You may well remember how yesterday I was saying that this was going to be a low key non-birding holiday. Well that was certainly my intention though so far it hasn't really been like that. I negotiated a small outing this morning just to see if I could catch up with one of the Nanquidno Red-breasted Flycatchers. The idea was that I'd nip out quickly in the morning and then get back to crack on with our DIY chores. I arrived at aroujd 9am to find several locals hanging out by the horse box looking for it - apparently it had been seen about three quarters of an hour ago so it was still there. However, despite putting in a good couple of hours the best I could manage was a brief thirty second view of what was almost certainly it right at the back of one of the trees. The size, jizz and colouring was all right but my view was always partially obscured and so I'm rather loathe to tick that for the county. It was all rather frustrating.
The session was brought to an abrupt half when a Hants birder turned up showing some crippling back of the camera photos of a Radde's Warbler that he'd found over in Kenidjack. I duly hastened off in that direction, stopping only to phone my VLW to tell her that I was going to be a bit longer than anticipated due to what is a pretty rare bird in Cornwall. I was wondering why the news hadn't reached me sooner but it turned out that I'd somehow switched my phone to "in flight mode" - I don't know how that happened. Anyway, I parked up half way down the valley and ran down to the end houses to find quite a few of the locals all hanging around there though the bird apparently hadn't been seen for quite a while. I then put in a good couple of hours with the others staring at the undergrowth and listening out for "tack" noises though we decided in the end that many of the sounds that we were hearing were in fact the noise of the stream knocking stones against the rocks. Anyway, there was no sign of the bird: two Choughs, a Buzzard, a Kestrel and a couple of Chiffies were scant compensation. In the end I had to depart as I'd been away for so long that I was going to be in deep trouble for sure.
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| This plant reminded me of the Marsh Pennywort that I found at Porthgwarra the other day. Indeed its alternative name is Wall Pennywort though it's more usually known as Navelwort because its central dimple looks like a navel. |
Back home I grovelled an apology and cracked on with some tasks though my VLW and son, who'd both been cooped up in the house all morning were keen to get out so we soon set off for an outing, first to St Just where my VLW wanted to check out some of the galleries there and then over to Marazion. Here she did more gallery checking whilst my son and I made some sandcastles by the Red River mouth. We then reconvened in Marazion for tea where we tried out a new tea shop. This proved to be a great success and it probably a candidate for the best tea shop we have tried so far in the area (and we've tried quite a few over the years).
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| A great tea experience to be had at Delicious |
Then it was back home for a chance finally to inspect the contents of the moth trap though there was a measly sum total of just six moths: two Feathered Ranunculus, three Red-line Quakers and a Light Brown Apple Moth. After that we enjoyed a nice evening meal and watched a film together. It had been altogether a rather frustrating day: I'd spent four hours in the field with almost nothing to show for it apart from thirty seconds of obscured glimpses of a Flycatcher. To make matters worse, a twitchable Dartford Warbler was found back home in Oxon - a real county Mega that I was missing out on. Not one of my best day's birding - let's hope that things improve tomorrow.
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| Moth du Jour: Red-line Quaker |
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