Windmill Farm Nature Reserve

Thank heaven for Little Gulls!

2011-11-13T13:59:00.001Z

There was plenty of activity at the farm yesterday. As I arrived in the car-park, a large flock of Redwings, which I estimated at 120, were flying low towards the Lizard village. Following on behind were 40 or so Fieldfares. A few individuals from both groups dropped down to feast on our bountiful hawthorn berries. Meanwhile, this Black Redstart was catching flies from the roof of the outbuildings.

On towards Ruan Pool and some 350 Lapwings were flapping around, with at least 500 Golden Plover doing aerobatics above them. I settled down in the hide with my telescope to scan through the gulls. This may be hard to believe, but in the first few years of the reserve's existence, Black-headed Gulls were very rare visitors. In fact, despite hundreds of hours of observer coverage, it was four years before the first record! That may have been because until then we didn't have a suitable body of water to attract them. But it's only in the last two years that they've become much more regular, both in the spring and the winter. As far as I'm aware, local farming practices haven't changed recently, so that wouldn't account for them appearing in greater numbers at the southern end of the peninsula. Yesterday there were about 60 of them splashing about in the water and in the midst of them was the reserve's first ever Little Gull! This is a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor to Cornwall and was a very nice surprise. There were also two Common Gulls amongst the group, another bird we rather surprisingly rarely see on the farm.

Little Gull on Ruan Pool (okay, it's not a frame-filler........)

Finally - a piece of the action.

2011-10-04T21:40:00.002+01:00

The last few weeks have seen an unprecedented influx of American waders into the county. For this we can thank Irene and Katia for creating havoc in the north Atlantic weather systems. Almost every patch of mud in Cornwall has hosted some leggy shorebird or other from across the pond - but not our patches of mud at Windmill Farm.

Today was misty and eerily quiet. Having decided there was nothing about, I was idly and, it has to be said, carelessly trudging along the edge of our little scrape, which is almost dry, musing that I have seen Pectoral Sandpipers in the most unlikely of places. Not five seconds later, I heard a distinct call - "prrrt". I looked around in search of the culprit and there it was - a Pectoral Sandpiper, not 10 yards away. Three feet from it was another! We all froze. I ever so slowly down sat down. After an age, they decided I wasn't a threat and much to my relief carried on feeding. After admiring them for a few minutes I slowly withdrew back into the mist and left them to it.

The light was hopeless for photography today, so here are a couple of shots I got over the weekend of adders enjoying the warmth of the brief Indian summer. The top one is a youngster, about eight inches long, and below is an adult male.

Poser

2011-09-03T17:00:00.003+01:00

Spotted Redshank on the Plantlife pond this morning.

Bring your own snacks....

2011-08-31T18:02:00.004+01:00

Participants in a recent dragonfly workshop at the farm collected lots of dragonfly exuviae from around the ponds and brought them up to the information centre for examination. In case you're not aware, exuviae are the external shells of the aquatic larvae. When they're ready to fly, the larvae climb out of the water, usually up a rush-stem or similar, and slowly emerge as adult dragonflies, leaving the these shells behind. The species and even the sex of the dragonfly can be established from studying them. Most of these are Emperors.

This box of exuviae has drawn a few wry comments in the visitors' book, of which my favourite is:

"Great place, don't think much of the crisps tho!"

We've had a few birdy highlights in recent days, including a Wryneck along the access road just 30 yards from the gate - it scraped on to my personal reserve bird-list by kindly perching in the hedge between the track and one of our fields. Nineteen Green Sandpipers feeding together around the edge of the Plantlife pond was a huge surprise. They are regular migrants at this time of year but generally in ones or twos. A flock of this size is very unusual anywhere.

The Black Kite that was hanging around down at The Lizard village made a couple of flyovers and, finally, we had a new species for the farm in the form of two Spotted Redshanks.

The third Emperor

2011-07-30T18:38:00.013+01:00

Following the extremely rare Vagrant Emperor dragonflies that turned up at the farm in late April, and with the "bog-standard" Emperor a common resident species, we completed a 2011 hat-trick this week when a male Lesser Emperor was found. Although it's a rare migrant to Britain, recorded for the first time as recently as 1996, this is our second record following one in 2004. Lesser Emperors occur throughout southern Europe.

After I'd waited for about 15 minutes today, it duly appeared over the northern-most of our two specially-designed dragonfly ponds. It gave great views down to 10 feet as it cruised up and down, doing its best to evade aerial attacks by the Emperors. It failed to land whilst I was there but it was more obliging for Dougy and he got this rather good photo:

Later, he found two or three Migrant Hawkers along the boardwalk:

Thanks to Dougy for those photos. I had to make do with shots of a pair of Common Darters mating in flight, one of the scarce Red-veined Darters (at least two present today) and a female Emperor laying eggs in the pond:

Farming for finches and warblers....and why it's not possible to please everybody!

2011-07-27T13:37:00.014+01:00

Here are a few photos of our 12 acres of arable fields, where we have the best show of wild and cultivated seed-bearing plants that we've had for several years. These will become a gigantic bird-table over next winter. Meanwhile, they are full of bees and other insects, and there are always a few Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats foraging in them at this time of year.

There have been plenty of entries recently in the visitors' feedback book in the reserve's information centre. On the whole, it seems that we're getting things right and most people comment favourably on such things as the tranquillity, landscape, bird-song, flowers and butterflies. Of course, opinions vary on some things, as the following extracts prove!

"What a shame you do not allow dogs"

"Dog-free - what a joy!"

"No dogs - bliss!"

".....dismayed to see a no dogs sign"

"Some of us think no dogs is bliss"

"Well done on an excellent trail"

"I tried to follow the trail guide....after walking up and down the fields fruitlessly for an hour I came back"

"It was easy to find our way round and it wasn't suitable for dogs"

"....well sign-posted walk around"

"Thank goodness no dogs"

Strange critters

2011-07-17T14:14:00.005+01:00

Here are a couple of the strange creatures that inhabit our ponds. The first is a Water Stick Insect, shown with the remains of the beetle it was eating before it was rudely interrupted. They apparently "lurk in dense vegetation, motionless and mantis-like, waiting to seize their prey." (Collins Field Guide to Freshwater Life).

Below is the closely-related Water Scorpion. Both of them have breathing tubes extending from their tails. The front legs are used like a powerful pair of pincers.

Many thanks to David Wheeler for the photos.

A busy weekend

2011-07-11T17:42:00.008+01:00

On Saturday, ERCCIS (Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) held a Surveying for Dragonflies Workshop on the reserve. The emphasis was on identifying dragonflies by their exuviae. When a nymph is fully grown it crawls out of the pond up the stem of a plant. It then sheds its skin and the adult dragonfly emerges. The skin that the nymph left behind is called the exuvia and each one has its own characteristics.

The group collected all the exuviae they could find and identified 268 Emperors (150 females, 118 males), 45 Common Darters, 14 Four-spotted Chasers (8 females, 6 males), 6 Black-tailed Skimmers (5 females, 1 male) and 14 Emerald Damselflies! Many thanks to Steve Jones for these figures.

