With the Marazion Marsh Savi's Warbler still reeling and showing well but mostly at dawn and dusk I decided against all sensible judgement to go and try for it again on Monday April 21st. With it being Easter Monday a weekday train service was operating so there were early trains available from Plymouth and as it was a Bank Holiday I would be able to use my Devon and Cornwall Railcard too with a return ticket only costing £9.75. My alarm clock going off at 4:30am was not a very welcome sound though, we had been out the evening before at our friend Julie's house and had enjoyed a drink or two and after finally getting home and into bed at Midnight I wasn't feeling my best at such an ungodly hour.
The train journey to Penzance was uneventful and I arrived on time at 7:30am. There was a 20 minute wait for a bus to Marazion so I asked how much the fare would be from a taxi driver outside of the station and he quoted me £18 so that wasn't going to happen and I waited for the bus instead (which only cost £2.50).
I had seen some birders on the railway bridge overlooking the Marsh as we passed underneath it on our way into Penzance but on arriving there at 8:00am there was no one present. I set up my scope and listened but with no joy. It wasn't looking or sounding promising in the chilly breeze with occassional sprinkles of rain in between the sunny spells but after half an hour and just as a birder appeared who was telling me he had seen the Savi's Warbler earlier that morning it suddenly appeared at the top of the reeds and reeled for about a minute before disappearing back into cover. Over the next 45 minutes I saw it a further 3 times but always for a brief 30-60 seconds only. It was also difficult to hear properly, it was distant and the breeze was carrying the sound away from me, the almost constant traffic noise from passing vehicles didn't help either and I'm still having hearing issues with my right ear. The bird always seemed to reel mostly facing away from me too but it was a very distinctive sound and one I was very pleased to hear, a new bird species for me as well.
Also of note were 3 Sand Martin and a Swallow over, a Little Grebe, Reed Warblers, a male Teal and 2 male Reed Buntings. Also seen were around 30 Whimbrel flying high overhead heading north and whistling away with a further 2 seen heading north later on and also 10 along the beach.
I caught the bus back to Penzance and then walked over to Newlyn Harbour where the Azorean/Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) from last year has reappeared. As I approached Newlyn along the coast path I could see it on the fish quay roof and on arriving at the harbour it was still present and showed very nicely, a joy to see now it's sporting its summer plumage. Sometimes I just love Gulls (sometimes!).
On the walk to and from Newlyn I had a look at the rocks at Jubilee Pool where a high count of 60 Purple Sandpipers were seen roosting on the high tide.
Unfortunately the train from Penzance to St.Erth at 11:50am was cancelled and then the 12:15pm train was delayed by 15 minutes so I ended up sitting around Penzance station for nearly an hour which was annoying as I could have stayed at Newlyn for longer. Anyway, I eventually arrived at St.Erth at around 12:45pm and walked down to the causeway for a scan of the estuary on the low tide.
The usual Gulls were loafing around, mostly Herring Gulls with a few Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed present amongst them. There were 4 Oystercatchers, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage, Shelducks, a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, Canada Geese and 5 Whimbrel out on the mudflats with 3 Redshank, 6 Little Egrets and a non-breeding plumaged Black-tailed Godwit on Ryans Field.
I walked back to St.Erth station and caught the extremely busy and packed 2:30pm train back to Plymouth, travelling on trains in Cornwall on Easter Monday is not to be recommended. I was feeling very tired but it had been a very good day out and I was pleased to have gained a life tick - and Marazions success rate for target birds this year increases to 50%!
