Getting jiggy…
So the sun isn’t always shining down here. On Sunday I spent my shift peering into the fog for a glimpse of our mature pair, redred (see pictures from last entry) and blueorange. This pair have a good history of getting away broods (http://www.cornwall-birding.co.uk/category/choughs/), so the fact that I barely saw them all day is not too much of a concern.
Yesterday I spent time watching the young pair, who were mostly out feeding all day, but are spending a bit of time around the suspected nest site. Back at the Vean, I did see what I’m fairly sure is a female black restart, so that was cool.
Today, the weather was pretty bleak to start with – 100% cloud, visibility maybe 5-10Km. Again, watching the young choughs, they are spending more time nearer their base, and our man, brownblue, is getting quite fiesty with anyone that comes near. This involves him landing within maybe 20 feet of them and calling whilst occasionally pecking the ground. Invariably this leads to people stopping, pointing at him, and then standing there taking pictures. He’s a bit of a character, I have a bit of a soft spot for the little fella, but he doesn’t do himself any favours.
Still, he must be doing something right, because our lady, whitebrown, made it quite clear, with a fair bit of stooping and wing fluttering, that he was the man for her. Jiggyness ensued, although I must admit, I didn’t have to look away for too long.
I’d been watching it come over the sea for some time and at half one there was a break in the weather and the sun came out. Visibility was excellent, maybe the best it’s been while I’ve been down here. All the lighthouses, etc, in the distance were clearly visible, the sea became a deep azure blue, to mirror the sky. All the local birds, gulls, jackdaws, the choughs, pidgeons, took to the air and were all whirling up and up, and we were all suddenly very happy.
The choughs seemed especially upbeat, circling higher than I’ve seen them go before, and then flying sensationally together, before she went back to base. He came over and checked me out, still rising up and diving and spinning in the air, before heading back. I said hello and suggested that he calm down around people, but, he probably wasn’t listening…
Choughs and kestrels
So, we’ve been concentrating our monitoring efforts on the non-paired choughs for the last few days, to see if there were any likely pairings appearing. But, alas, it seems not. Our boys still seem very close, and the lone female doesn’t seem to be able to attract their attentions for long enough.
This looks like it might be quite frustrating for her, as she, today, took to flying about with large bits of nesting material in her mouth, whilst performing aerial acrobatics. Quite spectacular acrobatics. At one point she stole up to a kestrel, that was just minding her (I’m fairly sure it was a female) own business, bumped her from above, then dived down below and around her. It was spectacular stuff, but neither the kestrel, nor the boys seemed particularly interested.
Also, the unringed chough, that appeared to be hanging around with these three, hasn’t been seen for a few days. So, it looks like that story might not break, which is a shame. However, I could be misreading all these signs, and it might all mean something entirely different…
I’ve managed to get some quite interesting shots of the kestrel by, in some cases, combining my camera with the RSPB scope. Later today, I saw two of them fly up to a roost site, possibly a pair, although it was getting a bit dark to tell. They really are incredible to watch whilst hunting. Once I’ve trained my binoculars on them, it’s possible to see that they hover in exactly the same spot, by judging it against the background. How do they now how to do this?! Amazing.
-
- Here dogs and cows are bred to produce cogs.
-
- This mad looking fella is an oil beetle.
-
- This is our older, experienced pair. He clearly knows that this is a killer move
-
- At 7 years old, he’s the oldest bird that I’ve been watching.
-
- Someone please tell me what this is?
-
- I’m fairly sure, from the brown cap, that this is a female kestrel
-
- Here she is on a different rock a little while later.
-
- This, I’m afraid, is not quite so attractive.
-
- A new word for you (maybe), this is an adit.
-
- Male stonechat. First rate perching.
Young choughs
I spent today watching the young choughs affectionately known as brownblue and whitebrown. Catchy names, I know you’ll agree, but I don’t have the job of naming the choughs yet. As I mentioned in my last post, all of the choughs that grew up in Cornwall have been ringed. Coincidentally, the rings on these choughs match their names. Brownblue is the male in this pair.
These guys are young, just two years old. So this is the first time they’ve looked like they might nest. They seem to be very close. After even short spells apart they’ll spend time reassuring each other by being close and occasionally tapping beaks (possibly food is passed between them, but I haven’t been able to see this for sure). While they’re foraging they’ll occasionally run towards each other and tap their beaks in a fashion that looks very much like they’re kissing.