The following day Dougy Wright and Steve led a very enjoyable three hour walk, concentrating mostly on wildlife in and around the ponds. Seventeen people attended and despite the lack of sunshine, we did really well - thanks guys. The highlight for me were the Water Stick-insects.

Thanks to Dougy for this species list:

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Small White, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Grayling, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Holly Blue

Moths: Silver Y, Straw Dot, Pyrausta despicata

Odonata: Emperor, Golden-ringed, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Emerald Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Beautiful Demoiselle

Other Insects: Water Stick-insect, Water Scorpion, Great Green Bush-cricket, Long-winged Conehead, Meadow Grasshopper

Reptiles: Slow Worm, Common Lizard, Adder skin

Amphibians: Common Toad, Common Frog

Mammals: Fox, Common Shrew, Wood-mouse

I forgot to take my camera, but you'll find some quality photos on Steve Rogers' blog:

http://www.swopticsphoto.com/2011/07/field-trip-to-windmill-farm-lizard.html

Date for your diary

2011-06-23T19:08:00.002+01:00

On Sunday 10th July, there will be a guided, leisurely walk around the reserve, starting at 1.00pm and finishing around 4.00pm and led by Dougy Wright. He'll be on hand to show you dragonflies, butterflies, slow worms and anything else which happens to cross your path. Bring binoculars and cameras, wear wellies or stout boots. If the weather is unfavourable, i.e. cool/wet, the event will be cancelled. If in doubt, call Dougy on 07886 310509 before setting out.

Meet in the car-park, grid ref SW 694 152. To get there follow the A3083 Helston to Lizard road. Three kms after the turn-off to Mullion Cove, look for a sign for "Wild Camping". Turn right here and follow the lane straight on, past the smallholding, and keep going until you arrive in the farmyard. Please drive slowly along the lane.

Guest photographer

2011-06-12T17:53:00.007+01:00

Steve Rogers paid a visit to the reserve last week and has kindly sent me these photos. Those of you who follow Steve's blog (here) will be aware of the very high standard he maintains and I've very grateful to him for allowing me to share these with you.

Female Keeled Skimmer

Immature male Keeled Skimmer

Common Frog

Fragrant and Heath Spotted Orchids

Slender St John's Wort

Yesterday's posers

2011-06-12T10:06:00.011+01:00

Yesterday's warm sunshine persuaded a few insects to wait patiently whilst I took their pictures:

Male Clouded Buff moth. Most of the recent Cornish records have come from the Lizard peninsula.

Female Clouded Buff, not often seen

Marsh Fritillary

Female Common Darter dragonfly

Male Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly

Marsh Fritillaries

2011-06-05T19:07:00.003+01:00

I had a voicemail message from Dougy this afternoon to let me know that he and Sarah had just counted six Marsh Fritillaries at the farm. First discovered in 2003, this is a small colony of this Red Data Book species, with a peak count of 18 butterflies in 2004. After another good season two years later, only two were seen in 2007. We then had two blank years, coinciding with poor weather during their flight period and we assumed we had lost them. Two more surprisingly appeared last year but again the weather put paid to any further sightings. So today's report is great news! Dougy has sent these photos through, along with a close-up of a Red-veined Darter.

Lazy, hazy day(s) of summer

2011-06-04T18:52:00.015+01:00

A glorious, hot day at the farm today brought out hundreds of dragonflies over the ponds. We counted eight species, including Red-veined Darter and Keeled Skimmer. The most abundant were Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser and Common Blue Damselfly (Dougy's photos of the first two below). I got no shots of them (they're too fast for me) so I'll settle for a couple of orchids, a common bird, a rare moth and two showy individuals from the trap the other morning, which contained 215 moths of 49 species.

Four-spotted Chaser

Black-tailed Skimmer

Heath Spotted Orchid

Fragrant Orchid

Meadow Pipit

Small Grass Emerald, our rarest resident moth. This is a nationally scarce and declining species, with very few recent records outside its strongholds on the Lizard peninsula and the New Forest.

Gold Spot

Elephant Hawk-moth

Trackways - some background

2011-05-29T10:34:00.001+01:00

An explanatory page from Plantlife:

http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/conservation_projects/trackways_on_the_lizard_peninsula_cornwall/

Result!

2011-05-22T13:31:00.008+01:00

Rewind to my blog post of 15th March last year, in which I reported that we had a contractor on site to carry out the restoration of about 400 metres of old cart-track which hadn't been used for many years. When these ancient thoroughfares across the Lizard heathlands were in regular use, they provided ideal habitat for some extremely rare plants such as Pygmy Rush, which requires repeated ground disturbance to survive. In Britain, this plant has only been recorded from the Lizard peninsula but even here it has undergone a severe decline.

March 2010: Initial scrub clearance along the route of the track

May 2010: excavated trackway

Last week a visitor wrote in our sightings book "Let's hear it for sedges!", followed by a list of sedges and rushes. Of particular note was their count of no less than 53 Pygmy Rush plants - along the "new track"! Local naturalist Tony Blunden and I had a look and found them (well he found them and pointed them out to me!), along with lots of Yellow Centaury and even a tiny patch of Pillwort, both of which are also rarities.

The same view, last week

Flowering Pygmy Rush (about 5cms tall)

As Tony said, I think we can call that a success. Many thanks to Andy Byfield of Plantlife for arranging funding for this work.

Surprise surprise!

2011-05-19T20:20:00.008+01:00

I wasn't expecting much in the way of recently arrived migrant birds today and was wandering fairly idly around the farm looking for orchids. I'd just found some nice Southern Marsh Orchids when I heard the unmistakeable fluty tones of a Golden Oriole coming from a thick patch of tall willows. It went on for several minutes, so I sneaked around the side and sat myself down at the edge of the bushes. It was quiet for a while, then suddenly the bird was singing almost above my head! For such a dazzlingly bright bird, they are devilishly hard to see in the canopy. This one was no exception and it refused to reveal itself. Nevertheless, a very exciting moment and a great record of this scarce migrant - our second in two years!

So, no oriole photos, but a few pretty flowers and some happy single-parent families:

Southern Marsh Orchid

Bugle

Heath Spotted Orchid

Petty Whin

Hereford mums and kids

A great Spring for Odonata

2011-05-15T17:08:00.013+01:00

Despite the cool north-westerly breeze, many dragonflies and damselflies were on the wing today, but you had to look along sheltered hedgerows and glades rather than out over the pools. We've already seen 12 species this year! These are Dougy's photos (thanks Dougy):

This Four-spotted Chaser has an under-developed or damaged right forewing. It seemed to be able to fly ok.

Black-tailed Skimmer

Azure Damselfly

This female Linnet sat very tight as we approached along the path (NB: this is a bird)

Bird photography – a new code of practice

2011-05-14T14:39:00.017+01:00

Following a recent incident at the farm, I thought it would be prudent to respectfully draw people's attention to the following (although the photograph used in the article gives quite the wrong impression, in my humble opinion!):

www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2667

Small mammal project

2011-05-04T18:55:00.001+01:00

Phil Bradshaw's small mammal project. He's working very hard and we're looking forward to seeing the results.

