Go west! (pt.2)

Day 7. Turned out lovely. Walked over the Towans to Godrevy with "Timmy Titus" who liked getting sand in his eyes (mad bugger). Just loved having those Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins swooping over the dunes around us almost constantly. Low numbers of both martins nest in/on the cliffs.
Later we went off to St. Ives, the artists' capital. Jen had to have a pastie and look in the arty-farty places while I bought some scones for later. We acquired our "Cornish calves" walking down and back - as pensioners we could have had a free ride there and back on the bus!

The steep walk via public footpath down to the town centre

St. Ives harbour at low tide.

Day 8. Jen took me to the Kennal Vale reserve at Ponsonooth. This is an old industrial site (gunpowder) in a steep, wet valley. I took the low road while Jen took the narrow, wet path (I call it a ledge) through the tops of the seven mills, fed by a still performing leat. No Dippers today. Some magnificent Beech trees, straight for 70-80', no less.

One of the grinding or mixing mills - minus water wheel.


Later on, we continued to Falmouth for lunch of fish and chips overlooking the harbour.
In the afternoon, we travelled to Predannack, a NT owned farm on the South-West Coast Path, situated down a very narrow lane between high Cornish banks.

 Predannack bay and cliffs - 28-04-10
 

 Cornish banks and trackway in spring - Predannack

Apart from the gulls on the rocks below the cliffs, we sat and watched the colony of Jackdaws wheeling and foraging, with incessant male Common Whitethroats singing from the stunted, wind-swept hedges along the tops of the banks that formed the field boundaries.'Bonus ball' was a Stoat watching us from <20' away; he eventually retreated into the rocks.

On day 9 it rained. A chance to have some "BSD cuddles". The couple next door had a Groenendal bitch and a Terveuren dog (13 yrs old!) which I was allowed to fondle. Happy memories. Went shopping in Tesco's.

Day 10 dawned and we packed the caravan. Off to Padstow, arriving around noon. My first visit but not Jen's. We've come to support the "Institute 'obby 'oss" tomorrow, as is Jen's desire.

Go west! (pt.1)

The holiday season is upon us. First stop - Dorset. Stayed at the usual Caravan Club site at Crossways, a few miles east of Dorchester.

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The outfit parked in 'the Dell' at Crossways

The main purpose of staying here again this year was to look at some prospective houses, using this site as a base.
We had been sent details of a few properties and found a few ourselves on the internet.

Day 1 took us to Bridport and Bradpole, then on to Seaton, Colyford and Colyton.
Day 2 and we went to Simonsbath (Exmoor) to look at the old post office which had been advertised, and then to Dunster, Old Cleeve, Williton and Kilve. We spent the evening with friends in Chard.
Day 3 saw us looking at places in Seaton, Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Whimple, breaking for lunch with friends near Exeter.

Day 4 was spent birdwatching. As usual, we went to RSPB Arne, trying to beat the crowds. We stood within 6-7 feet of a pair of Chiffs, nest building; it took us a short while to realise what was going on as we were looking at something else. We also found the Siskins and further round a female Gt. Spot excavating a hole on the underside of a huge broken bough. Waders were low in numbers but Whimbrel was picked up both by sight and sound. After the walk to "Shipstal Point" and back, we went onto the heath for the inevitable Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Dartfords.

Afterwards we went into Wareham and bought some 'blue vinny' (cheese) and some plonk as a prelude to visiting an old friend from Guildford in the evening. Day 5 (Sunday) we went and admired the traffic around Weymouth and looked at a few more houses on the way.

Birdwise at the site, the predominant bird, by song, was Chiffchaff. Three or more newly arrived Blackcaps were singing their hearts out, while a Coal Tit greeted us behind the 'van every morning. There are lots of Chaffinch and Robin around the site, which has much gorse, favoured by the LT Tits, and pine trees for the Greenfinches. On the early morning walk round, a Nuthatch obligingly sang from the tips of a Sycamore (in bud-burst), and the nesting Robin, and Blackbirds eagerly took the bread crumbs. A Grass-hopper Warbler sang from the quarry field next door, which the Pied Wags also preferred as it is wetter.

