Guests: Simon, Sheila, Jo, Oliver, Sally, John

Guides: Paul Freestone, Sarah Jane Eastman

Sunday 7^th December – We have finally arrived in Norfolk for the week! But not before a bit of a detour to Turf Lock, Devon to see the Lesser Crested Tern! This is only the 10th record for the UK and if my memory serves me right, the first one for over 20 years! We agreed that if the bird was reported at Dawlish before we got to Exeter, we would go for it. It wasn’t, so we carried on to Norfolk. However, we just got to the Somerset border when it was located at Turf Lock!! So, we just had to go back for this mega bird! A great start to our week!

Day One – Holkham and Warham Greens

Amazing start to our week in Norfolk! After a hearty breakfast we headed north to the coast and Holkham National Nature Reserve. We parked at the first pay point at Lady Anne’s Drive as usual, so we could take in all the flooded fields either side of the road on the way to the reserve entrance. It was soon evident that Red Kite would be our most numerous bird of prey! They were everywhere and easily outnumbered Marsh Harriers.

Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer were also seen on the walk down, but so far no Brown Hares. Pink-footed Geese were in the tens of thousands both overhead and in every field, accompanied by Greylags, Egyptian and a few Brent Geese. We would later see lots more Brents. A single Black-tailed Godwit amongst the thousands of Lapwing were the only waders we saw.

We then took a bit of a detour through the woods along Bluetail Trail to the new Joe Jordon Hide. The main target here was Hume’s Warbler, but the bird was very elusive and despite hearing it call we could not pin it down for any decent views. A nice pond along the route added Pintail, Gadwall and Little Grebe to the trip list and three Russian White-fronted Geese were found amongst the Greylags.

After a late-ish lunch we spent the last hour of daylight at Warham Greens in the hope of a Hen Harrier or Owl of some description. Thankfully, we were rewarded with the latter as we didn’t see any Harriers! A smart Barn Owl gave ridiculously close views as it flew, hunting along the saltmarsh. A great end to our first day.

Day 2 – Lynford Arboretum and Cley Marshes

Second day in Norfolk and the list is 85 species. Managed another relatively fine day, dodged a few showers this morning but lovely sunshine this afternoon at Cley.

We started the day at Lynford Arboretum, our ‘go-to’ site for Hawfinch. Low cloud made for a very dark start and it wasn’t until some of this cleared after about an hour that we started seeing more birds. Sadly, there was no food in the bird feeders near the cafe, which made things a bit difficult and resulted in zero Marsh Tits! A Crossbill called overhead but was too quick for all the group to get on to. Thankfully, we pinned down a group of six birds at the top of pine that showed well in the scope. The same sort of scenario happened with the Hawfinch. A single bird showed briefly in the paddock but quickly disappeared before all of us saw it, but everyone eventually got great views when it was relocated and joined by three others! We also added Nuthatch, Mistle Thrush and GS Woodpecker here.

After a coffee from the cafe, we headed to Cley Nature Reserve for the afternoon. By now the clouds had all but cleared and we were treated to a bit of sunshine. Bishop’s Hide produced a very close Jack Snipe which, despite its proximity, was still hard to pick out until it stopped snoozing and came out into the open. Other birds on the water here included our first Avocets, Golden Plover and Common Snipe amongst hundreds of Lapwing, Teal, Wigeon and other wildfowl.

We then took a walk along the eastern bank to Arnolds Marsh and the sea. The marsh was very busy with yet more Lapwing, Wigeon, Pink -footed Geese and twenty-three Ruff! As the sun set, the Marsh Harriers came into roost with 15 to 20 birds in the air at any given time. Another great spectacle to end the day.

DAY 3 – RSPB Titchwell

Our week long tour in Norfolk just keeps getting better!! Another superb day in the sunshine, this time at the excellent RSPB Titchwell reserve. Always a pleasure going there, welcoming staff and great facilities as well as lots of birds to see!! I must say though, there were some very grumpy folk about today! Pushing past on the path without a simple ‘excuse me’ or not even a ‘good morning’ or ‘Hi’ to fellow birders. Some people should just stay at home!

Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves! We started with the resident Tawny Owl along the baordwalk then found two Firecrests nearby. A flock of Goldfinch held a couple of Siskin and a Robin got up close and personal! We then followed the main path taking in the pools and saltmarsh either side, adding Coot, Tufted Duck, Kingfisher and Turnstone to our trip list. Just as we headed back to the van for lunch a Bittern flew right over the path ahead of us giving amazing views!

We spent the afternoon on the beach looking at the sea and added Black-throated and Great Northern Divers, Red-necked and Black-necked Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser to the list. A few Sanderling, Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit were amongst the waders on the beach too.

Looking forward to our penultimate day tomorrow at WWT Welney Wetland Centre!

Day Four – Lynford Arboretum and WWT Welney

Another great day on our Norfolk Tour. Had another few hours round Lynford Arboretum before heading to WWT Welney Wetland Centre for the rest of the day. Hawfinches and Crossbills performed brilliantly again and we finally added Marsh Tit to our trip list!

Welney was basking in winter sunshine, but the mild weather didnt help with our winter birding! No SE Owls or Cranes today sadly and only two Tree Sparrows! Welney has always been a 100% bet for Tree Sparrow but they were extremely dificult today. We also didnt see any Brown Hares! These were everywhere on our last visit in January but so far we haven’t seen a single one on this tour!

Ten Cattle Egrets were nice to see though as were over a thousand Black-tailed Godwits and 700+ Pintail! A couple of Great White Egrets and a Kingfisher kept our spirits up, but it certainly didnt live up to our January visit. Anyway, still a geat day at a fantastic reserve. Staff were very pleasant and helpful and we added 10 more species to our trip list, now standing at 113.

Last day tomorrow! We will be heading for Thornham and Snettisham

Day Five – Thornham, Snettisham and Warham Greens

Final full day in Norfolk on Friday. We tried without success for the Twite that had been reported a few days earlier at Thornham Harbour, but had great views of hunting Merlin, perched up initially then chasing waders across the saltmarsh.

It was then down the A149 to RSPB Snettisham to look for Snow Buntings. Too much disturbance on the beach this time and another unsuccesful search! A very kind lady pointed out where there had been five Redpoll shortly before we arrived and after a couple of seconds wait, the birds returned. Our second trip tick of the day. It was a very low high tide so no chance of any big wader murmurations at Snettisham, so after another lovely packed lunch it was decided we would have another go at Warham Greens for the harrier roost.

We took a cross country route in the hope of picking up a few birds on the way. Our eagle eyed guides stopped twice along the Wells Road and scanning flocks of finches, found four Bramblings and a Yellowhammer! Two more new birds for the list!