And then there were two.....

2011-04-25T18:43:00.010+01:00

I was down at the farm again this morning (for the sixth day running!). The main target was yesterday's Vagrant Emperor, which I had missed by about an hour. After a fruitless wait around where it had been seen, I decided to check the pools. I met Tony at the dragonfly ponds and he had just found a Red-veined Darter. This is another scarce immigrant dragonfly and it obligingly posed for us:

Then I wandered over to Ruan Pool, the most northerly of the ponds on the reserve. As I approached I did a quick sweep with my binoculars - a large brown dragonfly hawking over the rushes made my pulse quicken. Quickly getting into a better position I could see the narrow pale blue band on the abdomen and the brown eyes with yellow band around the back of the head. Male Vagrant Emperor! A quick text to Tony, Dougy and Mark and, whilst waiting for them to show up, I realised there were two.

After half an hour we had all had terrific views of them. Mark emphasised how special this record is as, until the last few days, only a handful of people had ever seen this species in Britain. There were another five Red-veined Darters here too, a pair of which were in tandem and laying eggs in the water. Also flying in the last couple of days have been Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers and Common Blue, Emerald and Large Red Damselflies. Thanks to Tony Blunden for these shots of the V. Emperors:

On the way back to the car, I checked out some orchids that Dougy had found yesterday. They are Green-winged Orchids, the first ever found on the reserve. They have no doubt appeared due to the low-intensity grazing that has been carried out on the pastures over the last 10 years. What a fantastic Easter weekend it's been!

Thanks to Dougy Wright for the next two photos from the farm today (Sedge Warbler and Dunlins):

Easter Vagrants

2011-04-24T18:18:00.009+01:00

This amazing Spring continues to produce some notable sightings. Today a very rare dragonfly, a Vagrant Emperor (Hemianax ephippiger), was present at the farm. There are only a handful of British records of this species, which hails from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. However, at least eight others have been reported in the UK recently, including several in Cornwall. This is the 18th Odonata species recorded from the reserve.

The fine weather has also brought many human visitors over the Easter weekend. It can sometimes be difficult to achieve a balance between public access and non-disturbance of the wildlife, but most people seem to appreciate that we have a nature reserve and not a country park! I did have to ask two people to dismount from their bikes on the boardwalk today (that's a first!). More seriously, yesterday a local photographer apparently flushed the Hoopoe to obtain "action shots", selfishly disregarding birders and other photographers who had been watching from a more respectful distance. In the process he also disturbed two resting Green Sandpipers.

The things you see down on the farm........

2011-04-22T17:30:00.005+01:00

Dougy and I walked pretty well the whole site this morning, mapping all the birds. Tony and Matt added a couple of extra sightings too. The Hoopoe was still there, obliging several admirers; a Lesser Whitethroat was rattling away and showing well in the huge blackthorn hedges in the northern fields; and a beautiful male Ring Ouzel was feeding in the large southern field and perching on the fence. Dougy managed to get this shot from some distance:

I haven't had time to tally them all up from the maps yet, but here are some provisional totals: 3 male and 1 female Mallard, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Merlin, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Cuckoos, 1 Hoopoe, 4 Skylarks, 6 Meadow Pipits, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 flava wagtail (not flavissima) 16 Wrens, 14 Robins, 9 Dunnocks, 5 Blackbirds, 5 Song Thrushes, 1 Ring Ouzel, 1 Wheatear, 9 Grasshopper Warblers, 9 Sedge Warblers, 9 Whitethroats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Blackcaps, 24 Willow Warblers, 6 Chiffchaffs, 12 Great Tits, 5 Blue Tits, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Reed Bunting, 3 Jays. Also 3 Slow Worms and several Common Lizards.

But the most unusual sighting of the day was that of three scantily clad young females taking part in a photo-shoot in the cowshed. Bizarre but true! And Dougy missed it as he left early. I felt that I ought to say something, but I couldn't bring myself to approach them without feeling like a voyeur. Any suggestions?

Hoopoe - annual visitor!

2011-04-21T14:19:00.009+01:00

As you can see, the Hoopoe is still around and today I was able to creep up to and get a photo of this stunning bird. This is the fourth year running one has turned up on the reserve - quite amazing! Or is it? Our hay meadows and pastures are only lightly grazed and get no fertiliser, so they are full of the kinds of invertebrates that Hoopoes feed on.

Dougy and I counted 12 Whitethroats (above) and six Grasshopper Warblers, both new farm records, as well as many Willow Warblers, a couple of Blackcaps and Wheatears and a Cuckoo. I'll be doing a full census of singing birds in the next day or so.

While I was away Dougy got this distant shot of a Roe Deer near Ruan Pool. This is a reserve first. An Otter was also seen briefly by Phil Bradshaw whilst checking his small mammal traps.

Two scarce migrants

2011-04-19T22:07:00.013+01:00

As usual my absence from the country for the first couple of weeks of the month coincided with an almighty influx of rare birds into the county. Nothing very rare was reported from the farm, although a Bee-eater seen on the wires along the approach road came tantalisingly close.

With weather conditions still conducive to arriving migrants, I just have to get down there as often as I can just now. After a hectic morning's work, I arrived at mid afternoon today and enjoyed a gentle bimble around. The gorse and blackthorn hedges are in full bloom, the lady's smock is out in the meadows and orange-tips are on the wing. I counted six singing Sedge Warblers, a couple of Whitethroats and three Skylarks.

Walking along the edge of the heathland, I lifted my binoculars to check out a particular bush which I consider a sure bet for a shrike one day and was dumbfounded to see a Hoopoe fly in and land right beside it! After standing completely still for several minutes, it flopped across the Plantlife pond, landed right on top of the bank, preened its feathers and settled down for a good sunbathe. Of course, my camera was back in the car and by the time I returned to get a photo, the bird had vanished.

Tony arrived a few minutes later but the Hoopoe refused to show again. We walked back to the yard just as a Short-eared Owl appeared over the arable fields. Now this was much more co-operative and gave a fantastic display of hunting for the next half hour. Although Short-eared Owl has been recorded on the reserve a few times, this was my first here , so it was a great day for me.

Further signs of Spring

2011-03-25T21:10:00.003Z

Four Willow Warblers were singing at the farm this morning. This species does not generally turn up until around 5th April, so these are unusually early arrivals. I always associate my first Willow Warblers of the year with blackthorn blossom, so it's interesting that the blossom has also appeared ahead of cue. There were also three Chiffchaffs proclaiming their territories, a female Black Redstart and two Dunlin feeding around the Plantlife pond. Local birder Tony Blunden tells me that later in the afternoon there were four Black Redstarts, a Wheatear and a Green Sandpiper.

Slow-ly warming up

2011-03-17T17:36:00.008Z

A couple of Slow Worms warming up in today's sunshine. There were three Chiffchaffs in song, the first of the summer migrant birds back on territory. As for the resident species, early indications are that numbers of Dunnocks, Robins and Wrens are way down after another hard winter.

