Dalmatian Pelican at Drift Reservoir today

I finally caught up with the pelican properly today at Drift and spent some time watching and photographing it.  Whatever its provenance, it is quite some beast, dwarfing the many Canada Geese around it.  The only species uncomfortable with its presence is the Mute Swan, which regularly pushed it around the res. It fed well in the shallows at the back of the NW arm.

It was first found on the 7th May at Gwithian and has been seen just about daily in many places from the Lizard to Lands End.  This bird has also been recorded in Poland in early April, Germany mid April, east France early May and now taken up residency in West Penwith.

Kentish Plovers at Marazion Beach, Cornwall

John Hawkey found a male and female Kentish Plover on Friday 22nd April in overcast conditions on the beach.  A small contingent of Cornish birders assembled in the evening and got decent views in deteriorating weather.  These two are the 69th and 70th records for the county. While this sounds like a healthy number, Kentish Plover have become decidedly rarer in recent years.  I'll stand corrected but I think this is the first sighting since another pair were found in the same location on 10th May 2012.  Another pair were found at nearby Long Rock beach on the 25th May 2009 and yet another pair were found on Lelant Saltings on the 19th April 2009.  The majority of records in Cornwall occur in April and May.

Completely unrelated, but of interest, was a colour ringed Kentish Plover seen at Rye Harbour (East Sussex) on 25th-26th March 2013 and was found to have come from breeding colony in Schleswig-Holstein, the northern most state in Germany. The bird was ringed there in May 2009 and was seen again in the general area the following year.



Male Kentish Plover at Marazion 22nd April 2016. (S Rogers - iPhone digiscoped) 

Male and female Kentish Plover Lelant 19th April 2009 (S Rogers)

Iberian Chiffchaff at the Lizard, Cornwall

With the change in weather this week to a south easterly bias, the first important "southern"rarity of the Spring was found at Little Treleaver, Lizard by John Foster.  A singing male Iberian Chiffchaff was found on the 11th April, corresponding with another Iberian Chiffchaff in Shropshire. 

The Cornish bird is the county's 8th record.

Previous records:

2000: The first Cornwall record was on the 12th May 2000 at Dunmere Woods, Bodmin. 

2004: A singing male was found at Windmill Farm in May 2004. 

2011: The third was at Kenidjack on 24th April 2011 and again at Nancherrow Farm on 28th April. 

2011: Another singing male was found on Military Road, Rame from 11th-15th May 2011. 

2012: A singing male was found at Kenidjack by the engine shed on the 28th May and was seen by many observers through to mid June. 

2013: A singing male Iberian Chiffchaff was observed near Soap Cove, Kynance, at Jolly Town Farm on the  20th April 2013 and sonograms recorded.  Another male was singing 100 yards south of B3315 at St Loy in woods by the public footpath, though this record hasn't been submitted.

2016: A singing male at Little Treleaver, Lizard 11th April.

To date there are 37 records in Britain and one in Ireland. The species (Phylloscopus ibericus) is endemic to Portugal, Spain and North Africa, west of a line stretching roughly from the western Pyrenees via the mountains of central Spain to the Mediterranean.

Video of the Little Treleaver male singing, courtesy John Chapple.

Cornwall continues its purple patch

Cornwall still continues to deliver mega rares this weekend.  Nigel golden b Wheatley stumbled across a white morph Greenland Gyr on Sunday at St Just, only for it to be relocated and perched on the moor at Woon Gumpus.  I managed to see it in flight here, but Brian Mellow and Richard Augarde also saw it at much closer quarters near Men an Tol.  This is the 17th record for Cornwall, the majority occurring in March to April.

If that wasn't cool enough, Nigel also found next day a sub adult Snowy Owl at St Just.  This is just the 3rd record for the species in Cornwall.  The previous records are one at St Columb in 1948 and a well observed first winter bird at Zennor from 21st December 2008.

The weekend just gone also produced a summer plumage Black Guillemot in Falmouth Bay, the UK's first for the year Woodchat Shrike at Windmill farm, Lizard plus a Hoopoe at Polgigga.  In addition, the long staying Pacific Diver was seen on sat 2nd April in Mounts Bay with the Hudsonian Whimbrel found again at Boat Cove on Sunday 3rd.  If anyone finds the Franklin's Gull on the Camel could they let me know?

Snowy Owl at St. Just - image kind courtesy Sam Williams.

The weather chart below gives a hint of where the weekend's birds may be coming from.

