Lizard and Snake

Friday 10th September 2010 (c.10am - 8pm)

Went birding on The Lizard today.

Saw some birds and got knackered again (I know I'm unfit, but we did cover a fair bit of ground...)

Highlights - Cuckoo at Windmill Farm almost as soon as we'd arrived - a good sign, although it was quite windy and we saw very little else in the way of passerines.  1 Whimbrel, 7 Teal and 1 Mallard at Ruan Pool (most birds I've seen on it). Probable Grasshopper Warbler from the boardwalk.

Various fields and hedgerows and such on the Lizard between Church Cove and Kynance and Windmill Farm:-

There was a Spotted Flycatcher at Church Cove in the scrub were I hadn't seen Woodchat Shrike on a previous occasion. c.30 Alba Wagtails (mostly white), 5 Meadow Pipits and 3 Yellow Wagtails in cow fields nearby. Sedge Warbler and Stonechats. Lots of Wheatear (30+), 4 or 5 Whinchat and a few Chiffchaff dotted around, with a larger flock of 12 or so Chiffchaff, 15+ Long-tailed Tit, Blue and Great Tits and 2+ Willow Warbler in a roving flock. The odd Whitethroat too.

No Wryneck, despite extensive searching, Predannack airfield held no waders, and none of the other scarce migrants we were hoping to encounter were encountered. Highlight for me was a small (6") or so reptile crossing open ground on the moor - an Adder. A first for me. I was really tempted to pick it up to arrest its speedy departure into thick cover, but I was concerned I might damage it in the process (it really was little), and then Ilya reminded me that they do have a poisonous bite, so probably a good thing on all accounts that I didn't. Excellent find though! We didn't get time to take any pics, but I might produce a graphical representation to post on here when I get around to it...

We ended up with a half hour or so seawatch off Bass Point - 5 Balearic Shearwater (4 in one flock), 1 Manxie, 2 Razorbill and a fair few Gannets going through.