Cornwall (Day 3)

Slow start. Day looked grey and wet. Bed looked warm and cosy. When I eventually got up and drove to Porthgwara things didn’t immediately speed up. Picked up a Redstart by the carpark, but little else. Bumped into Cornish birder John Ryan who I went to Kazakhstan many years ago and we had  quick chat before the rain came in and we went our separate ways.

After a pasty in the cafe I walked over to St. Levan where I found a Yellow-browed Warbler by the church. The only other bird of interest was a very odd sounding Chiffchaff. The “hweet” call was reversed with a down-slur rather than an up-slur. But it looked like a very typical collybita and I assume that’s what it was.

Back at Porthgwara things got more interesting. A chap from Berkshire, Dave Rymes (nice chap, down with his family) had just found a Pallas’s Warbler by the Doctor’s House. However, despite looking for the best part of half an hour, neither of us, nor two other young birders (who needed it) could find it. We did manage to see a rather dull looking Yellow-browed Warbler though.

Having seen Pallas’s Warbler recently, I strolled off to “60 foot cover”. A Tawny Owl (!) was calling from there and I managed to find another Yellow-browed. A different bird as it was much brighter (quite like the bird I’d seen at St. Levan earlier). I was again joined by Dave and told him about the Yellow-browed when the Pallas’s Warbler popped out! It performed well until dusk, though unfortunately the other two birders weren’t present to see it.

Given the lack of reports from elsewhere in Cornwall, Pallas’s Warbler was probably, ignoring Scilly, the bird of the day in the county.

Porthgwarra
24 October 2016 09:30 - 13:45
Changeable; bright sunshine and torrential rain 11C 5S
Gannet (heard), Grey Heron, Kestrel, Peregrine, Golden Plover, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chough (heard), Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Goldcrest, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Robin, Redstart, Stonechat, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Red Admiral

St. Levan
24 October 2016 13:45 - 16:00
Mostly sunny but occasional light rain 12C 5S
Buzzard, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Goldcrest, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Robin, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Red Admiral

Porthgwarra
24 October 2016 16:00 - 19:38
Patchy cloud 10C 5S
Kestrel, Snipe, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Tawny Owl (heard), Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Goldcrest, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Pallas's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Robin, Stonechat, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Red Admiral