MONTS CORNWALL/KERNOW

MONO MONDAY (TRURO)

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000Z

Truro is the only city in Cornwall, and its best landmark is the Cathedral which has three spires and is visible from all parts of the city and surrounding area.
This shot shows some of the varied architectural buildings to be found around the city between the buildings is Cathedral Lane which takes you to the Cathedral.

CATHEDRAL LANE AND THE THREE SPIRES.

MEN-AN-TOL

2012-01-22T13:46:00.000Z

Have not had the chance to do any Photography and very little Birding this week, the weather has been pretty poor with wind and rain most days.
Anyway did get out this morning for a couple of hours down to Marazion and Penzance, although it was very windy and light rain. No chance for photo's under the conditions, but we did have Water Pipit at Marazion and Surf Scoter and Eider at Penzance.
We then decided to head up onto the moors at Men-An-Tol to look for Hen Harriers and Short Eared Owls.
Believe me it was blowing a gale up there and nothing was flying so after about 45mins we decided to head back along the coast road.
So best I could do this morning is a couple of shots across the moors at Men-An -Tol, the second was taken from inside an old engine house.

MEN-AN-TOL.

MONO MONDAY.

2012-01-16T06:33:00.000Z

Just to try and ring the changes, and to stop things being the "same old same old" I intend to post an image in my favourite medium Monochrome at the beginning of each week.
The series will be entitled Mono Monday, so I hope you will enjoy it.
To start things off this first image is of an old Water Wheel gearing cog at Kennel Vale, which is an old Gunpowder Plant at Ponsnooth. It is now a nature reserve.

KENNEL VALE.

HELSTON AND MARAZION.

2012-01-15T08:39:00.000Z

Just for a change a few more images from the last week on visits to Helston and Marazion.

Weeping Willow at Helston Boating Lake, just as the morning mist was lifting.

This Pochard was almost to close for the camera to focus

Pochard are a lovely looking duck.

Cloudy Sunrise over Marazion on Friday Morning.

EGYPTIAN GOOSE.

2012-01-12T08:53:00.001Z

Made a return trip to Helston Boating Lake yesterday morning to catch up with the Egyptian Goose that has been there for a few weeks.

At home the weather was a clear bright sunny morning, but on arrival at Helston the lake was covered by a thick valley fog. Managed to get onto the goose straight away but is was like looking at "Gorillas in the Mist", so settled in and after about one and a half hours it cleared and managed to get some shots.

So below are a selection of a new lifer for me.

EGYPTIAN GOOSE.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT

2012-01-09T19:19:00.002Z

Dull and overcast this morning but at least it was dry, so decided to have a look on the Hayle Estuary to try and add a few bits to the year list (it now stands at 66).
Tide was at its lowest point so everything was far out and had to be scoped, still did manage Redshank, Shelduck, Bar-Tailed Godwit which were added to the list.
I then decided to have a quick look on Carbis Bay near St Ives as this is a good place for wintering seabirds.
On the way I picked up Ashley and we made a short visit to the bay.
First spot was an Iceland Gull flying just offshore, also added Balearic Shearwater, Shag and Ganett.
So although it was a short outing I was still pleased to get these species particularly the Iceland Gull.
The Images below of a Bar-Tailed Godwit were Taken on Ryans field opposite the Estuary and were the best I could get under the conditions having to use a High ISO and low shutter speed.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT.

HELSTON BOATING LAKE.

2012-01-05T08:42:00.002Z

A few more images from my trip down to Loe Pool for the Bufflehead.
These were taken at the Boating Lake in Helston.

TUFTED DUCK (MALE).

TUFTED DUCK (FEMALE)

SHOVELER (MALE).

BLACK HEADED GULL.

BUFFLEHEAD AT LOE POOL

2012-01-04T19:03:00.000Z

Took a drive down to Helston this morning to try and get the Bufflehead on the year list, as this is a first for Cornwall and another one may not come along again. So after walking the mile+ to the hide on Loe Pool on the Penrose Estate I settled in and was soon rewarded with its appearance.
Though the light was not good and it did not come really close I did take a few shots(about 200+)and ended up with around 10 which were reasonable. So I have added two for the post tonight, I also had 2 Goldcrests, (sorry no pics) I then walked back to the boating lake at Helston and took some images of the more common species which I will include in the next post.

BUFFLEHEAD.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW.

2012-01-02T18:51:00.000Z

So hear we go 2012 and "HAPPY NEW YEAR" to you all hope its a good one, So thought I would ease into the new year gently ( In fact could not find anything other to photograph) with a couple of images of common species.
Took the first bird trip of the year this afternoon up to Stithians Res which is about 10 mins drive from home to get the year list started.
So first count of the year is 38 species and looking forward to many more, so below are a couple of obliging Magpie shots and a Reed Bunting just to set the ball rolling, and if this year is as good as 2011 it will be a cracker.

MAGPIE.

REED BUNTING.

PICK OF THE YEAR.

