Bit of a Do

Today we had to go to an engagement party over in Fowey....so no updates unless something comes along later.

St Andrews Road Wilderness

Marsh Tit

Long-tailed Tit

The two excellent photographs were submitted by Nigel Climpson. He said a total of sixteen species were seen around the Hard Rock Cafe and Wilderness area of St Andrews Pool in a short space of time. Counting the birds on the water a total of twentythree were recorded.

Thank for the the photographs and information Nigel.

Nothing Unusual.

Off again early 1000 hrs and my first port of call was St Andrews Pool.
The lone Tufted Duck was still there along with the usual residents. I had a look in the wilderness and recorded Wrens, Marsh Tits, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits , Blackbirds and Robins....the usual mob really.

PBP was again devoid of anything unusual the only change from yesterday was an extra three or four Oystercatchers at the poolside.
Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Dunnock and House Sparrows were seen on the way to the top car park.
The seashore was empty... no Pied Wagtails, Rock and Meadow Pipits or Waders to be seen anywhere..the only bird seen was a roosting Little Egret upstream on the River Par.
The Mistle Thrush was again opposite the Ship Inn at 1200hrs.
A very quiet day.

St Andrews Pool Tufted Duck.

Tufted Duck ....Aythya fulgula

Photographed today at St Andrews Pool

A Dippy Day

I decided to have a look at Pontsmill this morning 1000hrs and was not disapointed.
The house feeder had a stream of visitors and it was a joy just to sit and watch them.
Photographs were out of the question as one does have to respect peoples privacy.
A walk as far as the Old Mine working did not produce much in the way of LBJ's but woodland I feel is a hard place to see birds. At the top of the Mine workings is a small stagnant pool always covered in a thin green slime and lo and behold ...a male and female Mallard.I did not expect that. Just goes to show this birding lark is a funny old game. On the return I recorded a Dipper.

At St Andrews Pool the lone Tufted Duck was paddling with the usuals crew of Wildfowl ,Swans and Geese.
At the Cafe the Long-tailed Tits divebombed about with Blue Tit , Great Tit, Marsh Tit and Robin providing back-up.

PBP was its usual self...nothing I saw was out of the ordinary. The Tufties do appear to have left now.
Ten Oystercatchers were at the the waters edge at the far end by the caravans.
Surf was up again so I returned home noticing the Mistle Thrush was back again opposite the Ship Inn at 1230hrs.

After lunch 1400hrs I visited the Manoa Valley but it was really quiet today and nothing to record except two Dippers.

...it was a dippy day.

Report from Roger Lane. (23rd February 2010)

"Nothing worth mentioning. Only visited Pontsmill briefly, c.5 x Bluetits; c. 2 L.T.Tits; 20+, Greatits and 30+, Coaltits. Also 2 x Goldcrests and in the stream below 2 x Dippers."

Thanks for the report Roger.

It may have only been a brief visit but it looked as if it was more than worthwhile.

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull .......Larus ridibundus

Report from John Rance (23rd February 2010)

"Not much around on PBP this afternoon, all the regulars, except for the Tufties who seem to have shipped out, plus;

7 LBB Gulls (on the water), 13 Oystercatchers ( on the grass) and 2 Water Rail ( along the path behind the pool)"

Thanks for the report John.
Circumstances prevented me from getting out to the sites today so the report is most welcome.

Report from Roger Lane. (22nd February 2010)

"Not much better today, most of the activity in Par Bay was surf today ! However, briefly the after-noon panned out as follows:
Manoa Valley: 1 x M.Thrush; Porthpean: 1 x Gannet; 30+, Fulmars; 1 x Comm.Scoter and 1 x G.N.Diver. Carlyon Bay: 1 x B.T.Diver. St.Andrews Pond: 1 x Redwing (!). Polkerris: 2 x Gannets and 10 x G.C.Grebes (again). 'Kilmarth': 500+, Starlings; 12+, Pheasants and 4 x STOCKDOVES (2nd sighting this year). Just 1 x Tufted Duck left on Par B.Pool !"

Thanks for the Report Roger.

I saw one Tufted Duck at St Andrews but did not locate the one at Par.