As we pulled into the car park at Stiffkey the light was fading. We walked out a few hundred meteres onto the marsh and scanned for birds. Paul ‘joked’ that we would see Hen Harrier, Glossy Ibis and Short Eared Owl before the end of the trip, just as Sarah Jane found a stunning male Hen Harrier! Minutes later, Paul shouted ‘Glossy Ibis’!! Eventually we saw three together! Another two Merlins put in an appearance, but sadly no Short-eared Owls. But two out of three aint bad!!

As we walked back to the mini-bus, thousands of Brent Geese flew over head towards the sea. A fitting end to an amazing week.

A huge thanks to all of our guests this week, some great laughs, chats, food and drink. So nice to see everyone getting along. As usual, thanks to the staff at The Crown who once again really looked after us and the food was fantastic!

We are running this trip again in February and December 2026 and still have places available!

BIRD LIST (119 species)

Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Cormorant, Bittern, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Glossy Ibis, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Russian White-fronted Goose, Greylag, Canada Goose, Brent Goose, Barnacle Goose, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine, Red-legged Partridge, Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Ruff, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker (H), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Redwing, Song Thrush (GO), Mistle Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, HUME’S WARBLER (H), Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Redpoll, Crossbill, Hawfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting

(H)= Heard only; (GO) = only seen by guide(s)

Mammals: Roe Deer, Muntjac, Chinese Water Deer, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Grey Seal

The post NORFOLK – December 2025 appeared first on Cornwall Bird Watching Tours.

For the first time in our Scilly Tours history, the weather got the better of us and delayed our journey to St Mary’s. Storm Amy appeared to be missing us a bit, while battering Scotland and the North West. However, She did manage to whip up the sea and by friday we had a message to say our boat was cancelled until Monday! This meant missing two days of birding! Thankfully the wonderful manager at our hotel allowed us to stay an extra night at the end, so we only missed out on the one full day.

So, our ‘first’ day was Monday. We set sail from Penzance full of hope for another great week on the magical Isles. Before we had even left the shelter of Mounts Bay we were watching ARCTIC SKUAS! First three, then two, harassing a Kittiwake until it regurgitated its fish breakfast! True pirates of the seas. Off Land’s End the sea was a bit choppier and we picked up our first GREAT SHEARWATERS. We manged to see about twenty birds on the crossing, all in Scilly Waters. We also had ten EUROPEAN STORM PETRELS, but these were much harder to pick out. With plenty of bird and dolphin activity to keep us occupied, time flew by and we were soon close to the islands, arriving in the sunshine just before lunch.

Our guide had already arranged for our bags to be delivered to the hotel, so we could get straight out birding. He also arranged for us to get a taxi straight up to Porthellick Pool which gave us an advantage over the dozens of other arriving birders, so we were first at the hide and soon enjoying incredible views of our first rarity. The WILSON’S PHALAROPE had been in the area for the previous four days and we were hoping it would hang on for us to arrive! Lucky for us, it did and even more so as it disappeared the following day and was not seen again!! The American wader fed amongst the Common Snipe and a few Teal and also a RUFF! A great start to our Scilly adventure.

Salakee Farm, was our next destination as there was a newly openened ‘self-service’ cafe to try out! We were very impressed. Lots of seating, tea or coffee and a home made flap-jack, all for a fiver! A great pit stop, especially if the weather turns bad! But, as is often the case on Scilly, we had to drink up and leave the comfort of our new found drinking hole as news came in of a COMMON ROSEFINCH on the beach nearby. This little brown job proved very elusive and only gave a few seconds viewing on a couple of occasions, allowing some of the group to see it. As we walked back to the hotel via Old Town, three PINK-FOOTED GEESE were reported over the radio and we picked them up flying across the bay towards Peninnis.

DAY TWO

St Agnes the Island of choice for our second day on Scilly and we were first in line for the very busy boat over. As we left Hugh Own Harbour a female COMMON SCOTER circled the boat and settle in The Roads and a few Mediteranean Gulls were seen on the short journey over. A call from one of our group alerted everyone to a MERLIN flying low over the water towards St Mary’s, not something you expect to see from a boat! Periglis Beach was our first destination and we joined the crowd watching the obliging HOOPOE on the beach. A juvenile YELLOW WAGTAIL was also a smart bird here along with plenty of Rock and Meadow Pipit and a few waders including CURLEW SANDPIPER, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher.

The throng of birders dispersed across the island so we took our time, checking trees and bushes for any birds as we walked towards Warnas Cove. Our target here was the long staying SPOTTED SANDPIPER, which we located quite quickly but it soon disappeared between the rocks. Lunch time was fast approaching so we staked out fields nearby in the hope of seeing the reported AMERICAN PIPIT. It eventually showed well but as we sat having lunch our guide heard a call he recognised and then located a LAPLAND BUNTING which had landed on the track nearby. It gave us a bit of a runaround on Wingletang Down before we managed to get good views. The only other bird of note was a PIED FLYCATCHER that proved a bit elusive in The Parsonage, so we headed for our traditional pint in the Turks Head.

As we had exhuasted all the good birds on the island we decided to catch the 2.30 pm boat back to St Mary’s to do some more birding there before evening meal. However, as we queued for the boat, new broke of a ‘mega’ right there on St Agnes. An American MOURNING DOVE had been photographed at Troy Town Farm. This was only the 9th record for the UK, so some of the group broke of and stomped back across the length of the island to see it. Sadly, depite a three hour wait and search it wasnt seen again that day. We were somewhat consoled with a nice TURTLE DOVE though and a MARSH HARRIER flew over whilst we waited for the boat.

DAY THREE

With no current news from St Agnes about the dove it was agreed that we would stay on St Mary’s then if the bird was found again we would head back to St Agnes. We walked from town, up the newly openend Sunnyside Farm trail and down into Carreg Du Gardens but everywhere was very quiet. Whilst we watched three Firecrests in the gardens the radio crackled into life to say the Mourning Dove had been seen again! So, it was in a taxi, down to the quay and on the boat again to St Agnes. Again, it was a friutless excercise as the bird had only been seen briefly by a couple of people and was not seen again all day!!

A few of the group had stayed on St Mary’s and were rewarded with great views of the ROSY STARLING in Old Town. Otherwise a very frustrating day!

