Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - 10th-23rd August

From the 10th August I had a family holiday planned in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Seawatching at Pendeen on 14th, 16th and 17th produced up to 17 Balearic Shearwater, 14 Sooty Shearwater and four Roseate Tern. For Pendeen seawatches see here, here and here.

On Scilly the land birding was extremely slow with the only bird of any note being a Lesser Yellowlegs on Tresco on 21st. On 22nd I was out on a Scilly Pelagic on the Sapphire hoping for Wilson's Storm-Petrel which had been seen on 20 back-to-back trips before the 22nd but today it was not to be. The highlights of the trip which went north-east to the Seven Stones area were a stunning adult Sabine's Gull flying close to the boat, two juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, at least 20 European Storm-Petrel, five Balearic Shearwater and 16 Sooty Shearwater. My eBird checklist for the trip can be viewed here.

Sabine's Gull - Scilly Pelagic's, Seven Stones Area

Sabine's Gull - Scilly Pelagic's, Seven Stones Area

Yellow-legged Gull - Scilly Pelagic's, Seven Stones Area

Sooty Shearwater - Scilly Pelagic's, Seven Stones Area

Balearic Shearwater - Scilly Pelagic's, Seven Stones Area

Manx Shearwater - Scilly Pelagic's, Seven Stones Area

Cornwall - 14th June

I was up early this AM, covered the trap and then headed to Kenidjack. I sorted the trap later but here are some of the species caught in the garden (all the moth pics were taken on my iPhone):

The star, a Striped Hawk-moth the first I have ever caught

Striped Hawk-moth

Elephant Hawk-moth - Always a stunning species to see

Cream-spot Tiger - Three in the trap

Broad-barred White

Middle-barred Minor

Silver-ground Carpet

Buff Ermine

Brown Silver-lines

At Kenidjack it was very quiet and I saw little of real note. There were five Chough at the bottom of the valley and while I didn't get great views it appeared that they were two adults with three recently fledged young. Both Whitethroat and Swallow also had fledged young, a pair of Whitethroat had three fledged young and the male was in full song presumably hoping for a second brood despite his rather worn looking plumage while another male lower down the valley was nest building.

Kenidjack

Recently fledged Swallow

Whitethroat - Male in full song while his mate tended three recently fledged chicks

Whitethroat - Kendijack

I then headed to Pendeen and birded for a short while around the lighthouse and the scrub just inland but again it was pretty slow going. A flock of 15 Kittiwake fed in the bay below, stunning with their crisp plumage against the blue sea but a little distant for any more than a record shot. The grassland sward was vibrant with Common Blue amongst the Common Bird's-foot-trefoil and Dyer's Greenweed. A brood of very recently fledged Stonechat flicked around the lighthouse grounds and adjacent garden and a pair of Chough fed along the roadside. Out to sea a large flock of 2,000-3,000 Manx Shearwater was feeding but they were just too far out for anything more than a record shot. I returned back to the cottage and headed out for an afternoon on the beach in the glorious conditions.

Kittiwake - Pendeen

Common Blue Pendeen

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil - Pendeen

Juvenile Stonechat - Pendeen

Chough - Note the heavy wing moult - Pendeen

Chough - Pendeen

Raven - Pendeen

Linnet in breeding plumage - Pendeen

Manx Shearwater - Part of flock of 2,000-3,000 birds feeding off Pendeen