Birding Ideas in Lockdown: With little prospect of getting out and about in the County over the coming weeks, the arrival of nicer weather (finally) with the onset of Spring, and more free time for many, it’s important to keep our spirits up and find innovative ways to do our ‘birding’ as we face these difficult times. The bird news team have started putting together a page of ideas to help keep your motivation going and we will be looking at further ways we can engage the birding community here in Cornwall. Please follow the link >Here< for garden birding ideas, things to do and more. If you have any other suggestions for ideas or have come across any links that we can share with our members please send them to the usual bird-news.org.uk email address. Keep birding, keep safe and well!
Late News, 26/03,Tresillian River: 2 Common Sandpiper, 5 Greenshank, 9 Redshank, 7 Curlew, 24 Shelduck, 2 Teal. (A Nicholson).
Late News, 25/03, Tresillian Playing Field: Chiffchaff seen and heard (first heard singing 23/3) (A Nicholson)
Late News, 24/03, Tresillian River: 4 Common Sandpiper, 6 Greenshank, 14 Redshank, 1 Curlew. Plus 5 Siskin on garden feeder in Tresillian and Marsh Tit coming daily to feed. (A Nicholson)
Late News, 23/03, Boscawen Park: 28 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 14 Redshank, (A Nicholson)
Wadebridge, Guineaport Road: 1 Osprey (heading North) and 4 Buzzards flew over this morning. (W Delacour)
Gluvian: 7 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 2 Swallow (B Bosisto)
Penzance: Red Kite flew West. (M Ahmad) 1 Swallow. (M Elliott)
Heamoor: Red Kite flew East. (P St Pierre)
Truro: Red Kite over. (J Chapple)
Nanquidno: 24 White Wagtail. (C Moore)
Charlestown: 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Bullfinch, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Blue Tit, 4 Dunnock, 8 House Sparrow, 2 Wren, 4 Woodpigeon, 2 Blackbird. (D Hastilow)
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Talskiddy: 1 Sand Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Stock Dove, 3 Collard Dove, 1 Jay, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, c.10 Goldfinch, 18 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 22 Herring Gull from garden. (P Roseveare)
Falmouth: Red Kite North 14:10 from garden. (G Wills).
Trencrom: Long-tailed Tit pair almost finished nest building, having only had a base constructed just 4 days ago. (R Veal)
Mawgan: 1 Black Redstart in garden (P Bedford)
Freathy: 1 Great Northern Diver and 2 Guillemot on sea. 1 Eider west and 1 Sandwich Tern east this morning. (M Jordan)
St Ives Island: 2 Razorbill, 3 Rock Pipit, 3 Goldfinch, 1 Raven. (P Nason)
Mabe Burnthouse: 2 Raven, Nuthatch, 3 Chiffchaff singing. (D Chaney)
Zennor: male Hobby. (V Stratton)
Newquay, Trenance Valley/Boating lake: 11 Greenfinch, 5 Chaffinch, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Carrion Crow, 14+ Rook nests being built or occupied, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Sparrowhawk at traditional nest site, 2 Call Duck, 2 m Muscovy Duck, 39 Mallard Inc 12 ducklings, 6 Moorhen, 6 Indian Runner Duck, 1 Little Egret, 9 Pied Wagtail, 39 Herring Gull Inc juv with blue plastic ring on left leg W: 429 still. (S Grose)
Tresillian River: 4 Greenshank, 8 Curlew, 8 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 22 Shelduck, 18 Teal. (A Nicholson)
Ruan Lanihorne Quay: 1 Greenshank and 37 Wigeon. (D Hall)
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A Cornwall Lockdown Diary, Day 5: My ‘one a day’ exercise today was a bike ride from home down to the Camel Trail, then upriver towards Bodmin. There were a few others doing the same thing and swerving dutifully two metres away from each other as they passed. Friendly greetings abound but the suspicious glances give away our worries. The gin clear light is as unusual as it is beautiful, and the sunlight reflecting off the river was diamond-like.
The warmth seems to have brought out lots of butterflies. One Red Admiral, but many, many Peacocks, chasing each other around in a literal whirlwind romance. I thought I glimpsed a pale butterfly, but it landed on a primrose and vanished. When one of its petals took to the air, I realised this was my first Brimstone of the year. A perfect colour match for the flower.
With so few cars on the roads and fewer and fewer aeroplanes, no loud machinery whirring away, there is a rare peace about the countryside. Birdsong – coming into its own right now – seems to have taken over the airwaves. So some good has come of this bizarre crisis! Along the trail were most of the common tits, but then a different song from just above me…a Marsh Tit. So hard to distinguish from the Willow by sight but I’d seen on the Cornwall Birds Sightings Page that Marsh Tits had been seen along here recently, and the song was definitely not Willow. What a treat!
Simon Marquis
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