Thanks to Dougy Wright for this Adder photo taken on 19th.

A friend and colleague remembered

2011-02-14T20:27:00.024Z

The 800+ metre boardwalk along the western boundary was the brainchild of our great friend Stuart Hutchings, who was employed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust for many years as reserves ranger. He was also one of the best-known birders in the county. Stuart and his team toiled for many months to construct the boardwalk and it was so nearly complete when he died. This bench overlooks Lower Predannack Downs and is a fitting reminder of his dedication to the reserve. That's him above on the Greek island of Samos during one of our regular birding jaunts. Many thanks to Simon Taylor for supplying the plaque.

One of the features of the farm that many people notice is the wealth of tall, thick hedgerows of blackthorn, willow and gorse. They provide great habitat for a multitude of wildlife. There are however one or two exceptions where, over the years, cattle have opened up a few gaps which have become progressively wider, so it's actually no longer a hedge.

Last week Martin Rule and Richard Sharp braved the elements and gave us the benefit of their considerable skills by "laying" one of these straggly hedges. Hedge-laying is a method of reinvigorating a hedge by taking advantage of its ability to make new growth after being cut back. The stems are cut partly through near ground level so that they will bend without snapping off and continue to grow. The stems are arranged to form a stock-proof barrier. New growth comes from the cut stump and in time the hedge is completely rejuvenated.

Swanning around

2011-01-30T17:12:00.013Z

I was only wondering yesterday where the seven Bewick's Swans, which disappeared from Stithians Reservoir a week ago, might have moved on to. The answer came in a text from a friend early evening: he had found them on Ruan Pool (our best wildfowl pond on the reserve).

Bewick's are the rarest of our three native species of swan to occur in Cornwall. After breeding in Siberia, the majority of those coming to the UK for the winter spend it in eastern England, around the Severn estuary and in Lancashire. The last time I saw some down here was over 20 years ago, so I was very keen to catch up with these today. With high hopes we arrived down there at 9.30 on a beautiful, frosty morning - alas, it was too frosty as the pool was frozen and devoid of any birds. We had a quick look round, seeing a nice ringtail Hen Harrier, 28 Golden Plover, a couple of Lapwings, some Snipe and a few assorted thrushes, then decided to look further afield.

After checking some other likely spots in the vicinity we were just about to head home when we had another message to say the swans were now on the pool! We hurried back to the north hide and there they were in all their glory, standing around on the ice and sharing the small patch of open water with 50 Wigeon.

We now have two of the three British species of swan on the reserve list - believe it or not, the outstanding one is Mute Swan!

The Jelly Chronicles, Part 2.

2011-01-14T18:18:00.008Z

My quest to identify the mysterious jelly-like material I found at the farm recently (see last Blog entry) has led me into some very interesting territory. A correspondent on the Natural History Museum's identification forum, who goes by the user i.d. bombusleucorum, reckons that it looks suspiciously like the expanded crystal gel found in nappies. They are super absorbent sodium polyacrylate crystals which hold several hundred times their own weight in water and when fully saturated turn to a gooey gel. It's the same stuff sold in garden centres to add to compost to hold water. I suppose it's possible that a gull scavenging on a tip has managed to get a soiled nappy tangled in its feet and then kindly discarded it on the reserve, but I think this is unlikely, especially as there isn't a tip within miles of us.

Then we have the possibility that it's "Star Jelly", which according to folklore is believed to be deposited during meteor showers and has been widely reported since the 14th Century. More information on this can be found here.

At the moment I'm leaning towards agreeing with the 18th Century Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant, who was of the opinion that it is something vomited by animals or birds. That something is semi-digested frog- or toad-spawn. There has been masses of frog-spawn all over the farm lately. Today I even found a great clump of it on top of a fencepost. If this was not dumped by a bird, then we have some exceptionally agile frogs!

Lots of duck on site today, 104 of them to be precise: 51 Wigeon, 23 Teal, 13 each of Shoveler and Mallard and four Gadwall. I also saw the first Mediterranean Gull I have ever seen on the reserve, a nice adult, and a good flock of Fieldfares numbering around 200 birds. And the sun was out :-)

Anyone for jelly?

2011-01-03T18:39:00.008Z

We've seen plenty of birds on the reserve these first few days of the new year. There are still around 250 Golden Plovers, with 50 or so Lapwings, 10 Dunlin and 50 Snipe out on the pasture. On Ruan Pool, there have been 24 Wigeon, 11 Shoveler, 9 Teal and 2 Gadwall. There are many more duck in the area, unfortunately attracted on to pools on nearby land by shooters putting out corn.

Whilst we were checking Ruan yesterday, we heard a loud splash. Looking round we saw a large female Peregrine zooming away across the pool and ripples of water on the surface. It must have been at least 10 seconds before a drake Teal bobbed to the surface, looking somewhat stunned but no doubt relieved at his very lucky escape.

There is masses of frog-spawn, in even the smallest puddles, all over the farm.

On the heathland near the pool I found this stuff on the grass (thanks to Dougy for the photos), which I think may be a species of jelly fungus. The largest pieces were about two inches long. It was odourless. According to Wikipedia:

"A number of the jelly fungi can be eaten raw; poisonous jelly fungi are rare. However, many species have an unpalatable texture or taste, which is described as similar to that of soil. However, some species, Tremella fuciformis for example, are not only edible but prized for use in soup and vegetable dishes."

I'm still trying to find out exactly what it is, but if anyone has any ideas (or would like to volunteer to taste it!) please let me know.

First sign of Spring!

2010-12-24T15:45:00.012Z

The farm has played host to a good number of birds during the recent severe weather. I've counted up to 260 Golden Plover feeding on the pastures. They especially favour the fields below the windmill, where the sloping ground thaws a little more quickly. Thirty or so Lapwings and a few Dunlin are around, with at least 55 Snipe also feeding out in the open amongst the plovers.

Over 100 thrushes have arrived over the last few days. Most numerous are Redwings (50+), followed by Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, with a few Fieldfares too.

All the pools are frozen over so there are no wildfowl. There's no doubt that some birds are struggling to survive now. As I walked along this morning, a Wren was fluttering weakly amongst the rushes in front of me instead of powering into cover as one would expect.

BUT......the first frog-spawn of the Spring was found this week!!!

From Potrero to Zero

2010-11-28T20:47:00.005Z

My first visit to the farm today for a month. I returned from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica on Friday and am still trying to adjust to a temperature drop of 50F+! I was still wearing my glasses with the photo-chromatic lenses, hardly ideal for birding in sunlight. The brand-name is Reactions, but I think Over-reactions would be more appropriate.

I see that a couple of new species have been added to the reserve bird-list in my absence: Common Gull (long overdue) and Mediterranean Gull (which we expected sooner or later). The total is now 157. Today all the pools were frozen, which doesn't happen too often on the Lizard. A flock of 140 Golden Plover were feeding out on the pasture but there wasn't much else around. It's a real shame that we have no crops to feed the finches this winter, especially if we're in for a hard time. Our usual arable contractor having retired, we were let down by another farmer who failed to keep his promises.
In the absence of any new photos from the farm, I'm posting a few I took in warmer climes!