DAY FOUR

Another day ‘off island’ with a trip to Tresco and an agreement that we would not be chasing the Mourning Dove if news broke again. We got onto Tresco at Carn Near and scanned the bay off South Beach locating the BLACK-NECKED GREBE distantly offshore. Scoping the Tresco Channel produced our first (and only) Shelducks and a few common waders incuding Greenshank, Redshank and Curlew. A couple of RED SQUIRRELS provided some entertainment during a quick toilet stop at the Abbey Gardens and three more Firecrests showed really well at the east end of the Abbey. The feral population of GOLDEN PHEASANTS on Tresco are always a group pleaser and today was no exception with five males and a female in the pines to the north of the gardens. A couple of CATTLE EGRETS were added to the list before lunch, feeding amongst cattle to the north of Great Pool. After lunch two of the group decided to go into the Abbey Gardens whilst the rest of us walked around to the hides at Great Pool. The incoming tide pushed twenty Greenshank onto the pool and a showy WATER RAIL made its way along the reed edge. The ducks on the lake were very mobile due to some on-going ecology work on the water but we managed to add Little Grebe, Pochard, Wigeon, Gadwall and Coot to our list.

During the afternoon, news filtered out that the Mourning Dove was pinned own to a small farmyard at Lower Town Farm on St Agnes…………..

DAY FIVE

No prizes for guessing where we were headed again today!! Birding the Scillies at this time of year is ALL about seeing the rare birds the islands provide and having seen all the other highlights on the islands in the last few days, we werent going to ,iss out on ‘The Biggie’! The boat to St Agnes wasnt until 10.15am so some of the group headed out before hand to see the JACK SNIPES at Lower Moors. Both showed really well, as did another WATER RAIL. At 10.15am we headed out on another full boat full of hope that we would finally put our nemesis bird to bed!

Off the boat and we were soon joining a small organised crowd in specially arranged area at Lower Town Farm. After what seemed like an age, someone found the bird sat on a wall but frustratingly it moved back into the pittisporum bushes! Eventually it gave itself up and performing beautifully for the now elated crowd of birders! MOURNING DOVE was on our list!

Mourning Doves are one of the commonest breeding species across North America; many are resident, but more northerly populations migrate south in winter. There are four previous occurrences in Britain, with a further three in Ireland and a single record from the Isle of Man. All but two of these have come since 2007. (per Birdguides)

We caught the early boat back to St Mary’s and after dropping off our day bags at the Hotel we headed up to Peninnis Head. After a short search with other birders the WRYNECK was located on rocks below the lighthouse. It wasnt as obliging as last years bird and at the same location but sat up long enough fro everyone to see it. A stunning summer plumaged GREAT NORTHERN DIVER was just offshore here too.

DAY SIX

Our final day on the Islands and after a hearty breakfast (same as every other morning!) we headed out with a good walk across to Porthloo, up to Telegraph, down to Newford Duckpond then back towards Old Town and Lower Moors, stopping for a wonderful coffee and cakes at Longstones Cafe. Birds were a bit thin on the ground but we had good view of a LESSER WHITETHROAT in Standing Stones Field and very brief views of the ROSY STARLING again. We finished the day off with cheesy chips and a pint at The Atlantic while we waited for the Scillonian home.

The journey back was fantastic! Two PUFFINS were only seen by our guide but we enjoyed over 350 GREAT SHEARWATERS with a few SOOTY and MANX SHEARWATERS!

Another fantastic week on Scilly with some truly rare birds! We saw 105 species in all. Thanks to a great group of guests and also to our hosts at The Bell Rock Hotel who were fantastic once again.

FULL BIRD LIST

Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, BLACK-NECKED GREBE, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, European Storm Petrel (go), Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, CATTLE EGRET, Little Egret, Grey Heron, SPOONBILL (go), Mute Swan, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Pochard, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine, Pheasant, Golden Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Sanderling, CURLEW SANDPIPER, Dunlin, RUFF, JACK SNIPE, Common Snipe, Curlew Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, Turnstone, WILSON’S PHALAROPE, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin (go), Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, TURTLE DOVE, *MOURNING DOVE*, Kingfisher, WRYNECK, Skylark, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, AMERICAN PIPIT, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Wheatear, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, LESSER WHITETHROAT, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, FIRECREST, SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, PIED FLYCATCHER, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, ROSY STARLING, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, COMMON ROSEFINCH, LAPLAND BUNTING.

The post Isles of Scilly for Birders! October 2025 Trip Report appeared first on Cornwall Bird Watching Tours.

After some fairly awful weather, the morning was beautiful with blue skies and sunshine and not a ripple on the lake at St Gothian, this made seeing the birds very easy and we soon picked up both the RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and the GREY PHALAROPE along with the usual Little Grebes, Tufted Ducks, Coots and Moorhens. A Snipe and a Water Rail were nice additions to our list and a Kingfisher gave tantalising views. Paul picked up two Green Sandpipers flying overhead and a nice adult Mediteranean Gull. A ‘bunting’ flew in near the dunes that was thought to be a Snow Bunting but due to the amount of dog walkers it could not be relocated. (one was there the following day though, which confirmed the sighting!) We also saw Cetti’s Warblers, Reed Buntings and Stonechats in the reedbeds. A great start to the day!

We went on to Copperhouse Creek next where we picked up more waders including Ringed Plover, Greenshanks, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlins, Grey Plover and lots of Redshank. There were over eighty Mediteranean Gulls here too and it was good to go through some of the different plumages. Our second Kingfisher of the day flew by at close range and perched up allowing some great views through the scopes. Next stop was the Hayle Estuary. We parked at Ryan’s Field but by-passed the hide as our target bird was on the main estuary. We did stop briefly though as our guide spotted the overwintering SPOONBILL out on the mud! Once safely over the road to the causeway bridge we quickly found the PECTORAL SANDPIPER feeding close by amongst a small group of Eurasian Teal. Another great bird to add to the list another lifer for some of the group. Wigeon have started to arrive on the reserve and about eighty birds were present in the creek along with fishing Cormorants and Little Egrets. We crossed back over to look at Ryan’s Field from the road and watched the Spoonbill feeding before it flew over our heads onto the main estuary. A nice RUFF gave good views close to the wall and five Lapwing and a Rock Pipit were also seen.

After an amazing morning we joked it would all be downhill from here on, but another rarity awaited us at Land’s End Airfield. Yesterdays ISABELLINE WHEATEAR was still present and was sat on the tail of a small aircraft on the airfield when we arrived. It remained a bit distant but we had good views through the telescopes and a Northern Wheatear close by was a nice comparison. This bird was only the 4th ever record for Cornwall, so yet another amazing rarity to add to our list! Leaving the Wheatears on the airfield we headed down into Nanquidno Valley where we sat in glorious sunshine for lunch. Whilst tucking in, three FIRECRESTS flicked across the path into the trees behind us, one giving close but brief good views. Once we had finished lunch we walked down Nanjulian Valley to the sea. It was very warm and very quiet for birds (other than Buzzards and four Stock Doves) but butterflies were everywhere, especially Red Admirals, with over twenty on a small patch of Ivy. We also picked up Painted Lady, Comma and Small Coppers here.