2011-12-13T08:01:00.000Z

Below are a selection of images from the past year,I have used the image I feel is the best and not concentrated on rarities or migrants as I think the commoner species give just as much pleasure. Also included is what I consider my best image of 2011 The Kestrel at St Gothian Sands LNR, and this will feature in my sidebar as best image 2011.

On another note My daughter has had her back operation, is back home and making good progress.The first week after the operation is the first time she has had no pain for 24 years, so hope this will carry on and she can begin to enjoy life once again.
So below is my pick of images for 2011, some have appeared in posts over the past year whilst others are getting a first airing.
I hope you enjoy them and once again your support is greatly appreciated. Thank You.

Last but not least the iconic Christmas bird The Robin.

Finally once again I wish you all.........

DON'T KNOW WHERE DON'T KNOW WHEN

2011-11-20T16:17:00.000Z

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I stated a couple of posts ago that I was refurbishing our living room and that I would not be around for a week, well that's all gone out of the window.I mean all the decorating has been finished except for carpets being laid, and that should happen next week.

We just had news last week that our youngest daughter has to go into hospital on Tuesday morning at Plymouth for a back operation for slipped disc's, and will not be able to do to much for around three months, so seeing they have two children under 11yrs old we will be doing school runs during the week and helping with her daily chores.

Hopefully I may be able to get out on the odd weekend when her husband is at home, but don't really know at the moment.

So Tuesday morning we have an early start as Nikki has to be at the hospital for 7am, and hopefully she will be back home sometime on Wednesday.

So as I said post will be a bit haphazard for the fore see able, but will try to get something on when I can. Please bear with me.

OLD PIPITS

2011-11-15T19:02:00.000Z

Well I must be having Blog withdrawal symptoms, just decided I've had enough decorating for today. So thought I would spend an hour on the PC and put up a post , so these two images were taken at Marazion on the same day as the Snow Bunting in the previous post.

Just my luck to be tied up with jobs at the moment,as there has been an influx of Common Cranes, a Desert Wheatear, Dusky Warbler, Pallid Harrier to name a few around Cornwall. Also the Bufflehead is still in the Loe Pool at Porthleven, Hope they stay for another week!!!.

MEADOW PIPIT.

ROCK PIPIT.

WORKING ME SOCKS OFF

2011-11-13T16:06:00.000Z

????????????????????????????????????????????

Hi all sorry for the lack of posts at the moment, I'm in the middle of a big living room update so could be another week or so "hopefully" and then normal service should be resumed.

SNOW BUNTING AT MARAZION

2011-11-01T18:24:00.000Z

Went down to Marazion this morning to have a look around, first spot was a Pomarine Skua which went across the bay and out to sea.
Not much else seen on the sea or the Reed beds, so walked along to the main car park where a Snow Bunting has been for a few days.
Got on to it right away and spent the next 45 minutes taking photo's, and at times it was down to about 5 ft.
So below are a few shots of this cracking little bird.

SNOW BUNTING.

TOOK ANOTHER DIP..

2011-10-29T10:14:00.001+01:00

Went down to the Lizard yesterday to have a look at a Female Bufflehead that had turned up,now this is a first for Cornwall so wanted to get it in the bag. Guess what it was not seen and looked as if it left overnight.
So thats three "MEGA'S I've dipped on this Autumn, " The Greater Yellowlegs at Wadebridge" "The Scarlet Tanager at St Leven Porthcurno" and now "The Bufflehead on the Lizard" things have to change soon. Anyway if you want to see some cracking images of the Bufflehead go to SW Optics Blog, (Link on my Sidebar ) as Steve got some great images of it.
For me it was back home and in desperation I turned to what was around the trees at the back of the house.
So best I can do today are the images below

DUNNOCK.

ROOK

There is a large roost of this species around the local area.

NORTH AMERICAN BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY, BY PETER LATOURRETTE

2011-10-23T08:58:00.004+01:00

Hi All

With all the vagrants that have been arriving from the shores of America this Autumn, I thought I would drop a link for the North American Bird Photography website by Peter LaTourrette. This site contains superb images of American species that can help with identification.

As well as a link on this post I have also put one on my Sites of Interest on my sidebar, I hope you will find this of some use.

http://www.birdphotography.com/

IMAGES WEEK 13/10/2011

2011-10-20T19:25:00.000+01:00

So after sorting out the Internet problems and upgrading to a new hard drive, hopefully things will now settle down for a bit.

I have not done much in the way of Photography with just the odd hour over the past 2 weeks.

Still have one more job to do here in the Shack, I am going to upgrade my second PC with the old motherboard from this pc, have just been waiting for a suitable case to come along.

This Pc contains my Nikon scanner for slides and negatives which is about 16 years old and will not run on anything newer than Windows 98. But it is such a good scanner and I still use it quite a lot, so it will be worth it.

Anyway back to the post and these images were taken at Marazion, and Tehidy Country Park over the last two weeks.

BLACK-HEADED GULL.

ROCK PIPIT.

MOORHEN.

MALLARD.

MEADOW PIPIT.

HERRING GULL.

ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE AT HELLS MOUTH.

2011-10-13T08:21:00.000+01:00

This happened a couple of weeks ago at one of my favourite places, it is from Hells Mouth on the North Cliffs coast.

Cracks had appeared in a few places over a few days,and a Geologist from Cornwall Council was observing it with his camera when the scene below occoured.

It is estimated that around 200,000 tons of cliff face fell.

There are many landslides along this coast due to coastal erosion but this is the first I have seen captured on video.

WINDOWS AND ME

2011-10-12T12:47:00.000+01:00

Hi folks just a quick note to say I'm having big problems connecting to the internet at the moment,managed to get in using Firefox.As soon as I've resolved it "I WILL BE BACK"

GLOSSY IBIS

2011-10-06T13:57:00.000+01:00

***********************************************************

Just hotfooted it up to Stithians Res this morning to try and catch up with a Glossy Ibis that was reported yesterday evening.

After waiting about 30 mins it flew onto the Northern Cutoff, and spent the next hour getting a few images (Most of which ended up in the trash can ). Still did managed to get a few record shots of which a couple are below.

***********************************************************

PICK OF THE PECK

2011-10-05T06:57:00.000+01:00

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

After a Birding trip down to the west of the county yesterday, not a lot seen because of thick fog, stopped of quickly at Marazion on the way back and spent 15 mins with the very obliging Pectoral Sandpiper which has been showing well.

I guess there must have been thousands of images taken of this bird which has been showing down to 10 ft and is not a bit concerned about all the attention.

ST GOTHIAN SANDS1st OCT 2011

2011-10-03T18:35:00.000+01:00

The images below were taken on a visit to St Gothian Sands on Saturday.

CURLEW SANDPIPER.

NORTHERN WHEATEAR.

POCHARD

1st one I have seen this Autumn.

STARLING.

Enjoying the spoils of Autumn.

PREDATOR.

2011-09-26T08:44:00.001+01:00

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spent a few days last week cleaning up the garden before winter creeps up, around the Dahlia's I spotted this insect which I did not recognize but guessed it was one of the wasp species.
So grabbed the macro setup and took a few shots though it was very mobile, after getting them onto the PC I identfied it as a Digger Wasp (Ectemnius Continuus) which is a real predator around the garden.
It is 8 - 15mm in length and preys on flies and other insects which during the Autumn stores in a burrow inderground.
As you can see from the first image it has I believe caught a Hover Fly and on three occasions it always had a victim. So really pleased to catch up with a new species in the garden.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WILLY WONKA AND A COUPLE OF SHANKS.

2011-09-21T07:55:00.001+01:00

WILLY WONKA OR WHAT.

Mmm here is the roundup of last weekend

1 Saturday lunchtime report of White-Rumped Sandpiper 10 mins away at Devoran on a creek of the river Fal. (WOW LIFER)
Spent 3 hrs looking with a number of others no sign, came home it was reported again 1 1/2 hours later.

2 Sunday turned down the chance of a great sea watch, I wanted to get this lifer so arrived at first light and spent 4 1/2hours searching but no sign,so went home at lunchtime.
Mid afternoon it was reported again, so arranged to meet a friend Brian at 17.50 to give it another go. we spent about an hour searching when Brian received a call to say it was on the other side of the estuary. So a quick drive over and after a bit of searching it was located in a channel on the mudflats.(AT LAST IT WAS IN THE BAG), Managed to get a couple of poor record shots not good enough to post.

3 I can say I was delighted with finally getting this bird and on arriving home loaded the computer and entered it onto my life list only for it to tell me I had seen one in October 2000 on Hayle Estuary.

SO WILLY WONKA OR WHAT.

So after all this I did on Saturday get some decent shots of a Greenshank as I did not have any in my library, so as least this was a bonus.

GREENSHANK.

REDSHANK.

Moral of the weekend Senior moments and birding do they go together?

"PORTREATH" A POST FOR IAN

2011-09-19T08:30:00.000+01:00

This post is a little different from the norm as it is dedicated to a special person, My nephew Ian who lives in Bracknell Berkshire has just spent a week in Cornwall with his carer Mike.

Ian who has Downs Syndrome loves to spend time at Portreath on the Atlantic coast where he spent many happy holidays with his Mum and Dad and his three brothers.

So I would like to send this message to him

Hi Ian

It was lovely to see you again this year and many thanks to Mike for bringing you down so you could spend some time at Portreath, and as I promised you I have put some photo's of Portreath on my computer for you to look at. I went to Portreath on Saturday morning and took some new ones of places that mean a lot to you, and hopefully Donna will show them to you on the laptop and read you this message.

I was really impressed with that new England football cap you have and think I will have to get one to wear next year when you come down again.

So take care and remember our little secret that no one must know " We love Dr Who and Shakin Stevens".

See you next year .

Monty.

So for other news I have been doing a lot of birding as we have had a big influx of American waders due to the recent storms, but not many photo opportunities.

I do have a couple of more common species one of which I have been trying to get a good photo of for ages, so will put these in the next post.