Icelandic banker

Our recent half-term whistle stop tour of Cornwall saw me squeeze in some birding between visiting my god-daughter in Bodmin and friends in Falmouth, admiring the excellent National Maritime Museum at the latter among various other sights the county has to offer. One of the highlights was checking out a huge flock of gulls following the tractors of Polgigga as they made busy in the potato fields. Up to four Iceland Gulls had been reported in the area so I thought it would be a banker, but while I only caught up with one, at least it treated me to a close fly-past.

Iceland Gull at Arden-Sawah near Polgigga

I think a 2nd winter bird

Flying right overhead - note pale iris

Here with one of the tractors

It wasn't all as successful though. While at Bodmin, I nipped out to Dozmary Pool to see what I thought would be another banker - the long-staying, oft-returning drake Lesser Scaup. As you can see from the picture below, I couldn't see the pool, let alone the Lesser Scaup. A two hour wait by a hedge in the Nanjizal Valley looking for a Little Bunting was similarly unsuccessful, though at least there was no fog. Passing Choughs, a stunning male Hen Harrier and my first butterfly of 2017 - a Red Admiral - kept me entertained as I waited.

The sweeping vista of, er, fog at Dozmary Pool

Chough - one of a pair over Nanjizal

A male Hen Harrier hammered through Nanjizal

As is often the case it ploughed on without looking back

Red Admiral at Nanjizal

A bit of a rematch with another banker, the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Boat Cove, was successful, though it wasn't as close as on my visit this time last year. A few other waders were on the beach along with the mobile Whimbrel - soon to be downgraded from full species status as a result of changes to the British list.

Hudsonian Whimbrel at Boat Cove

Revealing the diagnostic all dark rump in flight

Grey Plover at Boat Cove

Curlew at Boat Cove

A couple of distant Red-throated Divers off Boat Cove

On the way home, after a bit of luck seeing an American Wigeon at Exminster without too much searching, there was just to time to take a short detour to look for a Little Bunting near Axminster. A couple of locals were looking for the Bunting when I arrived, and although it had been seen not long before, tales of them multiple dipping on this elusive bird did not leave me feeling very hopeful. The light was also fading, but with the rest of the family playing games on a variety of mobile devices in the car, I thought I would give it the last hour of daylight. After just half of this, a flock of previously unseen Reed Buntings flew up from the long grass, and as they alighted in the trees around me, one gave the distinctive ticking call of a Little Bunting. While it didn't exactly pose for a photo, I managed a couple of shots of it partially obscured by vegetation to cap off a good trip.

Little Bunting, Trinity Hill LNR near Axminster

It would not sit out in the open for me in a couple of brief views

This Reed Bunting was more obliging

February...

The second monthly instalment in my look back at 2016 comes, logically enough, from February. The most fruitful part of the month for wildlife photography was a few days half-term break in Cornwall. Our cottage near Marazion was only a short drive from the undoubted birding highlight of the month, a close encounter with a 1st winter Hudsonian Whimbrel near Perranruthroe. This bird, which first arrived the previous autumn on the Isles of Scilly in first winter plumage, made its way to the mainland and was still being reported within the last few days. Running a close second for photographic highlights was a very entertaining Pallas's Warbler, another long stayer, which spent some time near the Dorset village of Portesham. Six of the best photos from February:

This picture of the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Boat Cove in Cornwall was selected as Birdguides 'Picture of the Week' 

I think this is my favourite photo of it though, for the rocks and the background as much as the bird: my photo of the month and bird of the month for February

This Glaucous Gull in Newlyn Harbour was another highlight of February half-term in Cornwall

Back at home in Poole Harbour, Water Pipits in Lytchett Bay brightened up a few dull February mornings 

Running the Hudsonian Whimbrel a close second for bird of the month was this long-staying Pallas's Warbler

The Goldeneye in Poole Park were very photogenic in February - this the male...

...and this the female

Spoilt for choice

I really struggled to whittle the presentable shots of Tuesday's Hudsonian Whimbrel down to a dozen or so for my last post. But there were so many to chose from, and they have proven so popular, that I thought I could afford to indulge myself with another post with some pictures that didn't make the cut first time around. First a few more flight shots:

Next, a few more from the Cornish rock collection:

 

And finally a few wider angle habitat shots:

Hudsonian Whimbrel in Cornwall

A short break in Cornwall saw me heading to Boat Cove at the first opportunity yesterday morning for the long-staying Hudsonian Whimbrel. The Pagham Harbour bird last year was the first I had seen of this species but my pictures of it were a bit distant and hazy so I was keen to have another crack at the smart looking Cornish specimen. I arrived soon after the first dog walkers and just as the sun was rising, but the only birds visible on the beach were Curlews. Then the piping call of a Whimbrel gave away its presence, and a dark rump as it flew away confirmed it was of the Hudosnian variety. My hopes of getting close views fell, however, as it flew out of view around the Cove. Fortunately it hadn't gone far and I relocated it on a rocky promontory.

As the sun rose, I was getting decent photos with the aid of a teleconverter, although the bird was distant from my position on the path. Eventually it flew back east and when I approached my original vantage point at the end of the Cove I found it playing peek-a-boo with me from the top of a high, spray-soaked rock. The views were excellent from here, but when flushed by a wave, it flew east again and was lost to view. This time I thought it had gone for good, but approaching the cliff edge slowly, I looked back west to find it well above the tide-line, almost at eye-level on a high cliff feeding among the lichen, less than 30 yards away. It wandered out of view and I changed my vantage point to refind it, hailing another birder along the coast who appeared to be looking for the bird but who would not have been able to see it from where he stood.

I headed for the car but a phone call to the family suggested that I wouldn't be missed for another half-hour so I went back to the cliff edge, and the same birder returned the favour a few minutes later, rejoining me to point out that the Whimbrel had moved, unseen by me, to just below where I had been standing. From here we enjoyed even closer views as the bird fed unperturbed, other than by the crashing surf which caused it to flap its wings and reveal the cinnamon barring on the underwing. It posed superbly against the rocks, showing off the diversity of Cornish coastal geology in the process. A selection of photos from an exhilarating couple of hours spent with this major rarity below. As the final photo shows, it was using its long bill to access the deepest crevices on the rock face.