Last stop of the day was Land’s End where a Wryneck had been reported. Sadly, this is where our luck ran out as we couldn’t find one, but we were compensated with a smart WHINCHAT and the obligatory CHOUGHS! Another fantastic day tour in West Cornwall with some amazing rare and scarce birds. We finished the day on a grand total of 74 species! The weather and company was fantastic too!

BIRD LIST

Little Grebe, Cormorant, Shag, Little Egret, Grey Heron, SPOONBILL, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Buzzard, Kestrel, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, Dunlin, Ruff, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, GREY PHALAROPE, Mediteranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Lesser BLackbacked Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Kingfisher, Skylark, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, WHINCHAT, Stonechat, ISABELLINE WHEATEAR, Norhern Wheatear, Blackbird, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, FIRECREST, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, CHOUGH, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting.

The post Two Valleys Tour – 28th September 2025 appeared first on Cornwall Bird Watching Tours.

Day 2 – Holkham, a Sneaky Twitch and a Harrier!

We always like to get the trip list off to a good start and with lots of good birds reported in the past week we decided to begin our week at the Holkham reserve. On arrival at Lady Annes Drive we parked up and immediately started picking up birds. Both sides of the drive held lots of different species and we were soon adding Red Kites, Marsh Harriers, Black-tailed Godwits, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Brent, Pink-footed, Greylag, Canada and Egyptian Geese and a few Snipe. There were birds everywhere you looked! We counted 10 Red Kites in the air at one time with at least 4 Marsh Harriers! The marshes also held dozens of Muntjac and a few Brown Hares and Water Bucks.

From the drive we called briefly at the visitor centre before heading to the beach for our main target species. Along the footpath we picked up a couple of nice Treecreepers, Coal Tit and Goldcrests and a flock of Skylarks were in the field opposite. As we came out of the woods to view the east end of the roped off area (specifically in place to stop disturbance form dogs) another birder pointed to an area just in front of us. She was indicating the presence of 8 SHORELARKS that were showing really well on the saltmarsh! For the first time in memory there were no Snow Buntings in the area but we were treated to some very obliging Sanderling. On the sea we picked up a raft of Common Scoter, Black-throated Divers, Red-breasted Mergansers and lots of Great Crested Grebes. Back at the van the spectacle continued with hundreds of Geese over head, more Red Kites and a smart Peregrine perched on a tree that seemed to attract every bird of prey for miles around! After a fantastic packed lunch (provided by our hosts) we decided to ‘twitch’ the overwintering GLOSSY IBIS at nearby Stiffkey. Fifteen minutes later we were out the van and watching this beautiful bird feeding in a flooded field. A nice addition to our list and a ‘Lifer’ for some of the group!

As we were now close to Warham Greens we decided to spend the rest of the daylight we had at the harrier roost there. There was plenty to see but the area is quite vast and getting everyone on to the birds was a challenge. Brad picked up a distant Barn Owl, the a male Hen Harrier (that eluded most of us!) the Paul got on to a speeding Merlin that landed a good distance away. Fortunately it eventually came closer giving great prolonged scope views. Tess then casually mentioned she had a harrier in her view that was sporting a white rump. It turns out we were all initially looking way too far in the distance as the female PALLID HARRIER sauntered past at quite close quarters! Thankfully everyone got great views as she flew low over the marsh and inland. A fitting end to a fantastic first day in Norfolk. Species list stands at 86 sp.

Day 3 – Hawfinch for Breakfast!

Our 2nd full day and we started straight after Breakfast with another hour at Lyndford Arboretum. This time we were in luck and a stonking male Hawfinch showed really well (although not close enough for decent photos!) on the ground by the feeding area south of the cafe. Sundays Brambling was back again and we had further great views of Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Redwing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker! Once everyone was satisfied with the Hawfinch experience we headed for WWT Welney.

The track into Welney reserve is an interesting rollercoaster with water filled ditches either side and with lots of birds in the adjacent fields, concentrating is a must! However, we still picked up our first big flocks of feeding Whooper Swans, Curlew and Lapwings and plenty of assorted Deers and Brown Hare. Once parked up the first birds in evidence were Tree Sparrows. They were everywhere and certainly seemed to have increased in number since our last visit. They shared the plentiful feeders with House Sparrow and a good number of Reed Buntings and showed really well for those in our group with cameras! After a visit to the main centre we headed out around Lady Fen, immediately picking up three Cattle Egrets and one of five Short-eared Owls hunting over the marsh. Paul then picked up a distant Common Crane, one of our target species for the day, which thankfully came into the reserve and landed out of sight. Luckily it hung around long enough for us to get good scope views on the ground! Another appeared to land a short time later but that one couldn’t be found. Great White and Little Egrets were also in the shallow pools on the marsh along with a Grey Heron and a couple of Egyptian Geese flew over.

After lunch we crossed the bridge from the visitor centre to spend the afternoon in the main hides. The large heated hide was very welcome after a cold walk in the morning and it was a miracle no-one had a snooze! There was plenty to see though including some stunning drake Pintail and Goldeneye, flocks of Black-tailed Godwits and of course more Whooper Swans. Try as we might we couldn’t pick out an Bewick’s and none came in for the evening feed! A final scan over Lady Fen before we left produced six more Common Cranes and a nice Barn Owl. End of day two and our trip list was at 103 species!

Day 4 – A Tale of Two Halves at Titchwell!

With prior notice of a possible road closure near to our destination we headed off to RSPB Titchwell in what we thought was a different direction. As it turned out our guides continued to recognise landmarks along the way and realised we had been this way on a previous tour. We therefore stopped in a spot where we had previously seen both Red-legged and Grey Partridges and incredibly both species were in exactly the same field! Two more ticks for the trip list!

After a quick loo stop we headed out onto the reserve, enjoying great views of Treecreeper in the wood before we had even gone through the visitor centre! The staff at Titchwell were, as usual, welcoming and friendly and soon had us through the entrance with information about confiding Water Rails and roosting Tawny Owls! Both were soon added to our tally. The birds came thick and fast after that with our first Avocets, Spotted Redshank, Turnstone and Grey Plover. We had initially decided to look at the pools first, go back to the van for lunch, then have a look at the sea in the afternoon. However, as we were so close to the beach, with a good hour before lunch time, we changed that around and went onto the beach to check out the sea first. This turned out to be a lucky decision. The sea was flat calm and made finding ducks, grebes and divers fairly easy, although a scope was generally needed. The large flock of Common Scoter held at least four Velvet Scoter and a first-winter Long-tailed Duck and everyone manged to see them with a bit of help from our guides. Just before we left for lunch a stunning drake Long-tailed Duck came into view. A fitting end to the morning. As we walked back for lunch though, the fog came in. Thick, thick fog! And that was pretty much the end of that for the day, so we headed back for an early shower. Despite the weather, we manged another thirteen species to the list, which was now on 116 sp.

