Second Cornish Delight!

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Second Cornish Delight!


We set off at around 1:30am for a mega drive to Cornwall, picking up Dave along the way. We arrived in a layby along the A30 near Crowlas at around 8:00am in hopes of spotting a mega rare Booted Eagle, a bird which we dipped by a day last year in Buckinghamshire. As soon as we got out of the car, we quickly joined the crowd of birders and started waiting. After around two hours, someone called out saying they had the bird. After a quick scramble, Dave managed to get the Booted Eagle in his scope! It was snuggled up in the pines showing well, albeit distantly. Suddenly, it flew through the pines, giving us a quick glimpse of its underwing. Satisfied with our views, we then set off to try and find a rare diver, accompanied by Dave's friend, Leon. 


We arrived at Perranuthnoe Beach at around 11:30am and immediately made our way along the beautiful coast path to Boat Cove. Along the way, we spotted two Ravens flying overhead and a Whimbrel flying past. Once we were at Boat Cove, we joined a small group of birders who had not yet seen our target bird, the Pacific Diver. We straight away got to scanning, when Dave spotted a showy Great Northern Diver in his scope. Whilst scanning, we noticed a few more Great Northern Divers along with many Black-throated Divers. Suddenly a birder mentioned he had an odd diver, which others confirmed to be the Pacific Diver!


While looking at the Pacific Diver through someone's scope, a birder explained to me that it was slightly smaller than the Black-throated Divers, lacked white flanks and had a chinstrap. Delighted with the day so far, we decided to try and get one more lifer.


On the way home, we decided to try for the Least Sandpiper at WWT Steart Marshes. It had been reported at midday, but we weren't hopeful since the light was fading. As soon as we got to Quantock Hide (where the bird had been seen) we spotted a few Avocets along with a large flock of Lapwings & Dunlin. We started scanning through the Dunlin, spotting a Little Stint, but no Least Sandpiper. Then, just as it was getting too dark to see the birds, we noticed a small, rufous wader. It wasn't a Dunlin, but because we only managed to get front-on views and photos, in very bad light, we were unable to absolutely confirm it as the Least Sandpiper. Suddenly, the light was gone, so we decided to make our way back to the car and head home.

Overall, a great day with two lifers (Booted Eagle & Pacific Diver) including one mega rarity!

Location: 4GQ7+F3 Penzance, UK

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