With news of an adult Yellow-legged Gull of the Azorean race (Larus michahellis atlantis - Azorean/Atlantic Gull) being found at Newlyn Harbour and with it sticking around and showing well I decided to head down to Cornwall for a look on Saturday 16th November. Yet again it was a grey and claggy day but mild and with no breeze and I kept my fingers crossed on the 2 hour train journey to Penzance that the bird would still be there as Gulls can be very fickle and very mobile.
Gulls delight and frustrate me in equal measure and I very much have a love to hate to love to hate relationship with them. It can be fun trying to pick out a rare or unusual species amongst a large flock of Gulls or it can equally be a total nightmare and the range of plumages Gulls can exhibit can be totally baffling but fascinating. The photos being posted on the sightings pages of the Azorean Gull showed it to be smart and distinctive looking bird and I was keen to see it for myself and with Herring, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls having been fairly recently split from 1 to 3 species and with the current trend of Macronesian birds being upgraded to full species there may be a UK armchair tick in the offing someday in the future for me.
I arrived in Penzance at just after 9:30am (the train ticket was just £9.35 return with my £12 a year Devon and Cornwal Railcard) and news had already been posted online to say the Azorean Gull was still present and showing well so I headed off straight away along the coastpath to Newlyn. As I neared the village I scanned across to the fish quay roof and easily picked out the Azorean Gull asleep amongst the assorted Gulls present and so I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
On arriving at the harbour it was still present on the roof and I enjoyed some nice views of it as it wandered around and occassionally settled down for a nap. It was a typical Yellow-legged Gull, mostly keeping itself apart from the other Gulls but also being arsey and aggressive, any nearby Herring Gulls mostly moved out of its way and those that didn't got a peck on the butt although it very wisely avoided any of the nearby Great Black-backed Gulls.
A very interesting bird and one I had to do some reading up on when I returned home that evening which is something I always enjoy doing, everyday's a school day with birding.
After enjoying some good views of the Azorean Gull at the harbour along with a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail I walked back to Penzance and along the way I found a group of Turnstones feeding on the beach with 8 Ringed Plovers and 4 Purple Sandpipers.
I then walked out along the coast path towards Long Rock to look for a Snow Bunting which has been present along the beach here for a while now but there was no sign of it, however just as I had given up and was heading back to Penzance I found it and enjoyed some great views as it fed just a few metres away from me with 2 Meadow Pipits for company.
I then caught the train back to St.Erth and walked down to the causeway bridge over the River Hayle where there were plenty of birds present on the low tide. I quickly found the reported Avocet, only my second sighting of one here, and also of note were 3 female Goosanders, 100+ Golden Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Bar-tailed Godwits amongst the usual birds.
All too soon it was time to head down the estuary towards Hayle to catch the train back to Plymouth. I had a quick look at the Carnsew Pool along the way and found the returning juvenile Spoonbill from last winter busily feeding away and still sporting its green leg ring. There were also 8 Little Grebe out on the water or so I thought, a closer look revealed a smart Slavonian Grebe amongst the 7 Little Grebe.
I thought that the Slavonian Grebe would be a nice end to my day but as I was waiting for the train at Hayle station 4 Pink-footed Geese flew over in the fading light towards Copperhouse Creek to finish my day off properly.
It was bright but breezy on Sunday 17th November and with the weather forecasted to become wetter and colder in the coming days I decided to make the most of the sunshine and headed out to The Plym for a look about. I didn't arrive at Marsh Mills until around 12:30pm and I only walked a quick lap as it was very busy with walkers, cyclists and dogs also enjoying the good weather but I did have some interesting sightings along the way.
A Dipper along the river at Long Bridge was a nice sighting until it was flushed by a dog jumping in to the water but a nearby Grey Wagtail was less nervous and stayed put. I headed down towards Blaxton Meadow and found a Firecrest in the trees by the footpath near the sewage farm outlet, it showed very well although it didn't stay still for a second as it moved through the remaining foliage on the trees. Further downriver 4 Little Grebes, a Moorhen, a Common Sandpiper and a pair of Teal were seen, the Teal were hunkered down in the seaweed covered rocks and fast asleep and I almost overlooked them. A flock of 47 Wigeon were also roosting further downriver along the mudbank by the waters edge and were almost as easy to miss.
It was low tide but Blaxton Meadow was a lake as the sluice gates are blocked yet again and there was no sign of the recent Brent Geese or for that matter anything else here. I also had a look at the roof of Saltram House but there was no sign of the Black Redstarts either. However the Wood Duck was back on the duck pond amongst the Mandarins, it seems to be commuting between here and Plymbridge as the Mandarins also do.
And so a nice end to a busy birding week with some interesting sightings had in dry and mostly sunny weather, I don't think next week will be quite so good with the forecasted rain but the colder temperatures may move a few more birds down to the south west for the winter.
