Bespoke Tour in West Cornwall

After a few days of awful wind and rain in the County we were greeted with warm sunny conditions today for our bespoke tour with Lesley. Having been with us on a previous tour I knew Lesley was a keen photographer, so photo opportunities were a must. We decided on Marazion Marsh for our first destination, followed by a stop at Penzance for Purple Sandpipers then on to Land’s End for anything else!

Marazion set the standards as soon as we arrived with a showy Great-spotted woodpecker and two Roe Deer in the opposite field. The Marsh itself was alive with bird song with Cetti’s and sedge Warblers, Chiffchaff, Dunnock and Reed Bunting all singing. The Glossy Ibis put on a show in the sunshine, as did the nesting Grey Herons. We spent a good few hours on the reserve enjoying the sunshine! Other species included: Little Egret, Cormorant, Shoveler, Teal, Moorhen, Mallard, Blackbird, Stonechat, Linnet, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Blackcap, Robin, Wren, Eider (offshore), Oystercatcher, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Buzzard, Swallow, Canada Goose.

A quick stop at Jubilee Pool, Penzance provided good views of at least 6 Purple Sandpipers, Turnstones, Shag, Rock Pipit and Pied Wagtail.

I hindsight we ought to have given Land’s End a miss! Way too many tourists and very few birds. However, we managed to add the following to our trip list: Willow Warbler, Magpie, Razorbill, Guillemot, Gannet, Pheasant, Meadow Pipit, Starling, Sparrowhawk along with Stonechat, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch, Wren, Blackbird

In all we saw 54 Species of bird, a couple of mammals and a few Painted lady butterfly (at Lands end). Looking forward to seeing Lesley again soon.

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