Kumlien's Gull in Mount's Bay

I photographed this adult bird at Newlyn Coombe river outlet on Thursday.

 

Feeding frenzy at Marazion today

Perhaps up to a thousand assorted gulls were feeding today along the beach at Marazion.  I saw two adult Glaucous Gulls and one Kumlien's Gull, though two of the latter were reported this morning.  At least five Kumlien's have been seen in the county with the other three in North Cornwall.  At least six Glaucous Gulls have been seen in Mount's Bay alone.  Med Gulls were surprisingly thin on the ground with just an adult and a second year bird seen today.  Presumably they have all moved back towards their breeding grounds.  A few Kittiwakes and Lesser Black backs were involved today but the lion's share of gulls were Black-headed and Herring.  February is of course a big month for migrating gulls but the massive gales have clearly pushed a lot more in to Mount's Bay.

 

 

Little Gulls at Wherrytown, Penzance

Last week two adult Little Gulls were showing really well at Wherrytown.  If there are any Little Gulls in Mounts Bay, they always end up feeding along the beach at Wherrytown.  And they are always close.

Adult Glaucous Gull at Marazion Beach

This adult Glaucous Gull has been showing well on the beach at Marazion for several days.  There was a feeding frenzy today of a few hundred gulls and this giant of a bird was among them.  Luckily all the gulls were very close feeding in the surf.  The biggest problem was separating the Glauc from the others.  I managed to get a few shots but this was my favourite.  Among the flock was a good selection of species including several Common Gulls, Kittiwakes, Med Gulls, LBBG's and the Kumlien's Gull. 

 

Black Redstart at Penzance railway station

A male and at least five female Black Redstarts are spending the winter near the railway station at Penzance.  They like to favour the granite boulders in front of the sewerage works adjacent to the station.  The females will perch quite close but this male is less social.  I got about five seconds worth, fairly close before it flitted off again.

Adult Kumlien's Gull at Eastern Green, Penzance

An adult Kumlien's Gull has been present in Mount's Bay for several days.  I eventually caught up with it today feeding round the sewerage works near the railway station.  In addition there are several Glaucous Gulls, Iceland Gulls and Little Gulls in the county, no doubt appearing after the huge gales we've had in the last week or so.  Kumlien's Gull is a rare visitor from the arctic region of Canada.   It has variably been considered a full species, a subspecies of Thayer's Gull, a subspecies of Iceland Gull and a hybrid between the aforementioned species. It is currently considered a subspecies of Iceland Gull by the American Ornithologists' Union.

 

Approximate totals of high arctic gulls currently in the UK and Ireland are 90 Kumlien's, 75 Glaucous, 4 Ross's and in Galway, Ireland's first Slaty-backed Gull !

 

Purple Sandpiper near Jubilee Pool, Penzance

There are approximately 50 Purple Sandpipers wintering around the rocks at the Jubilee Pool, Penzance.  I spent a couple hours photographing a few of them last Sunday.  They were incredibly confiding and were more interested in feeding.  I guess the brief lull in the recent horrible weather gave them good opportunity to get in to the rock pools.

Mediterranean Gulls at Swanpool, Cornwall

Eight Mediterranean Gulls were showing well at Swanpool, Falmouth yesterday.  All but two were adults.  The bird below is already assuming summer plumage.  Numbers of this species seem to be growing year on year and decent size flocks are a familiar sight in the county now.  The nearest breeding colony is in Hampshire though many of our birds seem to originate from Eastern Europe.  A few more images can be found on my Flickr site link here

 

Slavonian Grebe at Stithians Reservoir

I took the image below at Stithians Res.  This individual has been present for about a month but it has always been distant.  Yesterday it swam directly in front of the hide, close enough to capture this frame filler.  

 

Cormorant at Carnsew Pool

I took this shot of a Cormorant at Carnsew Pool, Hayle last week.  Its the most distinctive Cormorant I've seen for a while, especially compared to the other ten birds it was fishing with.  The extensive white markings on the nape indicate breeding adult plumage.  Given that the photo was taken last week, breeding clearly starts early in Cornwall.

Grey Phalarope at Castle Beach, Falmouth

I saw this Grey Phalarope several days ago and managed to get a couple of shots but I was always fighting the light.  I decided to go again today at low tide when more exposed rocks enabled better views.  My idea was to try and get round the side of the bird with the sun at best over my shoulder.  I eventually found a rock which enabled me to get the desired shot (and a good soaking in the process). I've got several other reasonable shots but this one was one of my faves. 

 

Black-throated Diver at Carnsew Pool, Hayle

Black-throated Diver is a regular winter visitor to Cornwall, mainly frequenting the sheltered bays between St Austell and Falmouth.  A maximum count so far this winter is 47 in Gerrans Bay in December.  When news of a single bird was present at Carnsew Pool this week, my interest was heightened as the species is decidedly uncommon on the north coast. Indeed, according to local supremo Laurie Williams, Carnsew has hosted Black-throated Diver just three times.  This is also the first time I have photographed the species at relatively close quarters.

Below is a shot I took this afternoon.