Hoopoe - annual visitor!

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

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

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

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

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.