Report from Roger Lane. Thursday 6th May 2010

"Another damp and gloomy day, best bit was meeting Trevor in the Manoa Valley ! However, the rain was not hard enough, at the time, to bring the hirundines down from the skies. There were less than 50 birds mostly House Martins and Swallows, one or two Sd.Martins, but I had to wait for the first and only Swift when I left. Maybe Trevor saw more if he stayed into the heavy rain which followed ! Whatever, Trevor said something, re-Porthpean, which reminded me I hadn't been down to the western Bay for a long while.
I arrived at Porthpean in torrential rain, but after half-hour it cleared revealing a very calm sea. No variety mind you, the only companions to the 50 or so Fulmars were G.N.Divers, at least SIX of them in s.p!
Motivated to re-visit Charlestown (after 2 months?), building work was finished and there was excellent parking at sea-wall. Although calm, a mist out at sea meant I only saw FOUR more G.N.Divers. Must admit muggins spent half-hour working out what was swirling and breaking waves offshore, dolphin, seal, basking shark or just fish shoal ? Turned out to be an off-shore ROCK exposed by the lowering tide !
On to Carlyon Bay cliff car-park, where, glory be, another FOUR x G.N.Divers, but with no support-ing cast. Oh yes there was, with the flock of Herr.Gulls on the sea was a smaller, very active gull, bouyant in flight, but splashing endlessly in the sea-water, turned out to be a 1st-summer KITTEWAKE, trying to get out of it's 1st-winter plumage which was very worn, and confusing ! What it was doing with a flock of Herr.Gulls on a calm day in St.Austell Bay I don't know, other than shedding the retained 1st-winter plumage.
On to Par, very little except: 1 x L.Egret, and 4 x Whimbrel, 1 x Gannet and another THREE x GNDivers. That is 15+, GNDivers still in the Bay during May-month.( Not 1 x BTDiver seen !)"

Thanks for the report Roger.
Unfortunately I did not see anything after leaving you..part of the reason was I again lost the protective shield for the back of the camera and I was searching the ground the whole way back.
We did go to Porthpean later 1900hrs and saw G.N Divers (half what you saw )plus a Guillemot, Shags and Cormorant along with a GBB Gull(on the beach) plus Fulmars and Herring Gulls.