On day 6 we moved to Godrevy, north of Hayle. At the roundabout where we have to turn off the A30, I was not surprised to find a new retail building and an industrial estate that certainly wasn't there when I last visited. Cornwall is certainly catching up with the rest of England - well, the developers are!

The new retail shopping outlets, M&S, Boots and Next, at Hayle.

All very swish. By contrast, later that day, we went for a walk over the "Towans", a SSSI and LNR, and the second largest dune system in England.

Surprise early doors

Having been up early the previous two days, it was no surprise that I woke early again, despite the alarm clock being turned off. Having used the two garden poles yesterday (see here), I re-erected the 20' just as there was a glimmer on the eastern horizon.

A wash and a shave later, a pair of Starlings had attempted to make for the bread on the lawn before 6am (BST). They were processed and I indulged in a little more toiletry before looking out the window, net checking. An all grey bird with a black head was hanging there and I shot down stairs quickly. It turned out to be a 5M (2CY) Blackcap, the first of the year for the garden.

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Today's Blackcap X447901, 5M, 1 ogc, wing 75, 16.8 g, fat 1, muscle 2. @06:30BST

Then, after a breakfast of yoghurt and oat flakes, it was off to the park to lead a guided walk for spring migrants.

Weather wise

Garden ringing has been rubbish this last week. Either the sun was out "24/7" so to speak, or we were "blessed" with a stiff easterly breeze.

So it was just 10 birds, of which 5 were new.
Blue Tit (1)
House Sparrow 3 (2)
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 1 (2)

Penultimate visit

This was to be the only April visit to NW Norfolk. The reason - Jen has sold out to her brother and is moving to Bedford ... temporarily. I have an appointment with our Priory CES site next weekend and the weekend after I shall be packing for our caravan holiday in Dorset (where we will be house hunting) and Cornwall, where we will get pissed in Padstow at the May Day celebrations. It now looks like we will be met there by one of Jen's neices, Hannah, and her partner, 'Ginge' (Ian).

Rear view. The net runs in front of the RH shrubs to the pole

Getting the net up after lunch on the Saturday, it didn't yield many birds before dusk; just 4, with nothing between half two and five o'clock. Up early on Sunday morning to open the net proved a deliberate act of masochism again, with 3 birds by breakfast time, 2 more just before lunch, and then 3 more as it was getting dark. Bank holiday Monday and I followed the same routine, but did close for a couple of hours mid-afternoon when we walked to "Onion Corner", once on the main road to Hunstanton but now by-passed by the 'Queen Elizabeth Way'. Then nothing.

This is how it panned out.
Saturday pm - 1 Greti, 2 Chaff & 1 Blabi.

 A neat 5M Chaffinch with a wing of 86.5


Sunday am - 2 Bluti, 1 Blabi, 1 Robin & 1 Grefi.

A 6m Greenfinch with a low weight of 24.4 - hence the fluffed up appearance

Sunday pm - 1 Dunno, 1 Robin & 1 Bluti.
Monday am - 1 Goldc, 4 Grefi, 1 Coati & 1 Chiff.

A surprise 6F Goldcrest. 'Hubby' was nearby

So that was that. Chiffchaff 1, Goldcrest 1, Blue Tit 2 (1), Great Tit 1, Coal Tit 1,

The sole Coal Tit, unringed, aged 5, 4 ogc's.
The rest have deserted the feeders for now. 

Blackbird 2, Robin 1 (1), Dunnock 1, Chaffinch 1 (1) & Greenfinch 5.

Another garden rarity - 4M Chiffchaff with a wing of 64

19 birds in all with just the three retraps. It'll have to do.