Hayle Estuary

Spring update

David Flumm — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:40:12 GMT

April has been a relatively quiet month at Hayle. In common with all British estuaries, this is not the most productive month of the year as most of our over-wintering waders and wildfowl are leaving for their breeding grounds in the arctic. However, with migration in full swing, you never know what can turn up so although our "resident" birds have now departed north, others are arriving from the south and, particularly on days with inclement weather, these stop off on the estuary to feed up. Thus we have seen small flocks of Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot and Common Sandpipers all passing through lately. Yesterday at Porth Kidney beach at the mouth of the estuary there were 15 Whimbrel and 2 Sandwich Terns roosting on the sands and it was a welcome sight to see so many hirundines feeding in the lee of the wind along the face of the sand dunes: 100 Swallows, 10 House and 8 Sand Martins. A Wheatear was also present here and up to four Whitethroats were present in the scrub - all newly arrived.

No more helicopter disturbances

David Flumm — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:01:48 GMT

Following a productive meeting with RNAS Culdrose on 3rd April, I am happy to report they are to instruct their squadrons not to use our Hayle and Marazion reserves in future for their low flying training exercises. Although there are still other organisations that occasionally overfly the area and flush all the birds off the reserves, these are sporadic by comparison. I am therefore very grateful to the local Air Station for their cooperation and let's hope we get our birds back!

With the prolonged cold weather, many of the overwintering waders, Wigeon and Teal are still around and although relatively late in the year now, it has been a surprise to see Swallows, Sand Martins, Chiffchaffs, Wheatears and the odd Firecrest arriving in the arctic conditions. There has been quite a passage of Sandwich Terns too with a peak count of 76 on 22nd March. An early Arctic Tern joined one group at Porth Kidney on 3rd April. Other notables have been 1-2 little Ringed Plovers at Ryan's Field, a Pink-footed Goose for a day (31st March) on the main estuary and the Water Pipit at Copperhouse may still be present at the time of writing.

Helicopter disturbance on the increase

David Flumm — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:38:00 GMT

We are currently having a real problem with low-flying helicopters which appear to be deliberately targeting the reserve at the main estuary, Lelant Water and Carnsew Pool. Last Sunday for example, I was at Carnsew with 11 volunteers for our monthly litter-pick and at 11:30am an Air Sea Rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose approached from the south west on a flight line that would have taken it to the south of the reserve. However, as it came closer it turned to fly directly over the estuary and thereby flushed every single wader, gull and wildfowl on the reserve - before turning north towards St Ives Bay. So far my liaisons with the Culdrose air station have drawn a blank so we have now contacted Natural England (Hayle Estuary is a SSSI) for their help. This is not a one-off and if anybody witnesses any disturbance incidents like this can you please contact me.

Possibly linked to the above, bird reports have been rather slim of late. Numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls are rising as they always do at this time of year - there were c500 on Sunday before they were flushed! We've also had up to 14 Med Gulls/day in with the migrating flocks of Black-headeds and sharper eyes have picked out up to 3 Yellow-legged Gulls amongst the Herrings.

Copperhouse Creek appears to be less disturbed by the aircraft and is a good place to see Wigeon and Teal at the moment - and a Water Pipit has taken up residence the last couple of weeks at the eastern end on the saltmarsh.

On our recent guided walk...

David Flumm — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:44:00 GMT

On Saturday, 2nd Feb a dozen hardy souls joined Jen and I for a morning stroll around the reserve, commencing at the hide at Ryan's Field where a Kingfisher put in a fast fly-by for some. A cold northerly wind accompanied us as we took in Lelant Water and Carnsew Pool but with so many birds on show at this time of year, I would like to say we hardly noticed it - and at least it stayed dry.

With the tide receeding at the main estuary, Lelant Water, the wildfowl and waders became more active and followed it down across the mud. Hundreds of Wigeon and maybe a hundred Teal were feeding actively close to our group now gathered at the Hayle Causeway - the wall at the river there at least giving us some shelter as we scanned through the flocks. Amongst the waders, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwits, Lapwing, Dunlin and a couple of Grey Plover showed well but when they all suddenly flew up in a panic, we searched for the cause and were not surprised to find a Peregrine as the culprit. What was perhaps surprising was that it had flown in, taken a female Wigeon and was now sitting on the mud right in front of all 14 of us plucking it - and nobody had seen it coming! Obviously the female Wigeon hadn't - but I felt a bit sheepish that as the main leader of this group I hadn't either!