Avocets at Ryan's Field, Hayle

A couple Avocets dropped in at Ryan's Field, Hayle yesterday (Sunday). They were pretty flighty as they were chased around by a Herring Gull.  At one time they settled in the middle of the estuary, swimming on the high tide.  The stronghold for Avocet in the county is the Tamar complex where they average a good couple hundred wintering birds.  Away from the Tamar they are scarce.  Two or three occasionally winter on the Tresillian River but have been absent this year.  

 

Breeding numbers both in the UK and in continental Europe have increased since the mid 1970’s with the main UK population being concentrated on the coasts of East Anglia and North Kent. By 2000 the UK breeding population had increased to almost 1000 pairs. A pair successfully bred in Worcestershire in 2003.

 

Yellow-browed Warbler at St Clement, Truro

I took this shot today of the Yellow-browed Warbler at St Clements, Truro.  Its been present here for three weeks and seems content feeding around the willows.  It was calling a lot today as well.  Two Firecrest and three Chiffchaff, plus a real pale grey Chiffchaff are also still present.

 

 

In addition this morning at Pendower, I saw a drake Velvet Scoter, Common Scoter, 8 Black-throated Diver, 9 Great Northern Diver, 1 Red necked Grebe and 2 Slavonian Grebe.

White-billed Diver at Cape Cornwall

An adult White-billed Diver was found at Cape Cornwall on Thursday 25th February by Nigel Wheatley.  Following a stormy Friday it was re found again on the Saturday and showed well on and off on Sunday.  Whilst too distant for fancy photography, good scope views could be enjoyed as it preened and fed between the Brisons and the Cape Cornwall coastwatch point.

The bird is in moult and has lost its primary flight feathers.  When it originally turned up is anyone's guess.  It might have been there as long as early January, turning up after the big gale on 3rd January when a Ross's Gull was at the Lizard and a Glaucous-winged Gull was found in southern Ireland?

This is the 6th record for Cornwall.  All previous records have occurred in the first winter period.  The first record was in 1967.

1967. April 11th-19th one in Mount's bay off St Michael's Mount.
1985. February 19th. Carlyon Bay, St Austell.  Subsequently seen on several dates between April 6th and 9th. Also reported on June 2nd though this sighting was not accepted by BBRC.
1988.  St Ives Bay. February 8th-22nd.
1998. Sennen Cove. February 19th, one picked up in poor condition and taken to Mousehole Bird Hospital where it died on March 1st.  The skin was sent to the British Museum.
2007. Hayle Estuary and Copperhouse.  February 25th to March 27th.  A well photographed moulting adult.

Of interest, all five divers were also seen on Sunday 28th in the county on the same day.  A well organised day trip in the county at the moment could quite easily tick off White-billed Diver, Pacific Diver, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Lesser Scaup plus a supporting cast of Rose-coloured Starling, Yellow-browed Warbler, Glaucous Gull, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull and Smew! Can't be bad.

Yellow-browed Warbler at St. Clement, Truro

Richard Augarde found this Yellow-browed Warbler in the damp sallows 200m south of Tresemple Pool. I saw it yesterday evening along with six Chiffy's and one very pale Chiffchaff.  The exceptionally mild winter has probably helped around half a dozen or so Yellow-browed's overwinter in the county. 

Taken with Nikon D800e, 500mm F4,

Juv Glaucous Gull in Newlyn Harbour

Juv Glaucous Gull showed well today in Newlyn harbour.

Argentatus Herring Gull today at Copperhouse.

Adult Glossy Ibis at Long Rock, Cornwall

The adult Glossy Ibis behind Long Rock pool in the soggy field was present for its sixth day on Sunday 7th Feb. I managed to see it in good light yesterday morning at close range, viewable from the road. This is probably the most unconcerned Glossy Ibis I have seen. Glossy Ibis occurrences are now annual in the county with appearances becoming more frequent.

 

Nikon D800e, 500mm F4G, ISO 1600, F16, 1/1000s, WB Cloudy. Original file size 43.8 MB.

Nuthatch and Kingfisher on the Lizard today

I was pleased with some images taken today at a friends farm on the Lizard.  Despite the appalling weather and poor light, the Nikon D810 still managed to deal with things at 5000 ISO!

 

Ross's Gull at the Lizard, Cornwall

I managed to see the adult Ross's Gull today at the Lizard, albeit distantly some 300 metres out at sea.  It was found by Tony Blunden on Saturday 2nd Jan.  

 

Its the 8th record for Cornwall.  The last record in Cornwall was way back in 2002 when two adults were recorded, at Torpoint on the 15th Feb and at Sennen on 19th Feb.  The first was at St Ives in 1977, then Poldhu 1988, Newlyn 1989, Lynher 1996 and Maenporth/Swanpool 1998.