verdes (sometimes known as Rufous-backed Sparrow).

This was one of my target species and I saw about 20 in total.

Adult Cape Verde Cream-coloured Coursers, a localised sub species.

Cape Verde pt 3 - whale watching pelagic

2011-04-04T21:42:00.001+01:00

Humpback Whales breed in the seas around Cape Verde and as such, the locals organise daily pelagics to witness these huge animals at fairly close quarters. I was lucky enough to see five including one young, just visible in the fourth image. With a scope, we could just see them breaching from the shore - quite an amazing sight. Sadly I didn't see a breach from the catamarran. The breach image at the bottom of the set was taken by Falli Bira, a local paparazzi who kindly allowed me to show this image.

Red-throated Diver moves to St Andrew's Pool, Par

2011-04-03T20:12:00.000+01:00

When news broke that the Red-throated Diver had moved to St Andrew's Pool, I decided to pay another visit. The light, water colour and background is very different here to the blue/grey colour of Par beach pool, so the images would be very different to those taken a few days ago. And they are!

The images shown here all have different shades. The red flash is the reflection of a red car, and the white flash is the silver car parked next to it. The green image is the reflection of grass and the blackish colour is simply a reduction of exposure to minus 1 EV.

The technique used to enhance the reflection is to lower the tripod and camera so that it is as low as possible to the water, improving the chance of picking up distant refection ( and also increasing shutter speed).

Note: all of the images are un-enhanced in colour and are the natural colour as unloaded from the camera. They have been cropped by 16%. Aperture is F/7 to F/9. Exposure -0.3 to -1.0 EV. ISO 250. Focal length 600mm.

Cape Verde pt 2

2011-03-31T21:14:00.000+01:00

On my recent visit to Cape Verde, I found Osprey to be really common. I saw about forty birds. Some were migrants moving north to breed though the majority were resident breeders. In Cape Verde, in common with many other species, Osprey start breeding in November and by March/April, young birds have already fledged. I was lucky enough to witness the spectacular Osprey plunge diving. The image below shows an Osprey early in the morning on a favourite roost. The background is desert, then the sea about a mile in the distance.

The image below is an Egyptian Vulture. I was lucky to find a pair feeding on some carrion. After reading the literature, I was expecting this vulture to be common though was later informed that only four pairs now breed on the island.

I also managed to see Alexander's Kestrel and the rare Cape Verde Falcon, similar to Peregrine. These four raptors were the only birds of prey seen in the fortnight.

Up close with the PBP Red-throated Diver

2011-03-31T20:53:00.000+01:00

These two images are a follow on from last night's sequence and shows the fine detail of a non-breeding Red-throated Diver, presumably a second calendar year bird.