Pallas's Warbler and yet more of the Bonaparte's Gull

With the weather being a bit hit and miss at the moment and the weather forecasting even more so I haven't been out and about anywhere for a few days. I have also been feeling a bit under the weather myself but by Friday 17th April I was a bit more up to speed and so I headed down to St.Ives to look for a Pallas's Warbler and a Yellow-browed Warbler being seen there. The Yellow-browed Warbler had been found in a very small park in the centre of St.Ives and had given itself away by singing, a second bird was then found but it turned out to be a Pallas's Warbler and so it seemed a good opportunity for me to try and see both species together.

I caught the 9:13am train from Plymouth, the first train of the day on which I could use my Devon and Cornwall Railcard and as I headed down into Cornwall the forecasted rain arrived. It was drizzly and murky when I finally arrived at St.Ives at around 11:30am but it soon cleared up although it remained dull and overcast.

There were 2 birders already present at Trewyn Gardens when I arrived there and they quickly got me onto the Pallas's Warbler as it flitted about in the trees, it never stayed still for a second and ranged widely amongst the leaves and branches but I had some great views of it. It frequently hovered underneath the leaves to pick off insects but I never managed to get a look at its yellow rump although occassionally it showed brief flashes of it as it moved through the vegetation. The central crown stripe wasn't always that obvious either, not helped by mostly looking up at the bird but I did get good views of it at times when it moved down to the lower branches.

Pallas's Warbler - a jammy record shot

There wasn't any sign of the Yellow-browed Warbler though and it was soon time to head back to the railway station but I was very pleased with the views I had of the Pallas's Warbler, only my second ever sighting of one.

Against my better judgement I bought a Warren's pasty for lunch which as usual was pretty vile so I fed some of it to an adult Herring Gull with its tongue hanging of its chin, either a birth abnormality or a more recent injury. Whatever the cause it seemed quite fit and healthy.

Herring Gull 

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

While waiting at the station I watched 3 adult Gannets diving for fish out in the Bay along with around 15 Sandwich Terns, and from the train back to St.Erth I saw lots of Shags and a Grey Seal.

On arriving at St.Erth I headed down to the Hayle Estuary, the tide was out but I quickly picked up the long-staying 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull out on the mud and close off the causeway bridge amongst the usual Herring, Greater Black-backed, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A 1st Summer Mediterranean Gull was also present amongst the Black-headed Gulls.

Bonaparte's Gull 

Bonaparte's Gull

Also seen were 6 Whimbrel, a Curlew, Oystercatchers, 19 Redshank, 3 winter-plumaged Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Canada Geese. A Stock Dove feeding out on the saltmarsh was a surprise while along the river near the bird hide a pair of Reed Warblers were seen and a Cettis Warbler was heard. To round off the day my first Green-veined White of the year was seen along the roadside on my walk back to St.Erth station. 

Searching for Summer Migrants

I returned to Wembury on Friday 10th April, the weather had reverted to the more usual April conditions and it was overcast and cool with a gentle breeze. I caught the 9am bus and as the morning wore on the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and rain arrived and as a result I didn't see a single butterfly, in fact the only insects I saw were a few robust Bumblebees. It was therefore a surprise to see a male Adder in the usual spot despite the lack of sunshine but there was no sign of a female this time.

Adder

I've enjoyed quite a few sightings of Adders at Wembury this spring but have yet to see a Common Lizard or Black Oil Beetle following the National Trusts path upgrade and removal of the old fencing and hedgerow. I also haven't seen a Dartford Warbler since the National Trust cleared away a lot of Gorse in their usual breeding territory but apparently this is all so-called conservation management. At least the Green Hairstreaks are still present in their usual area following yet more Gorse clearance by the National Trust but there were none seen today in the chilly conditions.

The usual birds were seen and heard along my walk with at least 3 Whitethroats still present and singing away and 2 Swallows seen flying overhead and heading west. The highlight though were 2 White Wagtails feeding along the beach amongst the Pied Wagtails, a male and a female bird with the female showing a less demarcated line between the black head and light grey back than the male.

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

I had a quick walk along The Plym on Saturday 11th April, starting at Laira Bridge and finishing at Marsh Mills. It was mostly sunny but cool and breezy and again not a single butterfly was seen along my walk. All the usual birds were present though with Blackcap and Chiffchaff heard singing away and a single Swallow seen flying north overhead.

It was coming up to a high neap tide but Blaxton Meadow had even less water in it than on my visit on Monday and only Shelduck, Canada Geese, a Little Egret and Gulls were present roosting out on the mud with Redshanks and 6 Greenshanks choosing to roost on The Embankment on the opposite side of the river. 

Blaxton Meadow on the high tide - a thoroughly depressing sight

Blaxton Meadow

A single Curlew was present on the mudflats near the gas pipe along with 13 Oystercatchers and 2 Common Sandpipers,  the Curlew had a yellow leg flag on its left leg but it was too far away to read the code, presumably it is the headstarted Dartmoor bird J7 that is a frequent sighting along The Plym. It's ironic that the "habitat improvement" being undertaken by the National Trust on Blaxton Meadow to create saltmarsh for endangered Curlews has seen them vacate the site and the headstarted bird pushed off the Meadow to roost along the nearby river.

I had planned a quiet day for Monday 13th April but on waking up in the morning the sun was shining and so I caught the 9am bus out to Wembury for a quick walk. It was a beautiful morning and by midday had become very warm, helped in part by the recent cold and brisk wind having abated, and I had an enjoyable walk.

Wembury - Just Gorgeous

As the bus headed down into Wembury village I was pleased to see 4 House Martins over the rooftops, my first of the year, and along my walk other summer migrants seen or heard were 2 Sandwich Tern, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, 4 Swallows, a Whimbrel and Chiffchaffs. Also of note were 4 Red-legged Partridge feeding in the sheep field.

Stonechat

The warm sunshine brought out the insects too and I saw my first Orange-tips of the year along with Peacock, 2 Speckled Wood, 2 Red Admiral, a Holly Blue and 2 Green Hairstreaks. The female Adder was sunning herself in the usual spot but I again failed to find any Common Lizards, Black Oil Beetles or Dartford Warblers.

Orange-tip

Green Hairstreak

Adder

Adder

St.Marks Fly