Cornwall Day 2 The Lizard and the Beach!

There were a couple of Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails running about  in our garden, which was a nice start to proceedings! Excuse the pics were taken through the window!  

Meadow Pipit

Pied Wagtail

With no wind predicted we decided to head down to The Lizard, the most southerly point of mainland England, only 20 minutes from our base. We arrived earlyish and headed down to the point, Seals in the sea which was flat calm, we bought a Bacon Toastie in the Café, they had Gluten Free, whoop!!   Scanning the sea with the bins, I was quite surprised to pick up small groups of Manx Shearwaters going through, no excuses needed it was back to the car to get the scope and have a proper look!

Herring Gull several loafing about

Seal

Shag and Great Black-backed Gull

The Coastal scenery is fantastic in this area (M)

Rabbit (M)

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The plants on the cliffs, brought great colour to the scene, shame it was a dull old old morning (M)

We relocated east of the lighthouse and set up for a Seawatch, Manxies and Gannets the main highlights!

Manx Shearwaters, yes I know the pictures are pants but they were a long way out and the light was terrible!

Manx Shearwaters and a Fulmar

Gannet

Couple of vocal Ravens on the Lighthouse buildings

The Seawatching was quite interesting but we were distracted by a fare few Passerines going through with at one point  up to 10 Wheatears around us, plus Stonechats, Rock & Meadow Pipits and Wagtails!

So many Wheatears even Margie took some pics of em (M)

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Kestrel, buzzed about the area several times

Stonechat

Rock Pipit

Great Black-backed Gull

Kestrel

Very bright Wheatear, possible Greenland

We were also distracted by Choughs we had heard them calling and had brief flight views, then they landed right next to us, which was cool!!

Choughs

Pleased to get such good views, bet your impressed I resisted the Chuffed to see em joke 😁😁 I stuck at the Seawatching though, but it was much the same with no big Shears going though, although obviously they could of easily sneaked through while I was distracted by Wheatearmegdon !!

Gannets

Manx Shearwater

Great Black-backed Gull

At least the Gull came quite close!!

Stonechat

Rook, impressive birds up close

Still plenty of flowering plants on the cliffs (M)

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Putting the hours in (M)

Margie getting arty in the puddles (M)

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A very enjoyable few hours in improving conditions, though with the Shearwaters drying up and tourist numbers increasing , we decided to head off. On the spur of the moment we followed the road towards Kynance Cove, fortuitously we bumped into a couple of birders, who on our enquiry into what they had seen, put us on the track of three Wrynecks and a Whinchat!! Unfortunately these birds were quite distant across a field with no access, but I managed to find one Wryneck and a Whinchat with the scope. Pictures are distant and through heat haze so are rather poor, apologies!!!

Whinchat

Wryneck

Wryneck

Buoyed by this success, and with both the Purple Heron and the Citrine Wagtail reported again from Marazion, we headed back to the beach where we spent another happy couple of hours failing to find either!! 😢 Though again plenty of wagtail and wader action to keep us occupied!!

Turnstones and Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Med Gull

Pied Wagtail

Turnstone

Rock Pipit

Sanderling some strange behaviour I'd not seen before, with birds making  shallow depressions in the sand and sitting in them!

It's nice to see so many birds in close proximity, though the Citrine is beginning to annoy me now, it's very much looking like it could be turning into the next Green-winged Teal, bogey bird😰😱😱!!!

Defeated we headed into Penzance for a wander around the harbour, which finished off the day nicely!!

St Michael's Mount from Penzance Harbour