Crake and Dowitcher

Friday 21^st September Rainham Marsh

Got the train to Purfleet then the walk to Rainham Marsh arrived at one o’clock walk to the hide then after 2 and ½ hours the bird showed Ballion’s Crake so well pleased but sadly no pictures the bird was very quick as it moved along the edge of the reeds and out of sight I did wait another ½ hour but it did not show again just as I was leaving my mate text me going for the Short Billed Dowircher tomorrow do you want to come well I had planned on going by train so the answer was yes

Saturday 22^nd September RSPB Lodmoor

We set of at 6 – 30 breakfast on way arrived at 9-15 walked along the path to where some birders were watching the Short Billed Dowitcher after watching it for a short time set up the camera and run off a lot of shots here is one of them

Cornwall

Days 3 to 5

 

Day 3

Penzance / Marazion / St Ives

Today decided to get the day bus ticket and head for Maraxion Marsh to see if I could see the Spotted Crake that has been around for a while arrived at about ¼ past 11 and stayed at the spot till 2 o’clock no sign of the crake birds seen included Common buzzard, Water Rail, Sedge Warbler, Swallow, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cormorant, Wigeon, Canada Geese plus a selection of Gulls I was in two minds whether to come today as I was told there was ringing going on early morning if there was it had finished when I got there but no one else was seeing the crake after yet another pasty and coffee at the cafe by the bus stop I then got the bus back to Penzance on arriving at the bus station the open top bus that does the sightseeing tour was there so I thought I might as well take that back to St Ives 2 and half hours through some nice scenery just after we left Pendeen I had 2 Choughs flying along the cliff tops plus more Swallows after a look at the time table I realised that It would drop me of outside my B&B so ending a long and enjoyable day

Day 4

St Ives / Lelant Saltings

Bit of a lay in today did not go out till 10 walked into St Ives along the road as it had been raining over night and was told the coast past would be very muddy in places was told would take 30 to 40 minutes to walk into town well 20 minutes later I was there then the short walk out to the head, on arriving there were a couple of birders already set up I asked what had been seen so far this morning about a hour before I got the they had a Long Tailed Skua, Grey Phalorpe through so I set up the scope and the first bird I was put on was a Bonxie (Great Skua) we had more Sooty Shearwaters, a few Baleric Shearwaters and of course Manx Shearwater the count on manx was about 10,000 a hour going through they just kept coming I was there for just over two hours just as the birds got a bit quite someone spotted a pod of 9 Harbour Porpoises this was followed by 3 Basking Sharks of witch one came in close, after this we then spotted 2 Sunfish ended up with 4 Bonxies other birds included lots of Gannets, Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Kittiwake, Fulmar, I then went off for a pub Lunch then got the train to the Lelant Saltings by now the tide was coming in so I spent some time till all the waders had been pushed of the mud by the tide Birds included Wigeon, Grey Heron, Little Egret, selection of gulls Black Tailed Godwit, Curlew, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, As the tide got higher I found the best vantage point was from the station platform at least I could sit down then realised that I would have to wait over a hour for the next train to Carbis Bay so got the next one to St Ives and came back so another good days birding and nature watching

Day 5
After breakfast had a walk along the cliffs at Carbis Bay then back to catch my coach  so ending a week in Cornwall

Cornwall

Day Two

Halye Estuary (Pec or not to Pec)

After another full English breakfast decided to have a look at the Hayle Estuary today after a look at the pager I got the train to Hayle on arriving I headed straight for copperhouse creek where there had been seen a Pectoral Sandpiper for the past four days arrived at 10 30 no sign of the Pec so set up the scope and waited spent the next 2 and a half hours scanning the end of the creek with no luck (the bird was reported at 10 to 12 from the spot I was standing at no idea who put it out or see it ) some of the birds seen included Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Curlew , Whimbrel, Black Tailed Godwit, a selection of Gulls but no Pec at 1 o’clock walk along the north side of the creek and had a coffee only new wader for the day was oystercatcher then headed back to the east end but still no luck< Hear I got talking to another birder who said he was going to have a look near the Levant salting I said that it was to far to walk so I would stay where I was he then said he would give me a lift so of we set to the spot that one of the local birders said was the best place to park on arriving we crossed the road to the bridge and I set up my scope then a birder who was already there said he just had a sandpiper drop in and could I have a look through the scope and it was on the edge of some foliage and was not that easy to see we were all debating on what it could be it then came in to the open and  you could see that it was in fact the bird I had just spent the past 4 plus hours looking for yes at last the Pec Sandpiper so well worth the wait did get some useful information on how to work the Estuary for future reference so ended a very good days birding  

Cornwall

Day one

Carbis bay / St Ives

After a trying journey yesterday bit of a lay in today after a first class breakfast full English I set of for St Ives Head I headed for Carbis beach then took the coast path to St Ives on the walk down to the beach I had 2 Ravens fly over head the walk to the head took a hour and a half I arrived at 10 30 this is the start of a 4 and a half hour sea watch the first bird I saw was a Whimbrel at first not a lot doing but it normally take about half hour to get you eye in then things started moving a bit, plenty of Gannets and Manx Shearwaters after a short time had Balearic Shearwater and one Bonxie at 12 30 it was time for a short break for Coffee (think that is what they called it) and a Cornish Pasty then back to the sea watch at about 13 30 there was a lot of birds moving through this is when I had my lifer GREAT SHEARWATER had about 20 Manx go through and this bird was behind them the bigger sixe put me onto it then had great views as it went by this was followed by some Sooty Shearwaters and a Sabin’s Gull with plenty more Gannets and Manx Shearwaters then at about 2 15 it went quite again I was then talking to another birder when we had a Little Gull flying around the bay, then when I was packing up to leave at 3 o’clock I found a Basking Shark so ended a good sea watch, I then got the train back to Carbis Bay where I had seen the Shark and spent another hour Sea Watching more Gannets Manx Shearwaters and now I found the 2 Basking Sharks that had been seen earlier today so ended a good days sea watching. Will see what the weather is doing tomorrow before I decided where to go still some good birds to see

I am still here

Hi All
I am still about due to the fact I have been working for the past 3 months this included most weekends I have not done much birding or nature watching I am now on 2 weeks Holiday so will be posting what I am up to this week I am spending it  at my Caravan then Next week I am off to Cornwall for a week so hoping for some good sea watching