A FEW DAYS AWAY BIRDING

I made arrangements to accompany Malc Curtin to Cornwall tomorrow, as he had just returned from his holiday and still required the booted eagle. I picked Malc up at 3.30am, and we arrived in Cornwall on site at around 8.30am. The booted eagle flew low over fields behind a farm, but we were waiting in the wrong place and didn't see it departing the roost. We couldn't believe it, so we continued on to Mousehole in hopes of seeing a Pacific diver, which we located and got cracking views.

Pacific Diver

After watching the diver, we quickly made our way back to the Booted Eagle site and saw the bird soaring above its roost.After seeing the dark morph bird in Berkshire last year, this was my second booted eagle.We saw the bird hunting over some fields as we were leaving the location and got even better views.

Booted Eagle

After leaving Cornwall, we made reservations at a hotel in Exeter because we felt it was too late to travel all the way back to Cheshire.News broke that two ring-necked ducks had been discovered at Dozmary Pool-bodmin moor as we were heading towards Exeter on the A30.Just before sunset, we were able to spot the drake birds.

Malc scoping the Ring Necked Ducks

Following a restful night's sleep, we drove south to the RSPB Labrador Nature Reserve, a farmland, copse, gorse scrub, and hedgerow region that is partially managed by the RSPB and whose existence is explained by the presence of a very unusual bird, the Cirl Bunting.A few food containers concealed in the hedgerows and some distinctive carpets of seed in set-aside brassica fields indicated that there was some supplemental feeding going on when we arrived.

Labrador Nature Reserve

We quickly discovered two birds consuming the carpets of seed. Before we departed and began our journey north, we saw a total of six birds.

Cirl Bunting

We made a stop at Steart WWT in Somerset on our way north home, where a first-winter least sandpiper had remained for the past few weeks. Although it would be difficult to spot this bird, we nevertheless wanted to try. 

Steart WWT

When we arrived, the bird wasn't showing, but we were fortunate when it arrived with a flock of Dunlins and performed admirably. Since I hadn't seen one since 2011 on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, this was a good bird to see again. 

A fantastic few days away with some amazing birds.