Day 5 – Big Gull Morning and a Disappointing Reserve!

Having prepared for a day of deteriorating weather we headed straight out after breakfast to Old Hunstanton to catch up with the long-staying Glaucous Gull that had been reported there for nearly three weeks. The rain held off for the first couple of hours and as we entered the beach we encountered our first Snow Buntings of the trip. A brilliant flock of 56 birds including some stunning males. They fed quite close by, high up on the beach with the odd Turnstone, Sanderling and Redshanks giving great views. A few hundred meters further on and we found the reported six Shorelarks, again giving great close views and the light was much better than when we had seen them previously at Holkham. As we watched and got a few shots, the hulk of a large creamy Glaucous Gull appeared above the shingle bank and looked to land just out of sight a bit further away. We soon found it again feeding on an a rather non-appetising looking seal carcass. It showed really well before heading to the shoreline, no doubt to wash the rotting seal from its bill! Everyone was elated with he birds so far, but we did get a bit of a soaking as we headed back to the minibus!

Our guides then decided that as we were close to Snettisham we would go there for the afternoon and hopefully pick up a few of the geese and waders reported from the site. None of us had ever been to this RSPB reserve before and after another superb packed lunch we headed out along the sea bank. The tide was retreating and despite there being a lot of waders out on the mud, there were no massive numbers and no ‘murmurations’. The highlight was probably the smart Goldeneyes on the pools by the beach houses, well before the actual reserve. By now the rain had set in and we were looking forward to getting in a hide or two. Sadly , we were very disappointed. There is one newish looking hide (that we didn’t get to) but the others, whilst clean, were quite run down and the pools in front held very little in the way of birds. It is a very very long walk out to the hides and there are NO facilities at Snettisham. This was evident with the amount of used tissue in one or two private areas! With the rain persisting we called it a day and went home for an early bath. Four species added to the tally which now stood at 120.

Day 6 – Fantastic End at an Equally Fantastic Reserve

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust Reserve at Cley Marshes was our final destination on our last day in Norfolk. We had a leisurely start, allowing for some bad weather to pass through, arriving at Cley at 1030hrs. Despite a strong, cold wind the sun was out and we had blue skies above! We spent the morning in the hides on the west of the reserve, out of the wind and picked up a few new species including a White-fronted Goose that had remained asleep and undetected right in front of the hide until Mark caught it waking up and alerted us all to it! We had great views of Marsh Harriers, Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits from here too. After lunch back at the van we walked the East Bank towards the sea. Our first and only Kingfisher shot across in front of us and was sadly missed by a couple of the group! The Easterly wind was strong and bitingly cold on the high bank and we were glad to get into Richardson’s Hide! But not before a flock of thirty Barnacle Geese settled briefly on the marsh before setting off again headed West. We then walked out onto the shingle beach and despite the choppy conditions added Red-throated Diver and Red-necked Grebe to to the list. Time was getting on so we decided to leave, but not before Paul picked up a cracking Caspian Gull on the scrape! A final addition to our bird list, bringing the total to 127 species!

The drive back also produced a lovely herd of Red Deer and a fly over Woodcock! Our Mammal list included Red Deer, Roe Deer, Muntjac and Water Deer, Brown Hare, Common Seal, Brown Rat, Grey Squirrel and Rabbit.

BIRD LIST

Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, GLOSSY IBIS, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, White-fronted Goose, Greylag, Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Brent Goose, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, LONG-TAILED DUCK, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, PALLID HARRIER, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, COMMON CRANE, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Snipe, Woodcock, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, CASPIAN GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Short-eared Owl, Kingfisher, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, SHORELARK, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, TREE SPARROW, Chaffinch, BRAMBLING, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Bullfinch, HAWFINCH, SNOW BUNTING, Reed Bunting.

Many thanks to our wonderful group, Sheila, Mark and Sarah, Tess, Claire and Kaye for lots of laughs and some great spotting! Also a huge thankyou to our hosts and staff at The Crown Hotel, amazing food and accommodation again and to all the RSPB, WWT and NWT reserves staff we visited who made us feel very welcome! Can’t wait to do it all again in December 25!

Paul and Brad

The post Norfolk – January 2025 appeared first on Cornwall Bird Watching Tours.

Determined not to miss out on Blackcap and Long-tailed Tit like last time, today’s group gathered at the 0830hrs start time in the back garden of Cornwall Birdwatching Tours HQ! We were finally greeted with good weather and with a good start we were confident it would be another 90+ species day. Little did we know just how good a day it would turn out to be! Learning from the last NYBLB tour that an early start at Tehidy woods was a good idea, we headed there first. There were still a few cars in the car park on our arrival, but that was expected due to the sunshine! The resident Mandarin pair and male Gadwall were still present thankfully and a Goldcrest performed in the willows above them. The ‘yaffle’ of a Green Woodpecker was heard followed by its low drumming. A sure sign of spring already!?This was followed a short while later by a Great Spotted Woodpecker doing the same. Nice to compare the two very different drumming rhythms. The Rose Garden Feeders gave us Nuthatch, Bullfinch and a flyover Siskin but we had to put in an extra ten minutes before we could finally add Coal Tit to the list.

It was decided we would give Hell’s Mouth a miss and head straight for Godrevy this morning in the hope we could pick up a Fulmar at the latter site. By now the fair weather public were in full outdoor mode and parking wasnt helped by the fantastic surf at Gwithian! We did however ignore the ‘Car Park Full’ sign and find a nice space further up by the headland. This was a great time saver for us and once we alighted from the van, Alex picked up the Water Rail we had seen the previous day in the boggy area behind the car park. A short walk up to the Grey Seal colony also produced the long-staying male Black Redstart. And a Fulmar was also added to the list. The parking along tha main road to Gwithian was once again horrendous, so we opted to miss St Gothian Sands in favour of a coffee break at Ryan’s Field. This decision cost us Coot and Shoveler at the end of the day, but………..

We stopped off for a quick toilet break and a scan at Copperhouse Creek, adding a few waders in the process, when Paul received a message informing us that a Booted Eagle had been reported at Marazion. Really!? A Booted Eagle!? Surley someone has mistaken the very pale Marsh Harrier that had been there the previous day? With news that the bird was currently still showing, all plans for coffee went on hold as we hit the A30 in the direction of Marazion. Pulling into the Station Car Park we could see a few other birders had gathered and were scanning the pine belt behind Marazion Marsh. As soon as we got out of the van, Paul picked up the bird distantly over the pines and got everyone on the bird! A few expletives were apologised for afterwards! What an incredible bird! Only about 6 records in the UK, the juvenile eagle performed for a good few minutes before disappearing behind the trees and out of view. Sadly a bit too far away for photos, but a few others were much luckier with closer views and amazing images! We’ve borrowed the ones below from our CB Ladies group organiser Lisa Lark (Many Thanks for the use of these!) As we chatted elatedly about the bird we were also treated to a very close encounter with a huge female Peregrine that startled the numerous Teal and Snipe on the marsh.

