BAYWATCH IS ONE YEAR OLD TODAY.

Baywatch is One Year Old Today.

First I must say a big thank you to all the readers of the blog over the past year. I hope you will continue to support it over the next one.

A lot of the success of the blog is due to the people who have kindly sent in reports, news, photographs and of course comments during the past year.

The major contributor and stalwart of the blog who has religiously sent in articles throughout the whole year .including the bad winter months when most of us have been sat in the warmth of the fireside chair .is of course Roger Lane.

I have met Roger on numerous occasions over the past twelve months and they are generally equivalent to ships passing in the night. Although we both have a love of Formula One Racing it is very difficult for me to talk to Roger so I take the view …leave the man in peace. From his reports and emails I have learnt a great deal not only about bird behaviour and Identification but more obscure things that only someone with a vast knowledge of the locality gained by many years of watching and research could hope to achieve. I remember Roger telling me he has watched the patch on a daily basis for close on thirty years and has records to fall back on if his memory fails him…..which if what Angie tells me is correct is not very often.
The Blog owes a huge debt to Roger who has continued to stick with us through thick and thin…and who often provides snippets of information that only someone who is attuned to nature would observe or know about. Someone mentioned once that Roger is a Nature Historian and an expert in his own fields ….Birds, Butterflies and Dragonflies.
I am very lucky to have a man of Roger’s expertise sending in reports and for that I am eternally grateful.

Derek Julian (CBWPS Chairman) has sent in the occasional report when venturing forth on one of his *out of bounds* trips. I have been fortunate enough to go out birding with Derek on a few occasions and can state with quasi certitude..'If Derek does not see or hear it…it is not there’. My 2010 year list stands at an impressive 150 (well for me anyway) which is mainly thanks to Derek .

As most of you will be aware of, my hearing is limited,,,no that is not entirely true, it is useless and the last bird I heard was a Woodpigeon during my days as a Scout which was in a different century at the tender age of fifteen.
Angela Tonry has provided the vital audible observations on our Baywatch trips and also when we venture forth out of bounds as well as supplying reports and photographs.

It was never bought home to me more clearly how limited my birding skills were when I happened across Mark Whittaker (Falconer & Owl Welfare Officer) who invited me to look for the Warblers in the Reed Beds at Par Pool..
Within a forty-five minute time frame we had recorded and seen Cetti’s Warbler (3 sightings) Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers. Mark was indicating where the birds were singing and at one stage he counted eight singing birds. Now I have visited the same place again on three occasions and experienced two blanks and one with a lone Sedge Warbler rising out of the distant reeds and dropping down again just as quickly.

Michelle O‘Shea (FOPB) has sent in photographs and nuggets of information in the past and I hope will continue to do so in the future.
She recently drew my attention to the most unfortunate demise of a Mute Swan in tragic and appalling circumstances. For once I did not report it on the Blog because I did not want to encourage any form of ghoulish behaviour.. Unfortunately this is the second death this year of a Mute Swan at Par Beach Pool..

Over the year reports and observations have been sent in by Geoff Barter (a local lad now living in Surrey)
John Rance (who I have never met) Ian Prophet (an experienced local birder) Terry Hall and the others already mentioned.

Photographs , Reports and Observations

Angela Tonry (CBWPS Membership secretary) My co-pilot.

Nigel Climpson (CBWPS Website administrator ) local photographer who can be seen wandering around the Baywatch sites.

Michelle O’Shea (FOPB)

Mark Whittaker

Terry Hall.

Peter Henderson.

A special thanks goes to Sarah from St Austell Voice who gave the blog a timely boost in the paper.

I must apologise in advance to anyone who I have inadvertently omitted.

The fundamental principles of the blog will always remain the same. To share the observations and reports of Bird and Wildlife from the Baywatch sites . The original idea of reporting Flora and Fauna has now been dropped as it is out of the scope of the blog as it stands now due to insufficient knowledge on my behalf . The disciplines the Blog will now closely follow will be ..

Birds, Butterflies and Dragonflies.

Naturally any rare plant etc that comes to my knowledge or is reported will be put up on the Blog.
People who are really interested in the Flora and Fauna side of Par would be better catered for by the FOB group who cover a wider range of subjects than I can give time to.

This Blog has the same interest of promoting the Natural History of Par ...and in my case surrounding sites.... as the *Friends OF Par Beach * group. http://parbeach.com/ Take a look ..I am sure you will be most welcomed.

As we are all aware of .family commitments can and often do interfere with our bird watching life.
None of us can completely devote our lives to bird watching . Therefore those of us who do report on a regular basis cannot hope to cover all the St Austell Baywatch sites, so if any new reader or anyone for that matter would like to send in any news. report or photograph please feel free to do so . The only thing I ask is that you give me permission to print it on the blog..

A lot of information off the blog could be used in the forth coming Bird Atlas 2007-2011 http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/about.htm a comprehensive guide which has taken years to complete and will be hopefully published in the very near future.

Now I intend to take a little ‘poetic license’ and extend the boundaries somewhat of the St Austell Baywatch Sites.
I shall welcome reports etc from the new site of Treskilling Downs. The Luxulyan Valley area also includes Pontsmill and the Treffry Viaduct.

Finally. A big .thank you for your support over the past year and I sincerely hope you all will continue into the present one..

Have a good birding year.

Trevor Richard Moore (The Watcher)