By the end of today, our lady was spending a little time on her own in the area where we think the nest might be. At this point our man spent his time calling and generally looking a bit restless.
-
- Mr Chough thinks he’s a winner with the ladies. Well, lady.
-
- and it seems he is
-
- A male black redstart. A first for me, fantastic.
-
- A male wheatear…
-
- …and a female wheatear
-
- The Botallack Vean lounge, where I’ve been staying. Not in the lounge you understand, they have given me a bedroom
Off to Cornwall again then…
So, my next role brings me back to Cornwall, just two weeks after I was last here. I call by the Marazion office again, but this time to meet up with the RSPB’s Claire Mucklow and the Cornish chough project. I get a little bit of time to look around the Eastern part of the reserve, and see the usual array of passerines. It still makes me smile hearing how loud the Cetti’s warblers are.
Once our hire van has turned up we head out to a place called Botallack, where I’ll be staying. The Botallack Vean is a National trust property – they are also involved in the project – as is a lot of the land on Cornwalls South Westerly tip. Nic, the project co-ordinator and I, go out to see if we can see one of our chough pairs, and they duly oblige with a fly-by as we are out walking. Good start.
Day 2, and I’m shown another pair, who are apparently young but enthusiastic, and then an assortment of other choughs, including a couple of males who seem to be quite close. So close in fact, that they seem to be ignoring the attention seeking actions of a local female. They become known as the ‘boys’. They like flying along cliffs in formation, especially with ravens and occasionally kestrels.
There is also one unringed chough about, which we are really hoping will hang around. All the locally born choughs were ringed in the nest, hence we know what sex they are. As with any small colony, it would be great to get some new blood involved to prevent the potential for issues arising from a small gene pool.
At the end of my second day, the sun is going down over the sea, the pipits are flying around me as I sit on my rocky outcrop, watching 4 choughs. It’s a lovely evening, hello Cornwall, hello choughs.
-
- A blackbird (poss juvenile) at Marazion
-
- This picture of a chiffchaff is one of my best
-
- Deep and narrow inlets down here are called Zawns. This one doesn’t quite qualify
-
- Caves down here are called caves. Oooh, what’s in there?
-
- One of three male Wheatears about near Gwennap head today
-
- Let me introduce you to the ‘boys’
-
- From it’s call I’d say this was a Rock Pipit. Pipits all look the same to me…
-
- The mist round here is a bit unpredictable…
My last days at Aylesbeare
So, it’s time to say goodbye to RSPB Aylesbeare. It’s been 5 months of proper physical work, some lengthy debate and a little self questioning. I’m now confident in the use of a chainsaw, and have used tractors with trailers, winches, mowers, front loaders, blah blah blah. The truth is that I’ve really enjoyed using all this machinery. I set out thinking it would be good to have the experience, and that it was a little bit boys toys, but maybe I’m just a boy at heart (ha, I already knew this).
I’ve also learnt a lot from the guys I’ve been working with, who have a fantastic grasp of the environment they’re working in. They work hard, eat cake, and share biscuits and knowledge. On Friday we all went in to Exeter for a few drinks and I was presented with a copy of “East Devon pebblebed heaths, 240 years in the making” by Andrew Cooper, signed by my colleagues from the reserve. I realised (again) that I’m pretty lucky to be doing what I’m doing. I hope to stay in touch with both the reserve and the people.
Other highlights in my last week were… Finding an “eyed” ladybird, anatis ocellata (see photos). This wee fella is apparently only found in pine wood habitats, and was indeed found amongst some Scots Pine we were thinning out. And driving the Ford 4000 around. Although this tractor seemed pretty heavy going when I first started driving it, as soon as I got used to its little idiosyncrasies (like third being opposite first, then fourth bring at the other end of the box), it turned out to be my favourite. The one at the reserve is k registration, which, it turns out, makes it a couple of years older than me. My parents also enthuse about their experiences in Ford 4000s. Ok, that’s enough, before I start sounding like a tractor geek.
-
- Myself and Johnny got lucky enough to see this great grey shrike for many minutes. Picture was taken with my phone through binoculars
-
- I think this may have been a mosquito flying over
-
- At last a half decent picture of the ever vocal nuthatch
-
- Daring. Or at least it would be if we tried it.