After the hype of the eagle we headed back to Hayle to celebrate with lunch. Paul picked up a nice Water Pipit to add to the list and the main estuary produced the expected Spoonbill, Goosander and Common Gull. No sign of the single Black-tailed Godwit though, one that would evade the final daily tally. Once refreshed with food and warm drinks we headed back west to Battery Rocks for compulsory Purple Sandpiper viewing. There were well over 60 birds today in stark comparison to the lonely three on our last visit! The sea was way too rough to get the whole group onto any distant Divers so we opted for the easy option an picked up a couple of Great Northern sheltering in Newlyn Harbour! It was getting late into the afternoon as we headed to Boscathnoe Reservoir area and the paths there were no less muddy than our last visit. Unfortunately the Little Bunting didn’t show for us but we added Reed Bunting and Jay and also saw at least ten male Bullfinches. Next stop, Drift Reservoir where we once again added Great Crested Grebe.

After speaking to a local birder at Boscathnoe we decided a quick look in at Land’s End was in order where at least two further additions to our list were possible. We got them both. Golden Plover and finally CHOUGH! At our final destination, Bartinney Downs, we were informed by photographers there that we had just missed a male Hen Harrier! And with the Short-eared Owls being a ‘no-show’ we called it a day. 93 species in total and we did get at least one Owl for the list

Another incredible effort from the group today resulting in a huge 93 species. Lovely to have some decent weather and a fantastic bonus with the BOOTED EAGLE!! Everyone very happy. Many thanks to all our guests today. We’re sure we will be seeing you all again.

BIRD LIST

Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Fulmar, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Mandarin Duck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, BOOTED EAGLE, Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine, Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Owl, Green Woodpecker, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, WATER PIPIT, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie, Chough, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting.

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Seven brave souls joined Paul today on our 2nd NYBLB day tour in less than favourable conditions! In fact it rained all day! Our day of listing usually starts around HQ with a few commoner birds but at 0830hrs it was still hardly light and the drizzle forced us straight into the minibus. We first headed to Tehidy Country Park to beat the early dogwalkers and toddler brigades as well as considering a bit of overhead shelter from the rain. With hardly anyone around, the birds were less disturbed and we were soon adding some woodland and water birds to the list. This included the resident pair of Mandarin, a lone Gadwall, a stunning Bullfinch and Nuthatch at the feeders. Walking back to the van we were lucky to pick up a Mistle Thrush with Redwings on the adjacent golf course. A brief stop at Hell’s Mouth afforded us great views of Fulmar and Peregrine Falcons before we stopped off at St Gothians Sands. A quick look over the main pond here for wildfowl added Coot, Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler to the list.

Next stop was the Hayle Estuary and after a toilet stop at Copperhouse, adding a few waders at the creek itself, we headed for a bit of respite in the hide at Ryan’s Field. On entering the hide the overwintering Spoonbill showed brilliantly directly in front of us! A single Black-tailed Godwit added to the wader list here and the Goosander were thankfully obliging on the main estuary. From here we headed for one of two afternoon visits to Marazion. The weather really closed in at this point and we could hardly see a thing on the sea apart from a distant raft of Common Scoter. The eastern end of the reserve held a few Meadow and Rock Pipits, Greenfinch, Linnet, Stonechat and a Chiffchaff, all feeding on the seaweed washed up on the beach.

Battery Rocks is always a must on our winter tours where we are almost always guaranteed Purple Sandpiper. On arrival though it didnt look great with high tide waves crashing against the usual roosting site. However, a further lean over the sea wall found just three birds huddled together right up against the wall! John also found us a female Black Redstart inside Jubilee Pool! The sea state wasn’t great for Divers either but fortunately a few Great Northern were sheltering in the relative calm of Newlyn Harbour, so they went on the list. Our next destination was a muddy affair, trudging through wet footpaths at Boscathno Reservoir near Heamoor, Penzance. This was in search of a Little Bunting that had been seen in recent days in that area. Our luck was finally in and as we approached a weedy field, four birds flew up into the surrounding hedge. One LITTLE BUNTING and three Reed Buntings!

After leaving the buntings we had a quick stop in at Drift reservoir for the expected Great Crested Grebe before ending the day back at Marazion. This time the visibility was better than earlier and we managed to find a female Eider and Mediterranean Gull on the rocks. With light fading fast we decided to call time and were pleasantly surprised to find, despite the weather, that we had seen 92 types of bird!!

As you can imagine, it wasnt camera weather, so no photos today. An amazing effort by the group to get 92 species in those conditions! Thanks to all our guests, we had a great day.

BIRD LIST

Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Fulmar, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Mandarin Duck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Eider, Common Scoter, Goosander, Buzzard, Peregrine, Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Bullfinch, LITTLE BUNTING, Reed Bunting.

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Seven guests joined Paul as guide today on our first Winter Bird Tour of 2025. There weather wasn’t great once again! We picked up Corinne at Penzance and started our day in the harbour area with the usual Turnstones and Gulls and a scan over the rocks produced a female Sparrowhawk, no doubt the reason there were no Black Redstarts in the vicinity! A guillemot and a few Shags and Cormorants were the only other birds in the bay so we walked over to Jubilee Rocks to search for Purple Sandpipers. A small group were on the usual rocks and we turned our attention once again to the sea. Five fishing boats were just outside the harbour entrance and had obviously just returned from sea with a catch! There were thousands of bird around them including hundreds of Gannets, Herring, Great Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls, Kittiwakes, more Guillemots and at least 6 Great Norther Divers. It was a amazing spectacle, with a few Dolphins thrown in for good measure!

It was then on to Newlyn Harbour in the hope of a Black Redstart. Sadly, we dipped again, but had further close views of Great Northern Diver in the harbour and Sarah Jane picked up a Brent Goose flying past St Micheal’s Mount. Back in the van we headed further west but the weather closed in further so after a drink break at Bartinney we made our way back up the A30 to Hell’s Mouth. The weather was still poor at this point but appeared to be clearing a little, so after a few minutes of Fulmar action we drove to Godrevy Head.This was undoubtedly the highlight of the day. The sun came out!!! We parked the van opposite the lighthouse and just on the right hand side in the boggy area off the path was the Water Rail we had see three days early. It sat right out in the open, feeding with the odd Dunnock and Meadow Pipit alongside. It didn’t seem fazed at all by the group of admirers (and other members of the public who wanted to know what we were watching!) and we admired it for a good ten minutes before it sauntered off into the undergrowth.

