The lack of posts to the blog over the last week has been due to my being away on holiday in North Cornwall. We rented a house known as South Forda House near Kirkhampton which has a mature two acre garden with three ponds and a stream and provides a good variety of bird habitat which was reflected in the 31 species I spotted during my stay. I setup a mini feeding station in the garden which I will discuss in my next post but will for this one just show some of the birds I found in front of my camera during my travels around North Cornwall. So this post will be a rather random collection of species.
We took a walk around the Upper Tamar lake one day which was close to the house but rather devoid of birds except for the occasional Chif Chaf. Just before leaving I spotted a pair of pied wagtail in the car park.
We took a day trip to Padstow and after wondering round the town, headed back out with the camera after lunch and found this bathing Turnstone.
The coastal bushes had numerous dunnocks singing.
Together with those inquisitive jackdaws and an unusually friendly rook. Its not until you get really close to a rook that you appreciate the hints of dark blues and purple hues in that 'black' plumage.
I encountered numerous recently arrived chiffchaff on my travels but as usual getting a clear photo of one at a low level proved difficult.
On the way back from Padstow, we called in a Port Isaac which is a typical Cornish fishing village set within a cove surrounded by high cliffs. Numerous Herring gull were present on the cliffs
I was also pleased to find one of my favourite sea birds and master's of flight, the fulmar, skirting along the cliff tops providing some opportunity for flight shots. This is my favourite image of those taken.
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4 comments:
Great photos, Thanks so much for sharing. I love looking at your species which we don't have here..
Would you recommend this as a place to stay? I've just looked up the website. My husband is a keen fisherman... do you know if the fishing in the ponds was any good? I think I'd enjoy the wildlife and grounds. Great variety of birds. Looking forward to seeing the feeding station. Jane
Thanks Stacey and Jane. The garden of South Forda House has a great diversity of birds. The stream that borders one side of the garden could also throw up a few surprises but was quiet during my visit. There are a couple of local nature areas near by which are probably worth some attention which includes an extensive wetland at Bude and the Tamar Lakes (about 1 mile away).
I'm not sure about the fishing lakes Jane. they are fairly small and I think have been stocked with recenetly. Certainly looking at the colour of the water I would guess one of the stocked species is carp. Further fishing can be found about a mile away on the Tamer lakes.
Overall it was a very relaxing place to stay.
Beautiful photos! It's amazing how nice wildlife can and how bad humans can affect it...
Keep sharing those great pictures!
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