West Cornwall 7 new lifers (1 Viewer)

[Cornish mouse]

I have just had the best day today I'm proper "coughed" with all my finds. I started the day just before sunrise and headed towards porthgwarra as I keep seeing it come up on recent sightings for birds I don't have. I wasn't feeling very hopefully for my planned day out as it was very foggy but within 10 mins I had my first lifer of the day with a barn owl sighting. It flew a few loops round a farm before disappearing behind a building. I was already thrilled for the day as this was quite unexpected. I carried on to porthgwarra and from the carpark got two more lifers, an American golden plover and a grey wagtail. I was off to a flying start. I walked up to the coast watch station on the way I saw quite a lot of white sea birds with black wing tips. I didn't know what they were but two two lovely ladies in the watch station let me in to look around and I asked them about the birds and between us figured out they were ganets. That's 4 lifers so far in probably less than an hour! I headed back to the car and on the way spotted a pair of choughs. I have heard them before so not a new lifer but my first time seeing them properly and I was ecstatic I watched them pecking around for quite a while before moving on. Next I drove to Drift reservoir and walked down to the bird hide. I saw my next lifer for the day several little grebes. It's a lovely quite hide btw I enjoyed resting there a fair while before moving on. Next I went to marizion marsh. I'd picked the wrong day for this as rspb were doing some work down there involving chainsaws so my chances of seeing much were far less but a fair way down towards the railway I got a yellowed- browned warbler. I loved it's call next I headed down to Hayle estuary and knew I must be in for a treat as they're were several groups of bird watchers along the road. Not sure if it was the only thing they were there for but I picked up my last lifer for the day a spoonbill. I was told there were hooper swans somewhere but I didn't spot them unfortunately. I was absolutely knackered by this point so as much as I would have loved to continue the search I had to call it a day. I am up to 93 lifers now with the target being 100 by Christmas. I am so close now!

Shared a few pics I didn't get many today as was too fully immersed! just got my choughs, a buzzard, the spoonbill and an egret.

 

[Original PaulE]

I have just had the best day today I'm proper "coughed" with all my finds. I started the day just before sunrise and headed towards porthgwarra as I keep seeing it come up on recent sightings for birds I don't have. I wasn't feeling very hopefully for my planned day out as it was very foggy but within 10 mins I had my first lifer of the day with a barn owl sighting. It flew a few loops round a farm before disappearing behind a building. I was already thrilled for the day as this was quite unexpected. I carried on to porthgwarra and from the carpark got two more lifers, an American golden plover and a grey wagtail. I was off to a flying start. I walked up to the coast watch station on the way I saw quite a lot of white sea birds with black wing tips. I didn't know what they were but two two lovely ladies in the watch station let me in to look around and I asked them about the birds and between us figured out they were ganets. That's 4 lifers so far in probably less than an hour! I headed back to the car and on the way spotted a pair of choughs. I have heard them before so not a new lifer but my first time seeing them properly and I was ecstatic I watched them pecking around for quite a while before moving on. Next I drove to Drift reservoir and walked down to the bird hide. I saw my next lifer for the day several little grebes. It's a lovely quite hide btw I enjoyed resting there a fair while before moving on. Next I went to marizion marsh. I'd picked the wrong day for this as rspb were doing some work down there involving chainsaws so my chances of seeing much were far less but a fair way down towards the railway I got a yellowed- browned warbler. I loved it's call next I headed down to Hayle estuary and knew I must be in for a treat as they're were several groups of bird watchers along the road. Not sure if it was the only thing they were there for but I picked up my last lifer for the day a spoonbill. I was told there were hooper swans somewhere but I didn't spot them unfortunately. I was absolutely knackered by this point so as much as I would have loved to continue the search I had to call it a day. I am up to 93 lifers now with the target being 100 by Christmas. I am so close now!

Shared a few pics I didn't get many today as was too fully immersed! just got my choughs, a buzzard, the spoonbill and an egret.

Well done on your lifers, I love new birders accounts, giving equal billing to an American Golden Plover, a bird you might never see again in Britain and a Grey Wagtail, which you will probably see multiple times a year going forward!! Takes me back to my early days!

 

[Cornish mouse]

Well done on your lifers, I love new birders accounts, giving equal billing to an American Golden Plover, a bird you might never see again in Britain and a Grey Wagtail, which you will probably see multiple times a year going forward!! Takes me back to my early days!

It's true I have very little concept of what's rare or not and Merlin is no help. It says Canada geese are rare but they are absolutely everywhere in massive armies that never shut up 🤣

 

[Original PaulE]

It's true I have very little concept of what's rare or not and Merlin is no help. It says Canada geese are rare but they are absolutely everywhere in massive armies that never shut up 🤣

Yeah it's difficult but fun to start with!! This is looking like the 1st year I won't see a lifer since I started "proper" birding about 25 years ago!! Though still time to sneak one in!!

 

[davercox]

It's true I have very little concept of what's rare or not and Merlin is no help. It says Canada geese are rare but they are absolutely everywhere in massive armies that never shut up 🤣

The enormous numbers are descended from introductions so not 'really wild'. Occasional genuinely wild ones from N America do turn up but they not easy, sometimes impossible, to tell apart: it depends which sub-species they are. So Merlin is quite right.