From the north shore of Carnsew Pool, we located the Black Swan which had been present for a week or so in the company of a couple of Mute Swans. I explained of course that this bird hadn't flown here from its native home in Australia but more likely from the Paradise Park zoo opposite! On the Pool itself, a group of four 'redhead' Goosander were present and as they are quite a rarity in this part of the world I was keen to obtain better views for the party so we walked around to where they had beeen loafing just off the south shore. No sooner had we done this, the birds began diving and feeding and became even more difficult to see. An adult Mediterranean Gull followed their progress from the air, probably hoping to catch a fish displaced by the diving ducks. We turned our attention to the Little Grebes instead and a collection of waders including a group of ten Turnstone feeding amongst the rocks forming the banks of the Pool. A number of Redshank now joined some of the waders already mentioned above as the tide dropped further and started to feed actively as the mud became exposed. With food in our minds too now and lunchtime approaching we headed back to the carpark, warm cars and hopefully the promise of a warm lunch ourselves.

No more Long-tailed Duck but...

David Flumm — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:51:23 GMT

Recent sightings at the estuary have included 11 Whooper Swans on 25th Nov with seven remaining the following day, four Pale-bellied Brent Geese on 29th Nov and the usual several hundred Wigeon and Teal. The Spoonbill mentioned below was last seen 18th Nov with the Long-tailed Duck at Carnsew Pool disappearing two days later. However, three Goosander have just arrived at the latter site and coinciding with the cold weather, who knows what else may turn up.

Recent wildfowl

David Flumm — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:05:02 GMT

The adult male Long-tailed Duck continues to delight visitors at Carnsew Pool and there are still very good numbers of both Teal and Wigeon at Lelant Water, the main estuary. They were joined briefly by a herd of 7 adult Whooper Swans on 18th along with two Dark-bellied and 1 Pale-bellied Brent. The Spoonbill is also still here - so to reiterate, there is a lot to see at Hayle at the moment.

Long-tailed Duck at Carnsew Pool

David Flumm — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:49:28 GMT

I've just returned from the estuary and can confirm that the adult drake Long-tailed Duck is still present at Carnsew, having arrived a few days ago. This may not be particularly unusual 'up country' but it must be ten years since we hosted one here and adult drakes are even rarer in Cornwall. Also today on the main estuary at Lelant Water were 22 Shelduck, over a thousand Wigeon and the two Brent Geese which have also been around a few days but oddly were feeding side by side today. I say "oddly" because they are of two different races, Pale-bellied and Dark-bellied so they certainly won't have arrived together, originating in different parts of the planet!

The Spoonbill is also still here and at lunchtime today was feeding in the lagoon in front of the hide at Ryan's Field.

So all in all , lots to see at Hayle at the moment...

Good birding!

Recent sightings

David Flumm — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 08:54:52 GMT

During the third week of October we've seen a build up in numbers of wildfowl and waders but the real highlight has been the presence of three Spoonbills on 22nd. These are now almost annual visitors to the reserve although they seldom stay for long. We had a single bird here on 14th October too but I think that moved to Scilly where one was seen at Sampson just after. The 22nd was a productive day for some - with Yellow-legged Gull, 10 Med Gulls, up to 13 Little Egrets and 15 Grey Herons. Late summer birds have included two Sandwich Terns on 18th and for one lucky observer, a Wryneck along the river bank from the hide on 12th.

Camberwell Beauty butterfly - a 'first' for the reserve

David Flumm — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:18:11 GMT

On Sunday, 2nd September a few lucky observers at the Hayle Causeway spotted a Camberwell Beauty feeding on bramble near the road before flying off over the estuary towards the Old Quay House Inn. This is a rare migrant at the best of times and an estuary wouldn't have been an obvious choice for one to spend any time - hence it's speedy departure I imagine! Nevertheless we are pleased to add this to our butterfly species list for the reserve. We have already recorded it at Marazion Marsh when one was seen, again by just a lucky few, some years ago. Unfortunately it appears the three Pectoral Sandpipers (the reason for the observer presence in the first place) have departed, being last seen on 1st September. However, if you are in the area why not pay a visit to our Marazion reserve where, in addition to the (now three!) Spotted Crakes on the marsh we also host a North American Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the beach adjacent. That's Cornwall for you!

Good birding.

Wader update

David Flumm — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:45:00 GMT

As I mentioned in my last blog, the poor weather is always good for a visit to the estuary as it usually brings to a halt bird migration - heavy rain in particular usually pays dividends as the birds drop in for a rest and a feed until better weather prevails! Thus the prolonged wet spell on 27th sent birders to the estuary the following morning and a wealth of species were discovered of which 3 North American Pectoral Sandpipers were the highlight. Other waders included 4 Common Sandpipers, 112 Curlew, 5 Whimbrel, 27 Oystercatcher, 16 Redshank, 6 Turnstone, 66 Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plover, 2 Knot, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and a Ruff.

See this link for photos of the Pectoral Sandpipers:

http://www.cornwall-birding.co.uk/

A good week for waders and terns

David Flumm — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:54:43 GMT

The southerly gales and driving rain always pay dividends at the estuary at this time of year! In between showers on 15th August, the sunny afternoon at Carnsew Pool allowed a few lucky observers to witness a quite remarkable passage of waders, many of which used the improving weather to stop by only briefly before continuing on their way. One such group included a flock of 23 Curlew Sandpipers with150 Dunlin and 233 Ringed Plover. A few Ruff, 33 Sanderling and 45 Bar-tailed Godwits also passed through that afternoon along with a remarkable flock of 11 Little Terns. These had all mostly gone by next morning but in deteriorating weather, the tern theme continued and Ryan's Field played host to no fewer than 25 Sandwich, 37 Common, 8 Arctic and 4 Blacks.

