As we reach the half way stage in this year’s POTW, Adrian Langdon gives us a comprehensive review of the many photos submitted to our daily sightings team – many thanks Adrian.

“Another excellent week on the Cornwall Birds website featured a fine selection of seabirds, breeding birds, behavioural studies and summer visitors, with Rupert Kirkwood’s outstanding kayak photography around Mouls Island providing some of the week’s standout images.

The week began with a superb photograph of a Manx Shearwater in flight, captured offshore in Falmouth Bay by Jon Irvine. M. Waters also contributed a scarce county sighting of a Cirl Bunting perched in a hawthorn bush on the Roseland Peninsula.
Martin Webb photographed a striking Mediterranean Gull in full summer plumage at Hayle Causeway, while Tim Culmer recorded a colourful Yellowhammer on Tregonetha Downs in mid-Cornwall.

One of the week’s recurring highlights was a Spotted Redshank in full summer plumage, with Tom Wilson producing an especially impressive image at Tallack’s Creek. Dean Pollard also added an excellent photograph of a Grasshopper Warbler singing from a gorse bush at Goss Moor.

Rupert Kirkwood’s photographs from a kayak around Mouls Island, Cornwall’s only regular breeding site for Atlantic Puffins, were among the finest of the week. His collection included a puffin in flight, a detailed portrait of an adult, a superb close-up of a Guillemot carrying a fish, and two delightful images of a Razorbill attending its chick at water level, demonstrating the unique photographic opportunities offered from a kayak.
Martin Webb also photographed a Lapwing and a Great crested Grebe at Stithians Reservoir, the latter unusually captured out of the water while walking across floating vegetation. Deena Sharpe contributed a fine flight photograph of a Common Swift, one of a flock of around fifteen birds over Liskeard.

Breeding Great-crested Grebes featured again, with Jonathan Warner photographing an adult accompanied by two recently hatched chicks (“humbugs”) at Drift Reservoir near Penzance. Jonathan also captured an interesting behavioural image showing two Little Grebes squabbling.

Steve Ford added another excellent Yellowhammer, photographed on Bodmin Moor at Minions, while Aadil Khan rounded off the week with a fine portrait of a male Common Kestrel at Cot Valley.
Aadil Khan also produced a lovely image of a Spotted Flycatcher at Croft Pascoe on the Lizard. Gerry Gillard’s photograph of a pair of Shags at Land’s End deservedly earned Photo of the Day.

The week concluded with Kathy White photographing a Great-crested Grebe on the nest at Stithians Reservoir. Martin Webb visited Marazion Marsh, where he captured excellent images of both a Grey Heron and a male Stonechat.
A special mention also goes to John Chapple, whose video footage of the Spotted Redshank at Devoran was featured on the Cornwall Birds website, with a link provided to his YouTube channel.
Summary
The week was particularly notable for its excellent seabird photography, especially Rupert Kirkwood’s Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills from Mouls Island, that I’ve selected as POTW. Breeding activity continued to feature strongly, with Great-crested Grebes raising young and nesting, while a wide range of summer visitors including Common Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Grasshopper Warbler all made appearances. The scarce Cirl Bunting on the Roseland Peninsula and the summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank were among the week’s most notable sightings.”