Cold Day at Par.

"As you know, I went to Par today on my own. Grand Prix/Bird Watching – NO competition! I started at PBP. The Dunlin was there (photos attached). There was a Heron in the tree on the far right hand side. The Cygnets and Goslings were all still there. Amongst the Gulls was a young Great Black Backed Gull (Roger confirmed later on that it was a 2nd summer) (photo attached). There were Swallows x 5, Swifts x 4 and House Martin x 1. I heard Sedge and Reed Warblers. I can’t recall locating a Cetti’s in all the noise! Passing through the sedge/dunes there was a surprising number of insects, given how cold and windy it was. I went onto the beach and sat on a dune (roughly in the middle). With the scope as low as it would go I still had to kneel to reach it, so I dug holes in the sand and buried the feet so they will need cleaning out!!! I saw: Great Northern Divers x 6, Black Throated Divers x 5 (BTD’s mixing with the GN’s). I discussed this with Roger later on and he said that the BTD’s had probably not wintered here, but would be passing through en route to their breeding grounds. Because they are very sociable they would locate GN’s who would just ignore them and get on with their business, as they are not sociable! I could listen to Roger all day. I located the 3 Ringed Plover on the shoreline. They were flushed a few times by dogs and just before you and Roger arrived I saw them heading over to Spit. There were Pied Wagtails x 3, Shag x 2, Buzzard x 1, Sandwich Tern x 12, Whimbrel x 8, but they left as soon as they arrived, Cormorant x 4, Gannet x 8, Oystercatcher x 8, Linnet x 3 (they landed within 12 feet, but the camera was in my rucksack!) Just before I left there were Swifts x 2 over the dunes and a Wheatear landed about 20 feet away, but was flushed by a dog! Whilst I was sitting there for the two hours I heard Greenfinches, Songthrush, Blackbirds, a Chiffchaff and the Linnets. With Roger at PBP I added 1 Black Headed Gull & 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull to the list. On the way home we visited Porthpean. I located Gannet x 6 bobbing around on the surface of the water, Shag x 3, Great Northern Diver x 3, Cormorant x 1 and Fulmar x 12 (a severe drop on my recent counts). I am now thawing out!"

Report A. Tonry. Sunday 9th May 2010