Up on the headland there were a good number of people watching the seals in Basset’s Cove, so our group joined the throng. The highlight for us however, was not the forty or so smelly seals lounging around on the beach below! It was the stunning male Black Redstart just below us on the rocks. The bird was in almost full breeding plumage and showed incredibly well feeding on the grassy slopes. By now we were getting a bit peckish and after a brief toilet stop at Copperhouse we aimed for the Hayle Estuary where we would have lunch. But not before we had a good scan of the Creek, producing Snipe, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Shelduck and a few Dunlin.

At Hayle the tide was very high meaning there was plenty to look at on Ryan’s Field, including the wintering Spoonbill which was feeding right in front of the hide when we arrived. After lunch we walked the short distance to the main estuary to view from the causeway. Unfortunately, 5 idiots on kayaks had paddled right into the estuary, despite the NO ENTRY signs and had disturbed a lot of the roosting waders and gulls. We still managed a few new birds though, including five Goosander, three of which were stunning cream coloured drakes. By now the weather had closed in again and we headed back west to end our day at Marazion Marsh. Another scan of the sea here produced Velvet and Common Scoter and a female Eider, our 70th species of the day.

Another fantastic winter day tour in West Cornwall with some great birds and a lovely group!

BIRD LIST

Great Northern Diver, Fulmar, Gannet, Shag, Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Brent Goose, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Eider, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Goosander, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Water Rail, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blackbird, Redwing, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet.

The post West Cornwall Winter Day Tour appeared first on Cornwall Bird Watching Tours.

Our first NYBLB of 2025 saw 7 guests with Paul as guide, head out from Connor Downs HQ at 08.30hrs. We started the list as soon as everyone arrived with Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit and flyover Woodpigeon and Starling! Our first destination was Stithians Lake with an initial stop at The Golden Lion cutoff, adding Great White Egret, Little Egret, Teal, Cormorant, Wigeon and few other common species, including Great-spotted Woodpecker, expertly picked up by Simon. We then headed to the other end of the reserve adding a few more water birds and waders including our first Snipe and Lapwings, Little Grebes, Gadwall and Tufted Ducks. The feeders didn’t provide us with much so we headed back west, calling at Helston Boating Lake and sewerage works where we picked up Firecrest, Chiffchaff, Grey and Pied Wagtails, Mute Swan and a nice male Shoveler.

Next stop was Marazion where we enjoyed a hot drink whilst adding a few extras like Stonechat, Greenfinch, Great Northern Diver and commoner Gulls. The marsh itself didn’t help the list along much but a Cetti’s Warbler showed nicely. We stopped at a few places around Mount’s Bay giving us good views of Purple Sandpiper, Sanderling, Common Scoter, Eider, a Black-throated Diver, Black Redstart and best of all the Velvet Scoter, picked up by Sarah. Velvet Scoter is an uncommon bird in Cornwall so really good to catch up with this one.

Sadly the high tide at Hayle wasn’t due until early evening but we didn’t miss out and after lunch at Ryan’s Field we added another 15 or more species on the estuary including the Spoonbill, picked up distantly by Allan. Others added here included Golden Plover, Dunlin, Greenshank and Redshank, Goosander, Shelduck and Common Gull. We stopped briefly at Copperhouse to use the public facilities and a scan over the creek helped tick off Ringed and Grey Plover. With daylight fast retreating, we headed north for a few last ditch additions, calling at Hell’s Mouth, where Tim found a stunning Peregrine, along with Fulmars. We spent the last 45 minutes of day searching for woodland birds at Tehidy and managed Nuthatch, Goldcrest and a pair of Mandarin on the pond.

Back in the relative warmth of the minibus, a count up of the day list reveled 92 species (94 including Bullfinch and Fieldfare which were only seen by Paul!) A fantastic achievement by the group! We missed out on a few that were available, like Red-throated Diver, Fieldfare, Bullfinch, Glossy Ibis, Bonaparte’s Gull, Water Rail, Slavonian Grebe, Great-crested Grebe, Sparrowhawk and Kingfisher! But, you can’t get em all.

SPECIES LIST

Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Fulmar, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Mandarin, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Eider, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Goosander, Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine, Pheasant, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Cettis Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet (Plus Bullfinch and Fieldfare)

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The shallow water held hundreds of Greylags, Lapwing, Teal and Wigeon and more close Snipe. Our first (of many) Great White Egrets showed well among them then our guide picked up the female MERLIN that had been present for a few days sat on a distant fence. This stunning little falcon performed brilliantly at times harassing the wildfowl and flying in at very close range on a few occasions. This action attracted the photographers from Hide 1, so we moved as a group to fill in their places. Ironically, the Merlin had the same idea and gave us stunning vies as it circled overhead! A nice male Marsh Harrier sauntered across the reed beds just as one of the resident photographers casually mentioned “Bearded Tits on the right!” We were soon watching five or six birds including 2 stunning males! We stayed and enjoyed these beautiful reed dwellers for another 30 minutes before heading off to RSPB Ham Wall for the afternoon.

Packed lunches were enjoyed on the picnic benches provided while we continued to add birds to the day list including Mistle Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll. Fully replenished we entered the reserve and immediately found a Firecrest in the ivy covered trees alongside the walkway. The open water held the usual suspects like Pochard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Wigeon and Teal and Marsh Harriers seemed to be everywhere. Our target species at this time was a YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER reported earlier 400 yrds past the second viewing platform, so we headed straight there, birding along the way. On arrival, Paul picked up the bird on call but it remained very elusive, showing briefly high up in the Alders. Brad then picked up another bird calling a short distance away, so two birds! While we stood searching for these tiny Asiatic gems we could definitely hear Common Cranes calling distantly but sadly didn’t see any.

By now it was almost time for the main event, so we made our way back to the first viewing area to join the ever increasing crowd ready for the murmurations. The evening sunlight was stunning which made the colours of the GLOSSY IBIS, that head just flown in, all the better. After about half an hour the first Starlings started to arrive. Small flocks of fifty to a hundred birds dripped into the area, then larger flocks containing a couple of thousand. Soon the sky was black with the throng of hundreds of thousands of Starlings ready to roost. We estimated over a million came in to roost. What an amazing spectacle and well worth the wait! As a finale, we picked up a Woodcock and a Tawny Owl as we left the car park towards home. 74 Species in total, great company and a bit of winter sunshine too!!

This was our first tour in Somerset during the winter months. Our Spring Tours here are always popular, but we will be heading back here for more winter tours early next year!

