Bird Sightings for May 2003

May 28th: A male Eurasian Wigeon at Burniere Hide, (Colin Selway).

May 24th: The Little Gull was once again present at Burniere Point as was a first winter Mediterranean Gull. The summering Common Redshank is still present, also noted were three Whimbrel and a Barn Owl, (Colin Selway). 

May 23rd: A Little Gull was present at Burniere Point today as was a Dunlin. Only a single brood of Common Shelduck were noted, (Colin Selway). Unusual was a male Common Pheasant walking about in Molesworth Street, Wadebridge.

May 21st: A very foggy day, wader on the estuary consisted of a single Common Redshank, two Dunlin, less than 20 Eurasian Curlew and less than 50 Oystercatchers, (the Common Redshank record is unusual this is on the third record for the month of May). A minimum of ten Little Egret were noted. Three Red-legged Partridge were present near Tregonce today.

May 19th: A female Little Ringed Plover on the Amble Marshes was a nice surprise, also present was a male Eurasian Wigeon. On the estuary three Common Shelduck broods were present containing three, four and eleven ducklings. Predation of the chicks is high, while watching Colin Selway reported four young taken by two Great Black-backed Gulls and another taken by a Peregrine Falcon.

May 17th: Today a  Marsh Harrier was present on the Amble Marshes, (Adrian Langdon).

May 12th: A male Lesser Whitethroat was present at St Georges Well today.

May 7th: Two Eurasian Spoonbill were noted at Old Town Cove today, bird numbers were low at the outer part of the estuary were six Eurasian Shag and a minimum of ten Great Cormorants were present. In the Old Town Cove area two male Red-legged Partridge were heard calling. (A Black-headed Gull noted on March 1st 2003 at Dennis Cove was ringed at Lady's Island Lake, Wexford, Eire as a nestling on 1st July 1998, it was also noted on the estuary on 18th December 2002).

May 6th: The first winter Little Gull present today off Wadebridge Sewage Works. A Greylag Goose was watched following the Black Swan about while they both fed around the Amble Confluence. Single Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits were noted as were two Dunlin and a minimum of 39 Whimbrel. A Tawny Owl was heard calling from Trevanson Woods.

May 3rd: A first winter Little Gull was present in the Black-headed Gull flock at Burniere Point today. Two Bar-tailed Godwits and 30 Whimbrel were also present. The three remaining Eurasian Spoonbills fed in the amble channel until the rising tide pushed them off to the Amble Marshes. A male Northern Wheatear was noted near the Tony Soper Hide. Warblers were very vocal in the dry periods of the day with Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff and Garden Warbler all heard singing from the Roskear Valley.

May 2nd: The Mute Swan herd in the Dinham Area still totalled 46 this evening, eight Little Egret roosted in trees opposite the Burniere Hide. On the Amble Marshes single Ringed Plover and Dunlin were in residence as were three Eurasian Spoonbill and two Northern Lapwing. The hirundine flocks above the marshes contained 45 House Martin, 30 Barn Swallow and six Sand Martin. A male Eurasian Sparrowhawk was trying his luck but was unsuccessful. Colin Selway reported a Hobby today hunting over the marshes and a first summer Little Gull also there.