It's been nearly a year since I was last down in Cornwall. The terrible Corona virus put the kibosh on our usual Easter visit down and indeed we weren't sure if we were going to be open for the summer at all. In the end restrictions were eased just in time for us to get down to do some blitzkrieg decorating and repairs before our first visitors were due to arrive. As I am presently working full-time (originally in London though now thankfully from home) it had to be a weekend visit so it was a case of coming down, spending a day decorating and then heading off again. Given that the far south west has mercifully been free from Covid so far we made the deliberate decision not to go to any shops whilst down so as to make sure that we didn't in advertently import it ourselves. Accordingly we came with all the provisions that we needed for the weekend so we could hunker down and get on with things.
Given the full-on DIY workload this left very little time to apprectiate any of the nature that keeps me coming back year after year to this wonderful part of the country but I was able to do a bit of sea watching from the house where I was able to add the usual sea birds to my modest year list including a Balearic Shearwater. I don't really "do" year listing but I like to keep a tally all the same and this was my first opportunity in the year for sea watching of any kind. Given that it was blowing a gale all weekend we didn't do much in the way of a family walk so it was all very low key. Pendeen valley was full of young birds all blundering around in the undergrowth and it was all looking as lovely as ever. Below are a few photos that I was able to take during snatched moments in between sorting out the damp and redecorating.
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| Gannet off Pendeen Watch |
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| One of several young Whitethroats |
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| Hunting Kestrel |
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| I don't usually see Rooks down at the far end - they're usually up by Manor Farm |