-
- Moments before it produced the nunchucks
-
- The aforementioned anatis ocellata
-
- Me driving Fordy
-
- Ed de-clutching using the shock method
-
- Willow in bloom, spring is here.
Labrador Bay
Today, with some of the Wednesday vols, we planted a hedge at the RSPB reserve at Labrador bay. The weather was again delightfully bright and sunny. Despite the extraordinarily steep slopes no one fell off the hill into the sea.
-
- Soon, all this will be hedge.
-
- Richard just manages to stop himself from rolling down the slope
Spring at Marazion
The RSPB Aylesbeare warden, Toby Taylor, very kindly offered out the services of myself and Tia to RPSB Cornwall reserves. As a result we’ve been removing willow stumps at a place called Marazion for the last couple of days. The weather has been glorious, the reserve is beautiful, and we’ve been eating lunch on the beach looking out at St Michaels Mount. If Dave, the warden down there, offered residential placements I’d be jolly well signing up.
What’s more, whilst there, I saw my first bittern, flying for a good few hundred metres across the marshes this morning, fantastic! No, more than fantastic. Both myself and Tia became very excited and probably embarrassed poor Dave by gushing thank yous to him, when he isn’t, after all, able to control what the birds get up to. There are also Cetti’s warblers on the marshes, and chiff chaffs that hang around all year round. With chiff chaffs joining in the plentiful bird song there was a proper feel of spring in the air, probably something that part of the world feels before most places in the country. Oh, and it’s hard to describe how loud the Cetti’s are – they manage to make their call sound like it’s being produced in an amphitheatre. Incredible.
-
- We set up base amongst the willow
-
- Some of the stumps to be removed – looking South, the sea is the other side of the road
-
- Our lunchtime view
-
- Larus argentatus
-
- Finishing the day with only one boot full of water was a result.
Stihl open day at Arne
I get a chance to pop along to RSPB Arne for a Stihl open day, with Richard and Tia. The weather is pretty bright, and Arne is looking good, as usual. I get a chance to give the new Stihl MS261 a go. I’m hoping to get a chainsaw at some point (probably the, not yet released, MS241), and this is as smooth as a babies bottom. Ok, maybe not the correct analogy for a chainsaw, but you get my point, don’t you? So, if anyone out there lovin’ my work, wants to sponsor my chainsaw purchase, let me know. Anyone? Hello?
Thanks, as usual, to Toby and Craig, for making us feel welcome. Following the spiel from the Stihl guys, we took a walk about the reserve. Great to see a few brent geese about, possibly (as far as I can remember) another first for me.
-
- No one explained to us what the giant cork screw was for
-
- Brent geese and a dust bin (exotic)
-
- Hmm, is this the same little egret I saw at Bowling Green (see post 20/2)?
Fire Beacon Hill
The overcast mornings are clearing to bright sunny days. And our current view while working, from Fire Beacon Hill (FBH), near Sidmouth, is pretty fine. We are carrying out annual winter management of ‘our’ part of the hill, which includes removing birch scrub and coppicing some of the more leggy gorse.
On Wednesday, we are joined by the Wednesday volunteers, a great bunch of people, all giving some of their time to help out and pass round cake. Shortly after arriving at FBH on Wednesday, I received a call to say that the Ford 4000 (with trailer) had broken down on the way over. I hurried back, with the battery pack, to where Richard had managed to pull over on the A3052. Ed had also turned up in Zetor (another tractor), but their attempts to get Fordy started were all in vain. In the end myself and Ed had to leave – Richard took a hit for the team and stood bravely on the road side, hand to his to his head, saluting us off. Would we ever see him again…
As it happened Johnny came out in the Valtra and towed Fordy, the trailer and Richard down the road and across the reserve back to the workshop, while we had to get on with some real work. Oh, meant to say, saw my first butterfly of the year last week – a Brimstone! I’ve never seen one before, it was moving about too quickly for pics unfortunately, but still, fantastic.
-
- The 2 Richards watch as John Bell (of Axewood fame) trims a tree with surgeon like precision.
-
- Tia, Ed and Johnny aren’t speaking to each other.
-
- Who would live in a house like this?
-
- Ed. No comment needed.
-
- The Norman Lockyer observatory – well worth a visit, apparently.
-
- Turned out nice again.
-
- The Wednesday vols
Life since the office 
Major endorsements