Cornwall - Seabirds, Migrants and More

Red Billed Choughs (Photo Credit: Liz Ackroyd)

Cornwall is the most south westerly part of the British mainland, characterised by farmland, sea cliffs, estuaries and an immense area of moorland called Bodmin Moor. A feature of Cornwall in the time that we visit, in the autumn, is a mass migration of waders and seabirds. There is an opportunity to see rarities that are rare or impossible to see in most other places. The selection of waders is impressive, with birds like Wood Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper, which are passage migrants and thus don’t stay in one place for long. The selection of seabirds is unbeliveable, because as well as commoner seabirds like Kittiwakes and Gannets there are rarer ones to see on this trip.

There are Balearic and Cory’s Shearwaters which usually live in the Mediterranean, with the latter also living in the Eastern Atlantic. There are Sooty Shearwaters which breed in the Subantarctic Islands and feed in our waters in our autumn. In all cases, you would need a good onshore wind to blow them within range of spotting themfrom land, otherwise they would stay further out to sea, which is what we have the opportunity to do here.

Complimenting the waders and seabirds are migrating passerines such as Wrynecks and Black Redstarts. There’s also a boat trip to St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly, which provides another opportunity to see seabirds and potentially cetaceans, such as Harbour Porpoise and Common Dolphin. The finally is to the Lizard Peninsula, the most south westerly part of the UK, with a chance to see Red Billed Choughs, they have returned to the area in 2002 and have been thriving, after a fifty year absence. There is also a chance here to see places like Land’s End and enjoy a unique English seaside experience. All this combines to create a truly memorable British destination.

Day 1

We arrive at our comfortable, family-run hotel overlooking the beautiful Penzance Bay, only minutes from the train station. If timings and the weather are favourable, we shall make a short late afternoon walk to a nearby public park, with well-maintained gardens. This is home to the unusual Un-armed Stick Insect, plus some birdlife, with Firecrest a possibility along with the commoner UK species.

Our hotel overlooks Mounts Bay and from our rooms it is possible to see Turnstone, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher. We’ll always keep an eye out in the bay, as we should also see our first Gannets, gulls and auks.

Day 2-7

Penzance is a fabulous place to be based for this Cornish adventure, with a road network in all directions. We shall be keeping an eye on the weather and the local information services to ensure we make the most of the week, but we shall also visit most of the iconic sites. Pendeen, Porthgwarra and the Island at St Ives, are a few of the famous sea watching points in southwest Cornwall and we aim to make a few visits. In the right conditions, passage Manx Shearwaters are joined by their rarer cousins – Balearic, Sooty and possibly Cory’s Shearwaters. Arctic and Great Skuas can be seen chasing Kittiwakes and terns, plus there is the chance of Pomarine Skua, Sabine’s Gull, European Storm Petrel and Grey Phalarope, if we are lucky. September is also synonymous with wader passage in the UK, and we shall visit the coastal sites of Hayle Estuary and Marazion Beach, along with the inland reservoirs of Drift and Stithians, to try and find a good mix.

Along with the expected commoner species we also hope to see Wood and Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank and Whimbrel, with the outside possibility of Jack Snipe and Pectoral Sandpiper. It will be great fun looking through the flocks of birds, honing our identification skills in a ‘wader masterclass’.

Bar Tailed Godwit (Photo Credit: Stella Bignold)

Pectoral Sandpiper (Photo Credit: Lin Gregory)

Buff Breasted Sandpiper (Julian Sykes)

This holiday though is not just about sea and shorebirds, as it is also getting to peak migration time for land birds too and time will be spent wandering the tracks and paths around the headland. Either side of the famous Land’s End are gorgeous, vegetated valleys leading down to the sea, with the most notable being Nanquidno and Kenidjack, amongst several more.

These can be migrant traps for passerines making landfall or feeding up to continue south towards Africa. Annually something ‘mega’ turns up, but we at least hope to find a Wryneck, Black Redstart or Melodious Warbler amongst the commoner pipits, warblers, flycatchers, wheatears and wagtails.

For one full day, we shall take to the sea for an exciting day tour to St. Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. This could certainly prove to be one of the highlights of the week, as we hope for not only seabirds on the Scillonian crossing, but also cetaceans such as Harbour Porpoise and Common Dolphin. We should also encounter lots of gulls, terns, Gannets and auks, but hopefully some shearwaters and petrels giving us a completely different perspective, as they fly past the boat. We have a few hours on the Scillies largest island – St Mary’s and our choice of destination will depend on what species have been seen during the last few days.

Common Dolphin (Photo Credit: Simon Eaves)

Cattle Egrets (Photo Credit: Liz Ackroyd)

A day will be spent driving to The Lizard Peninsula to see the famous ‘Cornish Choughs’, which returned as a breeding species to the county in 2002 after a 50-year absence. Lizard Point is the most southerly part of the UK and therefore, can also attract its fair share of migrant birds on their passage south. From the village we shall head slowly out to the famous Lizard Point, looking out for wildlife and maybe sampling the local ice cream. Once there, hopefully the Red-billed Choughs will be amongst the other corvids, and we get to see them wheeling around making their distinctive calls.

Although there is going to be a focus on all thing’s wildlife, we shall also endeavour to call in on some of Cornwall’s premier tourist sites such as Land’s End, Sennan Cove and the Minack Theatre. We shall have a wonderful week in this equally wonderful southwest corner of Britain.

Lizard Peninsula (Photo Credit: Catriona Urquhart)

Land's End (Photo Credit: Tom Corser)

Day 8 -

After breakfast and one last look out into Penzance Bay, we shall leave this lovely welcoming hotel and say our farewells to each other, before heading home.

If you would like to join this tour, click here