Luckily the geese and swans have hung around at Walmsley long enough for me to catch up with them. So, with Mark, Monty and Ash, I ventured north to the sanctuary. As we parked up in the layby and got out of the car we were treated to a flock of 15 Barnacle Geese over the reserve and a short walk to the public hide produced the Pink-footed Goose and Bean Goose (141) in fields to the west. Three Spoonbills were asleep at the back of the main pool and five Black-tailed Godwits flew off. All hell let loose when the 'tundra' Peregrine put in an appearance. It appears a much bigger bird than our regular Peregrines.
Across the main road, the Whooper Swan (142) was with two Mutes.
We tried in vain at a very windy Trevose Head for Corn Buntings, so headed west to Pentire. En-route I noticed a flock of distant birds, which turned out to be Skylark. A short detour to Park Head, National Trust reserve provided us with some amazing views of huge flocks of Skylarks. The two groups totalled over 500 birds and a nearby flock of mixed buntings held, Chaffinch (300+), Yellowhammer (12+), Reed Bunting (10+) and finally three of our quarry species, Corn Bunting (143)!
Showing posts with label Barnacle Goose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barnacle Goose. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Long Day in the field.....
Sunday started for me and Ash, before it got properly light with a woodcock over the A30 near Redruth. We soon reached Golia Falls, Bolventor in the hope of catching up with a few woodland specialities. Despite hearing Treecreeper on a few occasions we failed to see one! Nuthatches (118) were everywhere, as were Coal Tits (119). Jays (120) were also in abundance and we were lucky to see two Dippers (121), one of which was very obliging, singing from a rock under the bridge.
We then drove the short distance back to NineBridges to look for Willow Tit. No luck this time so a return trip will be on the cards. We did get great views of a pair of Green Woodpeckers (122) and a male Bullfinch (123). A Scan of Colliford Lake only produced a single Barnacle Goose (124) but we did have two White-fronted Geese flying over as we left Golia.
Par beach and Pool was our next destination. The Bittern (125) showed briefly in the reeds at the back of the pool and another Barnacle Goose was with the four Bar-headed Geese. The sea produced 8 Great-crested Grebes (126) but little else.
Ten or more Cirl Buntings (127) showed well on the Roseland Peninsular, including a very smart, un-ringed male.
En-route back to west Cornwall we called in at Tresillian to look for Avocets. Again our luck was out but a Black-tailed Godwit (128) on Tresemple Pool was a bonus. Finally, a cold hour at Men-an-Tol saw a single ringtailed Hen Harrier (129) drift into view.
A really good day, resulting in 79 species (not includuing Treecreeper and Greenfinch that we only heard!). We covered over 160 miles but didnt get a few of our target species. Maybe next time!
We then drove the short distance back to NineBridges to look for Willow Tit. No luck this time so a return trip will be on the cards. We did get great views of a pair of Green Woodpeckers (122) and a male Bullfinch (123). A Scan of Colliford Lake only produced a single Barnacle Goose (124) but we did have two White-fronted Geese flying over as we left Golia.
Par beach and Pool was our next destination. The Bittern (125) showed briefly in the reeds at the back of the pool and another Barnacle Goose was with the four Bar-headed Geese. The sea produced 8 Great-crested Grebes (126) but little else.
Ten or more Cirl Buntings (127) showed well on the Roseland Peninsular, including a very smart, un-ringed male.
En-route back to west Cornwall we called in at Tresillian to look for Avocets. Again our luck was out but a Black-tailed Godwit (128) on Tresemple Pool was a bonus. Finally, a cold hour at Men-an-Tol saw a single ringtailed Hen Harrier (129) drift into view.
A really good day, resulting in 79 species (not includuing Treecreeper and Greenfinch that we only heard!). We covered over 160 miles but didnt get a few of our target species. Maybe next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)