Garden, Helston Boating Lake, Bell Lake Marsh and Great Wheal Seton in the Red River Valley, and the Tresillian River Path, Cornwall, UK.

A bit of a local twitch first thing then a visit to the Red River and later a walk along the Tresillian River Path.

Ebird List for Boating Lake.

Ebird List for Bell Lake Marsh.

Ebird List for Tresillian River Path.

Female Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris).

Whilst having breakfast we checked what was coming into the garden feeders, species included Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), European Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Female Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris).

Female Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris) with Tufted Ducks (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula).

Later we headed down the road to Helston Boating Lake to try and find a female Ring-necked Duck (Porrón acollarado / Aythya collaris) which had been there for a couple of days, we arrived and after a bit of a search we located it with a coule of Tufted Duck (Porrón Monudo / Aythya fuligula),  whilst there we also saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Canada Geese (Barnacla Canadiense /Branta canadensis), Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), European Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Dunnock (Acentor Común / Prunella modularis) and Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla yarrellii).

Part of Bell Lake Marsh which the group are trying to keep open.

Our next stop was along the Red River Valley, we approached Bell Lake Marsh along a path from the South West, the opposite way to the last time I was there when I joined one of the Red River Rescuers Scrub bashes and had enjoyable few hours clearing Gorse, Willows and other invasive plants from the open wet areas.

One of several pools which have been dug out by hand to attract Dragonflies and other species.

On the walk up to the Marsh and on site we saw Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Redwing (Zorzal Alirrojo / Turdus illacus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and quite a bit of Frog Spawn from the Common Frog (Rana temporaria).

Frog Spawn from the Common Frog (Rana temporaria).

After having a good walk around the site we made our way back to the Car and the headed for another site along the Red River at Great Wheal Seton, this area was quite different and was made up of some quite large disused settling tanks / beds which have become very important habitats for a couple of rarer Dragonfly species, so the group again do quite a bit of work here to keep the site in a viable state for these insects.

One of the areas for the Dragonflies at Great Wheal Seton.

Whilst we walked around Steve (as he had at Bell Lake Marsh) explained what was going on at the sites and what they had been like in the past as this was his home turf from when he was a lad, his passion for both sites and the Red River in general was very obvious.

Arsenic Chimney at Great Wheal Seton.

The only new species added here was Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and as far as Steve was aware it was the first record for the site.

Next we went and picked up a member of Lynn's family and took her for an appointment in Truro, whilst she was there Steve and I went for a walk along the nearby Tresillian River Path, a really stunning area and nice easy walk, if not a bit muddy. 

Where we joined the Tresillian River Path.

As we walked we added several new species to the day list including Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Oystercatcher (Ostrero Euroasiatico / Haematopus ostralegus), Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Bar-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colipinta / Limosa lapponica), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus).

We returned to Truro, Camborne and the back to the house after a cracking last day for me in Cornwall for a while, Sadly.