Scrape and polish

2010-10-22T14:36:00.014+01:00

When we acquired the farm over eight years ago, the only water-body was Ruan Pool, which in those days was only a fraction of its original size due to steadily invading vegetation. We decided to create a small scrape to attract a few wildfowl and waders. It was dug in late 2002 in a boggy area at the bottom of a very gentle slope at the edge of the pasture.

To prove that you can create something from nothing, it regularly attracted duck during the winter (six species) and, if water levels were suitable, a nice variety of spring and autumn waders. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust reserves team built a rather imposing tower-hide to overlook it. Highlights have included Little Egret, Pink-footed Geese, Garganey, Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, Water Pipit and, best of all, a Citrine Wagtail, which was present for 35 minutes on the morning of 16th May 2004 (marvel at the quality of my video clip). Reed, Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers and Reed Buntings breed in the phragmites. I've also seen Marsh, Hen and Montagu's Harriers hunting over it - and a very possible Pallid!

Of course, nothing lasts for ever and over the last two or three years nature has been steadily working to return the land to its former condition. Recent visitors carefully entering the hide have probably been quite perplexed (and disappointed) to find themselves looking at a lot of rush and reedmace, very little water, and no birds. Hence this week our expert contractor Andy Tylor has been on site and......we have a scrape again!

A painful lesson is learnt!

2010-09-26T20:06:00.013+01:00

I'm on my way down to the farm this morning and Dougy, who seems to have a problem sleeping and is already there, is on the phone to tell me there's a Little Stint and three Dunlin on the pool variously known as the Plantlife pond (as Plantlife funded it), the dead pool (because for the first couple of years its existence it seemed devoid of any form of life) and I Can't Believe It's Not Walmsley, this last one being a sarcastic reference to the fact that every now and then it does attract a wader or two.

So I amble across the field and there's the man himself, standing behind his Velbon monopod and Nikon 'scope looking very pleased with himself. After all, this is only the third Little Stint ever to be seen on the reserve. It's a typical juvenile, dashing about all over the place, loosely accompanied by two of the Dunlin which are trying to keep up with it.

"The other one's over there - it's been half hidden behind the rushes" says Dougy. He hasn't had a proper look at it yet as he's been enjoying good views of the stint.

I point my bins across the pool at the precise point that the fourth wader emerges on to the open mud. I suggest to Dougy that he might like to take a closer look. Although he makes an admirable attempt to appear unfazed, I can tell he is shattered as he realises that it is in fact a Pectoral Sandpiper!

I'd like to point out that Dougy, never one to let pride spoil a good story, insisted I tell it like it was. He has now learnt his lesson, i.e. grill everything properly before anyone else arrives....

All the waders suddenly took off and flew toward the airfield, but we later relocated the Pectoral on Ruan Pool, where we got great views from the old hide. It was unusually flighty, even being spooked by a passing Jackdaw, which then chased it round in circles before allowing it to re-settle.

This is the third record for the farm - it's as regular here as Little Stint!

Hybridising hirundines?

2010-09-17T18:32:00.010+01:00

Nothing too out of the ordinary to report lately. A juvenile Marsh Harrier was found standing in the shallows (thoughts of the Rolling Stones there...) of one of the dragonfly ponds on 3^rd. We've had a few waders through: Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Ruff, Whimbrel, Curlew, Dunlin, Green Sandpipers. One of the Curlew had a horribly damaged leg, bending 180° backwards from the knee. The Whimbrel was hobbling a bit too. There's been an average passage of Wheatears, Whinchats, Spotted Flycatchers and Yellow Wagtails. A Wryneck failed to make it on to the farm by a matter of feet last weekend.

And so the rarest bird to pay us a visit this autumn dropped by this morning as I was standing by the Plantlife pond. A bunch of about 15 Swallows came down and skimmed the surface. Amongst them, flying away from me, was one with a big white rump patch. It was not a House Martin. Red-rumped Swallow flashed through my mind for about a nano-second, because as it turned, it was just a Swallow. In every respect except that rump, it looked like a bog-standard young Barn Swallow.

Off they went, gaining height and moving south, leaving me scratching my head and wondering if it was just an aberrantly plumaged Swallow or a hybrid x House Martin. I think the fact that the white patch was regularly-shaped and clearly defined makes the latter the more likely.

More angst for arachnophobes

2010-08-22T19:53:00.013+01:00

Although Ruan Pool is pretty well dry, some of the our other pools look suitable enough for waders, yet they're in distinctly short supply so far this autumn. Stithians Reservoir is having a sandpiper-fest, so I can only presume that Simon, the warden up there, is playing dirty and has set up some kind of feeding station for waders. Well Simon, we have a secret weapon that will be kicking in soon and I am strongly tipping Windmill to turn up an American or two before September is out.

So this morning our thoughts turned to butterflies, dragonflies, moths - and spiders again, especially as the overnight mist had left thousands of webs glistening in the sunshine. We found a number of large orb webs very similar to that spun by our resident Wasp Spider (see posts below), but the inhabitants, although quite large and colourful, didn't have quite the same impact as the stunningly scary Argiope bruennichi.

We took a number of photos and were later able to i.d. them as two common species of Araneus, namely quadratus (above) and diadematus (below). Thanks to Dougy Wright for the top left and bottom right photos and supplying his shorts for the backdrop to that at top right.

Feeding-time for the beast

2010-08-10T18:43:00.016+01:00

I renewed my acquaintance with the Wasp Spider today. The hayfield will be mown soon so I cordoned off the area where it lives. As I approached it I disturbed a grasshopper which jumped straight into its web. Now that's unlucky. It was immediately set upon. They quickly immobilise their prey by wrapping it in silk. It is then bitten and injected with venom and a protein dissolving enzyme. Nice.

This spider is listed in the Cornwall Red Data Book. Rosemary Parslow tells me that they found two in a field on Scilly three years ago. It's amazing how they spread.

An exciting discovery with a sad twist

2010-08-08T18:13:00.009+01:00

I came across the most incredible spider at the farm this morning. The abdomen was about 1.5 cms long and from the tip of the front legs to the tip of the back legs was about 5.5 cms. That is some BIG spider! I was able to identify it from the Collins Field Guide to Spiders as Argiope bruennichi, known as the Wasp Spider. It's a female, full of eggs. That zig-zag ribbon of silk is called the stabilimentum - there are several theories as to its purpose.

In Europe this species is locally distributed in France, Germany and the Low Countries. Following the first British record in 1922, it is apparently now well established in locations near the English south coast and is spreading northwards. The females make their webs in long grass, often near field edges, and that's just where this one was.

An internet search for "Cornwall spiders" led me to www.stevehopkin.co.uk, a real enthusiast's resource where you can download a distribution map for every species found in the county. The map for the Wasp Spider shows only seven locations where it has been recorded, the nearest being on the Fal estuary. Coverage throughout the county is patchy but the Lizard and West Penwith have received more attention than most other areas.