Rock Feeder.

Long-tailed Tit ...........Aegithalos caudatus

Nothing New.

Very little on the PBP at 1415hrs today. A lone GBB Gull was seen having a bath in the middle of the pool.
No Tufties again today so I should presume they have departed for new pastures.
Menbilly Barton car park was a no-go area today as a lorry and tractor were blocking the entrance.
The drive up saw the usual flock of Redwings also a Chaffinch one.
A Buzzard was perched atop one of the Telegraph poles but soon flew away as I approached.
At St Andrews Pool I saw a lone Tufted Duck on the water . Nothing else of interest was recorded.
The Coal Tit, Marsh Tit , LT Tit , Chaffinch and Robin were active along the wilderness path.

Baywatch Site 21st February 2010

The first port of call was the Manoa Valley. Goldcrest, Dunnock, L.T.Tit, Wren, Sparrow, Chiffchaff and the usual Crows and Gulls kick-started off the list.

We made PBP around 1000hrs . Redwing were on the grass close to the Indian Restaurant, Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush were also seen before we reached the Pool.

The Pool held thirty Mute Swans , Canada Geese, Coot, Moorhen ,Mallard and a lone L.B.B Gull . There was no visible sign of the Tufted Duck.
Further along ..up by the caravans were Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Raven and six Oystercatchers that were later seen in the middle of the caravan park.

We decided to take a walk along the back of the pool and soon had a Snipe and Reed Bunting on the list.
The walk at the back of the caravans to the Restaurant yielded up Bullfinches (M&F) , Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch,Wren and Robin.
Passing the Pool the second time we added Heron and Cormorant.

A short walk to the shore did not produce much A Stonechat overhead.
Scoping the Bay we found...two Cormorants, Six G.B.Gulls, Two Red-throated Divers, Five Black-throated Divers,Nine G.C.Grebes, Gannet and a Shag out towards Spit.

St Andrews Pool held only the usual Gulls and Wildfowl. No sign of Tufted Duck.
A walk into the Wilderness produced a Male Pheasant, Coat Tit, Robin, Wren Chaffinches, Rooks, Crows and a obliging Marsh Tit.

On to Colliford Lake (out of bounds) looking for the Black Duck.
We clocked up ten Tufted Duck, Teal, Mallard and Lesser Scaup. We think we found the sleeping Black Duck over on the far shore but as it did not move we and five others could not make the definite identification.

It was a cold day at times but we had a good haul.

The Watcher

No Reports.

Nothing to report today....it has been quiet on all fronts.

Report from Roger Lane. (19th February 2010)

"It gets worse and worse and none too warm either ! Again today is hardly worth reporting. Firstly I drew a blank at Pontsmill. There was rail track repair work (just above the feeders, which had been allowed to go empty for first time). Saw NOTHING, do hope you didn't waste time there !
So, first was Somerfields, and I got within 10ft of the Little Egret 'still' there ! Otherwise only a few Redwings.Just 1 x Tufted Duck at St.Andrews Pd. Then c.20 Redwings on Par Station football field. Even at Menabilly Car-park it was quieter than I had known, just 10+, Goldfinch and 20+ Chaffiches ! BUT being bored I noticed a group of Jackdaws hurridly take to the air and land immediately, when over their tree tops came a v. large female PEREGRINE ! At least one '1st for the year' for me ! Near Kilmarth were 10+ Pheasants feeding (4 black).
Down to Par B.Pool to be 'met' by another L.Egret on the eastern perimeter stream ! On the Pool were just 10+, Tufted Duck and 2 x Gadwall (a pair). Could hardly park at western car-park, just long enough to see 8+, GCGrebes still wintering, some may move on soon. Hope you got out today."

Thanks for the report Roger.

No I had to stay away again today. Hesper our dog was at the vets having six teeth out and I was waiting for the call to go and collect her. She is okay just feeling a little sorry for herself.
Still it looks like I did not miss much.

