Blackbird, Blaxton Meadow
The tide was ebbing when I arrived at Laira Bridge and things started off well with the wintering Great Crested Grebe found diving for fish in the small creek by Blagdons Boatyard. Out on the river 2 Shag and a pair of Goosander were also diving away and later another 2 female Goosanders were seen together out on the water.
Great Crested Grebe and Dunlin
Chelson Meadow was quiet with a silent Green Woodpecker flying away the highlight, no Stonechats were seen and sadly the site is due to be cleared in the next few weeks to make way for the new solar farm.
There was no sign of the Water Rail in the Wet Wood but I did find a male Treecreeper which I picked up initially when I heard it sing - it's good to know that my ears are still working well!
Treecreeper
The mucky Greylag Goose first seen last Autumn was present again amongst the large flock of Canada Geese in the cattle fields. Redwings were quite showy for a change around the Park, small flocks were seen flying over and also flitting about in the trees eating Ivy berries. A Firecrest, a Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest were found in the bushes near the sewage farm but there was no sign of any Siskins in the Alders here.
Mucky Greylag Goose
A Common Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, 4 Common Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Nuthatch and 4 Roe Deer were also of note and it was nice to hear 3 Song Thrush singing away in the gloom, Spring is not so far away, and I was pleased to finish the day on 58 species of birds.
Common Sandpiper, Marsh Mills
I had considered torturing myself some more on Saturday 13th January by revisiting the Hayle estuary to have a look at the Gulls again but the tides weren't great so I planned a visit to Wembury instead. However with news of a Golden Oriole of all things being found in Penzance I made plans to go and look for it.
It was another cold, grey and windless day as I headed down to Penzance on the train and on arriving at around 09:30hrs I walked around a mile to the nearby hamlet of Gulval where the Golden Oriole was being seen. I knew it was still present from checking BirdGuides on the train journey down and at Gulval there were Birders and Toggers milling around and they reported that the bird had been showing well. Very luckily within 5 minutes of arriving I saw it perched up in a bare tree where it gave some great views before flying off, a splash of liquid colour on a cold and claggy day and a bizarre sight in Cornwall in January!
Golden Oriole
Golden Oriole
It was feeding on Myrtle berries and I think the entire population of Cornwalls Myrtle bushes are present in the gardens at Gulval, they were everywhere and full of berries! A game of Cat and Mouse ensued as it fed on the berries in the gardens, viewing was difficult and I was very aware of pointing my binoculars into people's privacy. It would appear briefly in one garden resulting in a mass movement of the birders present towards it only for it to promptly disappear again and then reappear somewhere else.
While searching for the Oriole and waiting around for it to show I saw a few other birds - 2 male Blackcap and a male Sparrowhawk were year firsts and a Goldcrest, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Jay, a Buzzard, Redwings, a Song Thrush, Collared Doves, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and Chaffinch were also seen and I thought I heard a Dipper along the fast flowing stream running down through the gardens.
I eventually managed a brief view of the Oriole again in the tree where I first saw it but it was flushed by a passing bus. However it then reappeared shortly afterwards in the back garden of one of the residents who very kindly allowed access into her garden and I had some great views of it before it flew off again.
Golden Oriole
Golden Oriole
Golden Oriole
Golden Oriole
I finished off with more close views of it back in the original tree but after 2 hours of hanging about in the cold and with numbers of birders present steadily increasing it was time for me to try and warm up and move on and so I headed back to Penzance.
I had considered revisiting the Bonaparte's Gulls still present at nearby Marazion but decided to head to the Hayle estuary for a look about instead. I caught the train to St.Erth and walked down to the causeway bridge but the tide was well out on what was a very low low tide and the mass of Gulls roosting out on the mudflats were distant and tightly packed together. I had a scan through the Herring, Great Black-backed, Black-headed, Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls present and managed to find a 2nd winter and 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls amongst them but it was hard going.
Yellow-legged Gull amongst Herring and Common Gulls
The male Green-winged Teal was again sleeping amongst the Eurasian Teal along the waters edge just downriver from the bridge and a male Goosander was fishing in the river channel nearby. There was a notable drop in Lapwing numbers from last week's visit with just 3 present but Redshank, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Curlew, 2 Greenshank and 3 Oystercatchers showed well. There was no sign of the Spoonbill but 4 Little Grebe were seen on the Carnsew Pool with a single bird on the river nearby where a flock of 7 redhead Goosander were also busily diving for fish.
Green-winged Teal with Eurasian Teal
Razorbill bill from a sadly deceased bird at The Carnsew Pool
I caught the train back to Plymouth from the station in Hayle, I was glad to get back in the warm after a chilly days birding but seeing a Golden Oriole, only my second sighting of one in the UK, certainly warmed my soul.
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