I noticed that the maps haven't been updated since April 2006. Another search and I was shocked to learn the reason why. Steve Hopkin was killed in a road accident the following month. He had been a senior lecturer in zoology at Reading University, a scientific associate in entomology at the Natural History Museum in London and was the spider recorder for Cornwall. What is especially poignant is that the biography on his website is still in the present tense. A work in progress was abruptly and tragically terminated.

Hoverflies

2010-07-16T08:52:00.015+01:00

I've noticed that several of my fellow bloggers have been publishing photos of invertebrates recently, so not to be out out-done, here are a few hoverflies from the farm.

Clockwise from top left:

Helophilus trivittatus

Helophilus trivittatus

Helophilus pendulus

Syrphus ribesii

Scaeva pyrastri

Leucozona glaucia

"British Hoverflies" by Stubbs and Falk is one of my favourite natural history books. All of these shots were taken with my dawn-of-the-digital-age Nikon Coolpix 4500, which I originally bought for digi-scoping, a really exasperating activity which I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy.

Cattle diss the warden

2010-07-09T12:01:00.023+01:00

I was down at the farm the other day and came across a huge group of people - well, at least 30 - wandering around with butterfly nets and pooters and magnifying glasses and the like. Turns out they were the Ecology and Conservation Studies Society from Birkbeck College, London, on a week's field trip and jolly. I introduced myself and was immediately surrounded (I hesitate to say mobbed) and bombarded with questions, some of which I was able to answer, such as:

"How do you manage your hay-fields?"

"When does the Cornish Heath flower?"

"Where's the nearest pasty shop?"

"What's the capital of Azerbaijan?"

The leader of the group told me that when he had walked into the first field he had been delighted to see a specimen of Parentucellia viscosa. "Yellow Bartsia!" he explained, on noting my blank expression. He then went on to say he had been completely astonished to find the next field, and the next, and the next, absolutely full of the stuff. This is an uncommon plant and he had never seen anything like it in his life. So I was able to brag about it, quite a lot.

Resuming my walk round I was struck by the numbers of young birds around: Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and especially Goldfinches. It seems to have been a great breeding season so far.

I ran the moth-trap again on Wednesday night and it produced 242 moths of 51 species. You can add to this a few escapees, a couple of micro-moths who will have to remain unidentified and a full English breakfast for the Sedge Warblers who live in the adjacent bushes and picked up many of the moths unlucky enough to have parked up in nearby vegetation. These numbers are an improvement on the last couple of summers but I reckon they are still down on five years ago. The most numerous species in the trap was surprisingly Elephant Hawk-moth, with 32 individuals. Here are some of the squadron waiting for the signal to scramble.

And here's a Plain Golden Y, a beautiful moth, though not quite as beautiful as the Beautiful Golden Y!

Yesterday I found a group of cattle which had managed to infiltrate the meadows which are kept for hay, via a broken electric fence-wire. They were clearly having a wonderful time chewing on the succulent long grasses. I went over and and made an attempt to herd them back out on to the pasture. No way were they going to agree to this. They just went round in a circle and settled back down where they started. I tried to appeal to their better judgement:

"This is your winter feed. If you eat it now you might regret it later." I said.

Here is their spokescow, mouthing "We're staying put, so get lost!"

I left them to it and phoned James, the farmer. It's his problem, not mine!

Pure gold

2010-06-13T21:32:00.010+01:00

When the farm was acquired back in 2001 and we started to take stock of what species we had, it was generally believed that Marsh Fritillary wouldn't be one of them, on account of the fact that it's probably too exposed. The following summer, one day in July, I was therefore pretty surprised to find a single, very worn individual, leading us to wonder if we could have a colony after all.

Well it turns out that we did. Our best counts were of 18 butterflies in 2004 and 12 in 2006. Then we had that run of lousy summers. After seeing just two specimens in 2007, we had two blank years and we reckoned the colony had been lost. But.....last weekend Dougy was mooching around along the western edge of the heathland and, lo and behold - two beautiful, crisp Marsh Frits!

This morning, despite the fact that it was overcast with quite a cool breeze at home in Wendron, I eventually mustered enough enthusiasm to go down to the farm to join Dougy in looking for them again. As is so often the case when all points north are shrouded in cloud, the sun was blazing on the southern end of the Lizard.

As it happens we didn't find any Marsh Frits, but we did see some Small Pearl-bordered, along with Large Skippers and Common Blues, and lots of Common Heath moths, Four-spotted Chasers, Black-tailed Skimmers and some pristine Emperor dragonflies.

We started to wander over to Ruan Pool and Dougy idly remarked that it was time we found something good. Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. Did I just hear a Golden Oriole??? A brief pause. YES I DID!!! It was singing repeatedly. From a tall willow hedge not 50 yards away. I just couldn't believe it. Sure it's a bird we always hope for, but in warm south-easterlies in late April or May, not a rather cool north-westerly airstream in mid June when Cornwall hasn't appeared on the scarce/rare birds websites for some while. Anyway, we walked the hedge for a while, hearing it all the time, but they are sods to see in the foliage. It then moved across one of the meadows to another hedge, but a few minutes later we had great flight views as it flew back across. It was clearly a 1st summer bird, a bit green and streaky, but with a nice yellow rump.

Amazingly this was my first oriole in Cornwall in nearly 25 years birding here. And of course to see it at the farm was just priceless.

Creatures of the night

2010-06-05T20:29:00.008+01:00

I had the moth-trap running at the farm on Wednesday night, its first outing of the year. With a clear sky and fresh south-easterly wind, conditions were not ideal and I only had 80 moths of 24 species, plus a few cockchafers. Clockwise from left: Puss Moth, Eyed Hawk-moth, Cockchafer and Elephant Hawk-moth. The moth species list for the reserve is 294.

Dragon-slayer!

2010-06-03T18:37:00.018+01:00

I sat in the old hide at Ruan Pool this morning, watching the same 1st summer Hobby that we saw earlier in the week. At first it was hunting from a perch on a dead branch, making short dashes to the ground to pick up prey. When the temperature reached the point where the dragonflies started flying, things got very exciting. It would come dashing towards me, then shoot back and forth across the pool, making sudden twists upwards to catch its prey. After a few minutes it would return for a short rest before doing it all over again. It made at least a dozen forays in the hour that I was there and it was extremely efficient, catching around 25-30 dragonflies in that time. There were moments when it flashed past only feet away and at one point it nearly came straight through the hide window! These are among my best shots.

Bank Holiday rarity!

2010-05-31T18:01:00.017+01:00

Relax, I'm just talking about the sun. It was beautiful on the Lizard this morning. The 1st summer Hobby showed up again but not long enough for me to improve on my photos taken in very average light yesterday, when Dougy and I watched for it hunting over Ruan Pool for over half an hour. The summer-plumage Black-tailed Godwit that Dougy also saw wasn't around today.

There were lots of dragonflies and damselflies on the wing today. Here are shots of a teneral (= recently emerged) Broad-bodied Chaser and a male Beautiful Demoiselle. The best area to see lots of the latter is along the western boardwalk.