Report from Roger Lane. (18th February 2010)

"Hardly worth reporting today, got out late and it was chilly ! First it was Porthpean, almost birdless with just 30+, Fulmars; 3 x Comm.Scoter; 1 x GNDiver and a single female SEAL. In P'pean car-park was a singlr M.Pipit (only my 2nd this year !). At Carlyon Cliff was 1 x GNDiver; 1 x Razorbill and a Curlew (over).
Later popped in Somerfield's (St.Andrews), parked where the car backs on to a small stream or 'ditch', when I came out a Little Egret was feeding 50 metres from the cars ! St.Andrews Pond seems to have lost it's Tufted Duck(s), and most else, save a few Redwings. When I got to Par Beach Pool I found out why, there were no less than 24 Tufted Ducks on the Pool (a winter record?), flocking up before migration perhaps and/or including migrants leaving us. But that was all, and only c.6 x GCGrebes in the Bay."

Thanks for the report Roger.

Got confined to barracks today...so cannot add anything.

Report from Roger Lane. (17th February 2010)

"Today (17thFeb'2010) was a 'scrappy' day, wasted the morning searching for butterflies. There 'should' have been some (long warm periods of sun), but a chill, humid Southerly wind did not suit their wintering area, at Trenarren. All I got was a G.S.W'Pecker, again ! Seems to be a plethora of them this winter. Or was that floating leaf really a Red Admiral ! ? A butterfly was seen at Hayle today.
On to Pentewan (Mev.Bay), not eactly on the patch, but only 4 x Comm.Scoter at sea, and 5 x Ravens (over) anyway. After a 3pm (!) lunch at home, drove to Pontsmill to look at the private feeding station (from a distance with 'bins). It was PACKED, difficult to believe but it is in mature woodland. Best estimates were: 15+, Bluetits; 30+, Coaltits; 25+, Greatits and 20+ L.T.Tits (large feeders always full, well managed).
Also my luck was in with two year ticks in surrounding trees, firstly a NUTHATCH and then a MARSH-TIT ! Oh yes, several Goldcrests too. Then looked over the river bridge and there was a Dipper (2nd sighting).
Par B.Pool was unexciting but did have 15 x Tufted Ducks! Par Bay yielding just 9 x G.C.Grebes."

Thanks for the Report Roger.
I must pay a visit to Pontsmill and have a look at those feeders...the small woodland birds are my favourites and the Nuthatch would be a Year Tick so well worth a visit.
Still waiting to see/photograph my first butterfly of the year.

Valley Grey Wagtail

Grey Wagtail..........Motacilla cinerea

Early Start.

Early morning visit (0915 hrs) to the sites yielded very little.
The PBP was much the same as usual with nothing but the residents.
The *West End* on the Par River was a little better with a Little Egret in the Tree, a Heron flew overhead and a lone Redshank probing the mud area.
Menabilly Barton was also quieter than normal with the usual Chaffinchs (saw no Brambling) Goldfinches and Redwings in small numbers.
St Andrews was even more of a let down as my excursion into the swamp area threw up nothing but a couple of Dunnocks.
Off To the Valley where I was hoping for better luck. The Dipper (2) Grey Wagtail , Robin, Chiffchaff and a Little Egret which was my first for the Valley were recorded.

Report from Roger Lane. (16th February 2010)

"Congratulations on your goodly list around Dawlish and the Tamar, no hope of catching you now !
Today got even worse (although several road works have gone, or moved). Visitors stopping me getting the car near the sea ! So, briefly, here's what I saw:
At Porthpean: 30+, Fulmars; 1 x Comm.Scoter; 1+, G.N.Diver and 1+, B.T.Diver and people! At Menabilly car-park just: 10+, Goldfinch; 50+, Chaffinch and 1 x male BRAMBLING, again ( & a Kestrel ).
At PBP: 5+, Tufted Duck and 5 adult L.B.B.Gulls (migrants?). In the Bay only 6 +, G.C.Grebes seen !"

Thanks for the report Roger.
I did not go to PBP today fearing a wasted journey with the roadworks in place.
Tomorrow I shall try and have a good session at the sites, weather permitting.
I need the Brambling so I shall be at Menabilly Barton with fingers crossed.

Today I had a short visit to the Manoa Valley before the rain interrupted my visit.
Grey Wagtail, Wren, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tits entered the notebook.