Visitors often complain about the lack of birds at Ryan's Field but as we say on information boards in the hide, this site is best visited at high (spring) tides Aug-Sept and these are either early morning or evening in this part of the world. Ryan's Field is only used as a high tide roost so if your visit coincides with low (spring) tides, 9am-5pm, the birds will be over the Causeway road feeding on the main estuary instead. The terns demonstrated this nicely as they were mostly present late afternoon/early evening at the roost along with 3 Ruff, a few common Sandpipers and a Black-tailed Godwit.

The weather looks set to continue for the time being so if you are here on holiday don't forget to add Hayle Estuary for a visit on a rainy day and you won't be disappointed! At this time of year we await the more unusual American birds brought across on fast-moving Atlantic depressions. We've already hosted a Pectoral Sandpiper (4th-10th August) although as this was an adult we suspect it had probably already spent a year on this side of the Atlantic as most of our American vagrants are inexperienced juveniles. Who knows where this individual came from but it is probably unlikely to have crossed the Atlantic this year and was more likely caught up in the north-south autumn migration with its European counterparts instead.

Good birding.

Autumn birds are on their way

David Flumm — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:18:36 GMT

A number of waders have started to arrive on the estuary in mid- July and by 19th these included 218 Curlew, 7 Whimbrel, 18 Oystercatchers, 5 Common Sandpipers and single Dunlin, Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwit. There are also up to 16 Little Egrets and a dozen Shelduck, the latter having bred successfully in at least two areas around the reserve. A few Med Gulls and Sandwich terns have also been seen on occasion, all testimony that for these species at least, autumn has commenced.

May & June 2012

Jenny Parker — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:52:14 GMT

Our Oystercatcher pair on one of the shingle islands at Ryan's Field have fledged two young. As far as we know these are the only nesting Oystercatchers in west Cornwall. At present we have one pair of Shelduck with 5 ducklings on Lelant Water - although we are hoping for more! The late spring migration has been rather quiet but a Great White Egret flew over on 4th May and a Spoonbill took up residence over 13th-15th May. An unseasonal Iceland Gull showed briefly on 20th May but as I write this today, 20th June we have 4 Med Gulls at Carnsew Pool - are these late spring or early autumn migrants I wonder?

We have now addressed the grafitti in the hide and repainted all the walls. Although the culprits were never caught, it has been quiet on the vandalism-front lately although we suspect they have moved into Hayle where a number of similar episodes have occurred recently.

We will shortly be tackling the overgrown path network - so if anyone wants to help please contact us.

Good birding!

Jenny Parker

February update

David Flumm — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:02:55 GMT

On the bird-front, gulls appear to be stealing the show this month with Iceland, Yellow-legged and a number of Med Gulls at Lelant Water and Carnsew Pool. The recent cold snap hasn't brought the anticipated influx of wildfowl and waders - yet.

Our hide at Ryan's Field continues to receive attacks from vandals and although we have painted over the graffiti shown on our recent photos - three times now - it appears this will be an ongoing activity until the police apprehend the culprits.

On Sunday, 12th February we are meeting at Copperhouse Creek in the town for our bi-monthly litter pick there. Perhaps as an enticement, we enjoyed the sight of a Crane over our heads on the last litter pick (at Carnsew) in January; we hope to see you there!

Dave Flumm

Site Manager

Eric Grace Memorial Hide, Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve Vandalised

Jenny Parker — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:38:45 GMT

Vandals strike the RSPB bird hide

The Eric Grace Memorial hide has stood the test of time, it was opened in 1996 by Andrew George at since has seen persistent acts of vandalism. Before it was even built the roof was stolen, later the door was smashed in on no less than five occasions until staff decided it was too much of a hazard to leave on, the benches demolished several times, the notice boards smashed, the leaflets burnt on a regular basis and just lately it has been targeted with graffiti. Two weeks ago graffiti was posted on almost every surface in the hide, since then a local volunteer has cleaned up dozens of smashed bottle and just this morning found the leaflet dispenses smashed. I suspect this will continue until those responsible are caught in the act. The police have agreed to check the area more often during their regular patrol but if you see anything suspicious please call the police. The hide will be cleaned up but not until the perpetrators have been moved on.

The RSPB staff, volunteers and the local police are aware that Ryan’s Field attracts unsavoury behaviour late at night, particularly under the A30 viaduct, which does not belong to the RSPB and we are doing all we can to prevent criminal activity but please do contact us if you have any information to share or the police if you see criminal activity.

Call the Police on 101