Meanwhile the short boardwalk behind the old scrape (the one in front of the large hide) is great for Common Lizards. Walk along slowly on a sunny day and you can get very close without disturbing them.

The Hereford cows' dreams came true this morning when the bull arrived. When they saw him coming down the ramp out of the trailer they all went charging across to greet him, but he did his "Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" act, turned his back and got stuck into some serious grazing. That lasted about five minutes before he realised he was in heaven. For a while he didn't know which way to turn, but he left me in no doubt that he didn't welcome any paparazzi clicking away while he was at work. That photo (right) was taken with a standard lens and, just for a moment, I was ever so slightly worried! My advice is to give him a wide berth until he's used up some of that adrenalin.

Our contractor has buried a flexible pipe in the bank of the pond formerly know as the dead pond (see a previous post), to allow us to maintain a low water-level. The bit sticking out needs pruning but I'm showing this photo first to demonstrate how the colour of the pipe has been carefully chosen to blend in with the environment....

Stripping and clipping (in more ways than one)

2010-05-29T16:59:00.015+01:00

This is one of our hay meadows, photographed yesterday. When this was a working dairy and beef farm, fertiliser was applied to the fields and they had a limited flora. Since then we have been managing them with the aim of nutrient-stripping, with some being used as hay meadows and others being grazed. Nutrient levels have fallen dramatically: the hay yield in 2003 was 68% of that the previous year. In 2004 it was 58% and in 2009 just 38%.

Alongside this, there has been a considerable increase in bioversity in these meadows. Later in the summer they will be full of Yellow Bartsia.

Note the hedgerows in that top photo. There are several kilometres of them on the farm. A Hed gerow Importance Test was kindly conducted on a wide selection of the hedges last summer by Shanelle Edelman, a student at the University of Exeter. Most of them had an overall score of 8 or above, which means that they are precious! We'll need to give some of them a trim soon as they're getting a bit leggy.

The contractor has now finished excavating the old trackway (see post on 15th March). All we have to do now is wait a year and two and it should be full of Pygmy Rush and other astonishingly rare plants! Whilst on the job, he seems to have run ever so slightly wide in one particular gateway, but all credit to him, he replaced the gate immediately.

Some more potential firsts for the farm (ahem....)

2010-05-27T21:57:00.010+01:00

As suggested by a fellow blogger and on the pretext that all these could conceivably turn up at the farm (though in some cases surely not in these plumages) and as I've nowhere else to display them (and anyway it's my blog so I'll post what I like!), here are some more of my recent photos from northern Illinois. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Back on the Beat

2010-05-24T20:16:00.023+01:00

Having had to settle for peering at those boring North American wood warblers for the last two and half weeks, I returned in trepidation to learn what rarities I had missed at the farm while I was away. Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and Woodchat Shrike have all turned up during previous absences. Well this time, I've got away with it, with Lesser Whitethroat being the best of recent sightings (and they are annual here anyway).

The reserve is looking beautiful after the dry weather. Orange-tips are clearly having their best ever year and Green-veined Whites are also flying in profusion. I also saw Small Copper, Peacock and Wall Brown today.

Visitors told me they had collected over 50 exuviae of Emperor dragonfly but only seen one in flight. So where did they go? Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers are on the wing and Black-tailed Skimmers are just starting to emerge.

I haven't had time to do a full bird survey this Spring, but minimum numbers of warbler territories are as follows: Grasshopper (3), Sedge (8), Reed (3), Whitethroat (6), Blackcap (4), Willow Warbler (28), Chiffchaff (5). We also have four singing Song Thrushes and two pairs each of Bullfinch and Reed Bunting.

It's great to see cows doing what comes naturally to them: suckling their calves. These Herefords will be with us all summer.

It's only a hobby....

2010-05-01T16:04:00.019+01:00

Yes it's a genuine contender for worst bird photo of the year, but at the speed they fly you don't have much time to fiddle with camera settings. Our first Hobby of the Spring appeared briefly over the willows before wheeling away and vanishing as suddenly as it appeared.

In spite of the poor forecast, there was plenty of blue sky over the farm this morning, encouraging a Cuckoo and seven species of warbler to belt out their songs - Grasshopper, Reed, Sedge, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler.

So did anything irritate the warden today? Well yes actually. See left - this happens surprisingly often and I really don't understand why some visitors can't comply with simple, polite requests. It seems hard to believe but maybe they just don't notice the signs. Click here for my idea for a solution!

Snakes alive!

2010-04-27T18:56:00.004+01:00

I popped down to the farm after work this afternoon. It was the warmest day of the year and the Adders were getting some rays. This male was taking a bit of a gamble, being out on the pasture several slithers away from the nearest patch of cover. He stayed perfectly still to allow a few photos, then made a dash for the brambles.

Most of the Wheatears have moved through now, but here's a late-ish one. I love to see them perched on gorse.

The Dead Pond comes alive

2010-04-24T15:08:00.010+01:00

Four Dunlin were feeding like crazy in the Plantlife pond this morning. Formerly known as the "Dead Pond" (see post below), it has now been renamed "I Can't Believe It's Not Walmsley!".

Nearby a pair of Reed Buntings were looking busy and a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling strongly but refused to stick his head above the brambly parapet.

Three Jays were excitedly chasing each other about, making a sort of clucking noise most unlike their normal raucous calls. They are not around during the winter but turn up every Spring to build a nest in the willow scrub.

There are now five Sedge Warblers and three Whitethroats on territory, but we have no Stonechats this year, no doubt as a result of the bad winter.

A day to savour at Windmill Health Farm

2010-04-18T18:42:00.021+01:00

Today was one of those Spring days that I look forward to all winter. Perfect days like this are rare and you have to grab them when they come. The Lizard peninsula can be quite chilly in an east wind but this morning it had abated and it was calm, sunny and warm. Not even a dose of man-flu (no comments please ladies), a souvenir of my trip to Scotland last weekend, could spoil my enjoyment of the farm at its best. My arrival in the farmyard was greeted by a Swallow and a Pied Wagtail, both of which nest in the old buildings.

This pond, funded by Plantlife, was excavated over four years ago but the water is very rarely clear. We think this is due to the wind creating constant turbidity in the water which prevents the suspension of fine clay particles from settling out. As a result of the murky conditions, aquatic plants and invertebrates have been very slow to gain a foothold. We came up with a plan to significantly lower the water level, which should allow it to clear. Plants should then colonise it more easily and their roots will help to bind the soil together. A permanent adjustable sluice will be installed this year, but in the meantime we've been drawing the level down with a syphon. So it was great to see a Greenshank and two Dunlin poking around in the muddy margins of the pond all morning and clearly finding plenty of food.

Sand Martins and more Swallows were moving through, skimming the surface of the water for a quick drink before flying on north. Wheatears were gathering on the old pasture, a couple of them perching on the World War II pill-box to look out for passing insects. Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers were singing and Dougy had a female Merlin and heard and saw the first Cuckoo of the year.

Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and several Buzzards came soaring over, disturbing a gathering of 50+ Linnets still finding seeds in last year's arable fields.

Who needs Lemsip when you've got all this?

The warden's away, birders make hay!

2010-04-11T17:31:00.006+01:00

Yes, it's happened again. I'm visiting family in Edinburgh for the weekend, and a great bird makes its debut appearance at the farm. For nine years I have dreamt of adding this species to the list. I've seen them at Hayle Kimbro, just a few hundred yards up the road, but if one has ever decided to make the short trip south, it's made sure to do it when there's no-one around. This is an annoying trait which was also recently exhibited by the drake Greater and Lesser Scaups which were on Kimbro for nearly two weeks. I'm talking of course about the reserve's first ever Coot, seen today.

Oh I nearly forgot, our first Woodchat Shrike (of the Balearic race) also turned up this weekend.

I'll be away again for a couple of weeks from May 6th, so there are sure to be some more rarities around. Don't you dare see a Coot at the farm though - that would be too much to bear.

Ranunculus tripartitus and Upupa epops

2010-03-27T22:03:00.010Z

We had a walk around the farm this afternoon in the hope of seeing an Alpine Swift and finding the Hoopoe that was reported yesterday. On the way over to Ruan Pool we stopped to peer at a single specimen of Three-lobed Water-crowfoot (one of our specialities) growing in a muddy gateway, found nothing of note on the pool, then on the way back, up it went - a flappy, floppy pink, black and white Hoopoe! As usual it was pretty unapproachable, but we saw it several times over the next hour or so. It would disappear off over the hedgerows, then a few minutes later, come flying back again. This was the third I've seen here in the last three years. We didn't see an Alpine Swift of course but we left happy.

Second time lucky (historical perspective Part 3)

2010-03-18T17:47:00.002Z

It's the late 1990s. The Society's metamorphosis from an old-style natural history club into a more dynamic conservation organisation is complete. There are some great people on the committee and good work is being done. Buying Maer Lake hasn't bankrupted us, funds have built up again and we are looking for a new reserve, preferably in the west of the county.

I'm not sure how it comes about, but there is a discussion with a certain charitable trust about a possible partnership to purchase Windmill Farm on the Lizard. Apparently the elderly owners are retiring from farming and want the land to be managed for nature conservation. A joint application for funding is submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund....but it fails.

We assume the farm is being sold elsewhere. Time passes. Suddenly it's back on the agenda. Now we're talking about a joint venture with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, with whom we've been working well at Maer Lake. Negotiations grind on. There's a new lotteries bid. It's approved. The legal people do the business. We have a new reserve. And it's almost on my doorstep. Nice!

On the right track

2010-03-15T15:40:00.008Z

15th March 2010

The contractors arrived on site in beautiful spring sunshine this morning. They are here to continue the restoration of about 400 metres of old cart-track (photo left, following the edge of the willows) which hasn't been used for many, many years. When these ancient thoroughfares across the Lizard heathlands were in regular use, they provided ideal habitat for some extremely rare plants such as Pygmy Rush, which requires repeated ground disturbance to survive. In Britain, the plant has only been recorded from the Lizard but even here it has undergone a severe decline.

When we enlarged Ruan Pool in 2004, all the spoil was carried off by tractor and trailer along a short section of this track. Andy Byfield of Plantlife, the wild plant conservation charity, was very pleased about this as, in so doing, we had restored it to how it would have been in former days.

Things looked encouraging when a large colony of Slender Centaury, another Red Data Book species, appeared along the route the vehicles had taken, and then, last year, over 40 Pygmy Rush plants were discovered. Their seeds had obviously been lying dormant in the soil all that time.

So Andy, who is always bursting with enthusiasm for the work we do at Windmill, has very kindly arranged funding for the rest of the track to be cleared.

After helping the contractor sort out the route he needed to take, I had a bimble round, hoping to find an incoming migrant or two. There weren't any in yet, but I had three lingering Fieldfares, a Woodcock, ten Teal and a male Dartford Warbler just over the fence on the perimeter of the adjacent airfield. Nice to see, considering the very cold winter he's endured.

Night of the Bouncing Pencil (historical perspective Part 2)

2010-03-14T20:16:00.008Z

We are into the 1990s and the Society's committee is steadily becoming more dynamic. I've even got my wife Helen on board to give us extra firepower (she'll kill me when she reads that). There's money in the bank and we want to spend it! Maer Lake, at Bude, comes on the market and a proposal is made to buy it, in partnership with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. We can afford it, especially with an appeal for extra funding.

There follows one hell of a committee meeting. One member says it will bankrupt us. He hurls his pencil down on the table and it somersaults across the room. He can keep sharpening it until it's an inch long but it will never write again. Viv Stratton asks whether we are a birding society or a building society. Eventually the chairman puts it to the vote, adding that he will resign if it goes through. The proposal is carried by 14 votes to nil, with one abstention. Vive La Révolution!

Wow - a Pochard! (historical perspective Part 1)

2010-03-13T21:38:00.021Z

Shortly after we move down to the Lizard in 1985, I'm persuaded to get involved with the Cornwall Bird-Watching and Preservation Society, which is apparently in need of new blood. As soon as I attend my first committee meeting as the new Secretary I can see why. They're nice people but the most proactive decision is probably the date of the next meeting! They do churn out a very good annual report every October (which is all down to one person) and they also own a reserve, the Walmsley Sanctuary, a wetland site on the floodplain of a tributary of the River Camel, near Wadebridge.

A trip is arranged for the committee to inspect the reserve one cold winter's day. In its heyday it had been a great site, with a regular flock of Greenland White-fronted Geese, lots of other wildfowl and waders and had turned up a few rarities. So I am amazed to discover that there is hardly any water and the place is birdless. The river-channel was recut some years ago as part of a flood alleviation scheme. No flooding means no water on the reserve.

I spot what has got to be a Sociable Plover amongst the flocks of hard weather movement Lapwings flying high overhead. I get Dave Flumm on to it. Half the flock appears to land on the other side of the distant road, whilst some of them carry on west. We leg it. Some time later, having failed to relocate it, we return to the group like naughty schoolboys and we feel their displeasure. They have found a Pochard on a tiny pond and seem pleased. What we need is a revolution!

I become the Society's Conservation Officer and we are gradually attracting more people who want to see change. Alma Hathway, Bruce Wotton and I propose a plan to create some pools on the reserve by constructing a series of bunds. We get approval for an engineer's report and it turns out to be feasible. Alma and Bruce establish a good working relationship with the farmer (who has a full agricultural tenancy!) and South West Water and they devote themselves to seeing the project through - despite, it has to be said, considerable animosity from one or two of the old guard. Bruce's lack of ownership of a tie could be an issue for some.

The transformation is astonishing. Birds are drawn to the reserve like a magnet. In 1998 the Environment Agency builds more embankments to create new pools outside the tower-hide. Today, with ongoing management by Adrian Langdon and his team, the Walmsley Sanctuary continues to attract birds in their thousands.

Next instalment: are we a birding society or a building society?