SPECIES LIST

Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, GLOSSY IBIS, Mute Swan, Greylag, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Merlin, Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Common Crane (H), Lapwing, Snipe, Woodcock, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Tawny Owl, Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, BEARDED TIT, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting.

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Day 2

Our second day was spent on Tresco. It turned out to be a glorious sunny day and we started at Great Pool. Three FIRECRESTS were in Pittisporum by the tennis courts and 5 WHOOPER SWANS flew in from Bryher. After a bit of searching we manged to find one of the American LESSER YELLOWLEGS hidden among the Redshanks and reeds on the right side of the pool. It eventually showed well albeit at distance, definitely a telescope job in future. The annually weedy feild at the back of the Fire Station was full of finches and we soon located one of the two EUROPEAN SERINS feeding with a mobile flock of Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Linnet. A smart BRAMBLING was also with the flock. With a hour left we headed for the pub for a well deserved pint to wait for our boat back to St Mary’s. Three SPOONBILLS were on Green Island as usual as we passed by.

Day 3

Monday was dull and drizzly all day so we stayed on St Mary’s. A RADDE’S WARBLER was located at Mount Todden but our first attempt at seeing it proved fruitless. After an hours wait we decided to have a walk, bumping into a GREAT WHITE EGRET and 2 YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS as we headed back towards town. Then the news broke that the Radde’s was showing again, so we grabbed a lift on a golf buggy and were soon enjoying close views, albeit in very poor light and wet conditions.

Day 4

Day four was to be our Pelagic day. The final organised seabird trip aboard The Sapphire for 2024. With 20+ birders on board we set of at 0930hrs towards Toll Bank and Bishops Rock, then north looking for Shearwaters. A 2nd Cal Yellow-legged Gull and 4 Purple Sandpipers were picked up as we sailed through the Western Rocks with the odd Cory’s and Great Shearwaters picked up as we entered open water. We later came across a large raft which held 500+ Cory’s and 40+ Great Shearwaters, sat on the water, often heard calling which was a great experience. Other birds included 2 Sooty and 10+ Manx Shearwaters, 3 Great Skua, singles of Razorbill, Guillemot and a very late Puffin! After 5 hours we headed back, finding another 15 Purple Sandpipers on the rocks and 3 more Yellow-legged Gulls as we off-loaded unwanted loaves of bread behind the boat.

Day 5

Wednesday was our second ‘off-island’ day, this time to Bryher. Due to tides our boat wasn’t until 11 o’clock so we had a relatively late start to the morning. We were aware that a Common Crane had been seen off the coast of Cornwall and as we crossed The Roads to Bryher Paul picked up a large bird coming in off the sea over St Mary’s. This turned out to be the aforementioned COMMON CRANE and we watched it fly over St Mary’s, across to St Agnes and out to sea over The Western Rocks. Despite giving constant updates on its whereabouts, none of the birders St Agnes got on to the bird! Common Crane is a rare bird on Scilly with about ten records and is probably the latest record with most others being seen in the spring. As we followed the Crane, a juv MARSH HARRIER came into view over Annet and St Agnes!

Once on Bryher we headed up to the highest point where a Dotterel had been reported two days previously. As we walked up two GOLDENEYE flew around the hillside, flushed briefly from Great Pool, Tresco. With no sign of the Dotterel, we walked down to Big Pool, where twelve WHOOPER SWANS loafed in the shallow water. A BLACK REDSTART and our first WHEATEAR of the week were on Popplestone Beach and after a short walk Brad picked up the long-staying HOOPOE on Great Bay. We later saw it fly over the Tresco Channel and land distantly on the SE end of Tresco. Two Swallows were the first of the week and near Veronica Farm a FIRECREST chased a YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER through the pittisporum. The island also held an Ortolan Bunting which sadly evaded us. A Great Northern Diver showed well in The Roads on our return journey to St Mary’s.

Day 6

Another day on the main island of St Mary’s and another great bird found. A RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL showed extremely well at times, often down to four or five feet at the west end of Holy Vale. The bird was constantly harassed by the resident Robins and could go missing for twenty minutes before re-appearing. We would re-visit the are later in the afternoon where, with much better sunlight, the bird showed beautifully and some great photos were obtained. With overnight easterly winds, the place felt very ‘birdy’ with lots more Redwing, Fieldfare and Chaffinches overhead. Despite lots of searching we couldn’t find anything else of interest so we spent some more time with the Radde’s Warbler, which again showed at ridiculously close quarters.

Day 7

Our penultimate day on the islands and we once again hired a golf buggy. This allowed us to get to the north of the island very quickly (usually a 45 minute walk) and as a result we had more time to explore the Green Farm and Watermill coastline. The Pink-footed Geese were still present at Pelistry and our first Stock Doves of the week flew over. A Great White Egret and a Golden Plover flew over Kitty Down. There wasn’t a breath of wind and the silence was incredible, broken only by birdsong. A Common Sandpiper was on the beach at Watermill and a ‘Siberian’ type Chiffchaff was in the sallows nearby. News then broke of a Red-rumped Swallow at Porthellick so we headed back to the main road where the buggy was parked. As we passed Green Farm, Paul picked up a RICHARD’S PIPIT in the field opposite. It called frequently and after a quick loop flew off towards Carn Vean and was never sen again! (That or another was seen on St Agnes a few hours later). Sadly the Red-rumped Swallow could not be re-located but we saw two CATTLE EGRETS that had eluded us all week. Another bird that had given us the runaround every evening was a SPOTTED CRAKE in Lower Moors. It was uncharacteristically skittish and elusive and despite using the Zeiss Thermal Camera, we kept missing it. Finally our luck changed and we had very brief views very late evening.

Day 8

Our final morning as usual was spent packing and tidying the house before our departure. However, this was cut short when Mark found a LITTLE BUNTING just up the road at Sunnyside Farm Trail. By the time we got there he had found another! We decided to have a last walk round before our respective boat and plane journey back to the mainland and took a route through Lower Moors, Standing Stone Field, Old Town Church and back along Peninnis Head. Birds along the way included YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER, Kingfisher, Merlin, 2 Brambling and finally, in the last field on Peninnis Brad picked up two male RING OUZELS. A great end to an equally great week finishing with 107 species.

BIRD LIST

Great Northern Diver, Fulmar, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Shelduck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Goldeneye, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine, Pheasant, Water Rail, SPOTTED CRAKE, Moorhen, Coot, COMMON CRANE, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Great Skua, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Kingfisher, HOOPOE, Skylark, Swallow, RICHARD’S PIPIT, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock Robin, RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Blackcap, YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER, RADDE’S WARBLER, Chiffchaff, ‘Siberian’ Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, SERIN, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, LITTLE BUNTING.

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