Stithians today

It was a wet and windy start to the day but as I was dropping my wife off in Camborne early AM I decided to spend some time at Stithians southern cut-off,  My first sighting was a noisy pair of Little Grebes,  These birds are incredible efficient predators and once again I watched as they dispatched four Palemate Newt and two Three Spin Sticklebacks in a short space of time

Next to show was a female Pintail that foraged close to the margins

Followed by the pair of resident Magpie that were busy cleaning up around the feeders

Last but not least to show was a rather wet male Great Spotted Woodpecker that decided to play a classic game  of  'Hide and Seek'  as it worked its way up on of the feeder frame supports,

late afternoon sunlight at Stithians

We called in at Stithians southern  cut-off hide on the way back from Kennell Vale yesterday afternoon and it was good to see the Water Rail show briefly but we were not sure if it ended up 'going to dinner' with the local Sparrowhawk that took something off the waters edge soon afterwards,  A new kid on the block came by way of a couple of feeding female Pintail ducks on which their colourful plumage looked immaculate,

As the afternoon progressed from what had been a dull day blossomed into lovely late afternoon sunlight which was complimented by several shows from both resident Great Spotted Woodpecker which ignored the feeders in the main to forage among moss covered tree limbs for grubs,  Excellent !  Three images below.

                           

Woodpecker 'Drumming' the Hide

It might sound pretty unlikely but while I was enjoying the peaceful ambiance of the hid at Stithians southern cut-off hide early AM yesterday morning,  The peace was shattered by the surprisingly loud hollow piercing sound of an unseen  male Great Spotted woodpecker 'Drumming' on the top outer front corner section of the hide on the right hand side just two meters from my head,  The bird was obviously not aware of my presence as it returned to repeat this performance twice more within the following hour,  No 'drumming' images I'm afraid but I did get a nice portrait shot when it turned its attention to the feeders. 

The 'drumming' had not been in vain as the female turned up shortly afterwards to see what all the noise was about, She also provided a good portrait from the far nicer feeder restructured position.

A male Bullfinch also put in an appearance

demonstrating it acrobatic capabilities to reach difficult blackberry seeds

One of the local Magpie which normally avoid the hide when viewers are present also came in to gain a little attention, 

What was intended as a quick visit became a five hour epic but Hey 'Its a lovely way to spend your Day!'

Good day or bad day ?

Good day or bad day ?  Well yesterday was a bad day with regards to the weather,  Longrock and Marazion marsh were looking cold and abandoned and the Hayle estuary was no better, Tried Tehidy for protection from the wind but the rain was coming down like stair rods so do I go home so early in the day or find somewhere with all weather cover,  Half an hour later I arrived at the southern cut-off hide at Stithians where all the recent rainfall had raised the water levels bringing the margins far closer to the hide,   It proved to be a good day for birdlife with local stars like the Water Rail and a pair of Woodpecker visiting the feeders regularly but for me it was the opportunity to capture close images of the 70+ Lapwing and 40+ Snipe feeding at the water margins that made the day.

A rather wet Woodpecker in the rain

The Water Rail looked immaculate as the rain just rolled off of its tight oiled feather formation

The Snipe were very actively feeding, with no regards to the weather conditions  in fact they seemed to be enjoying the rain

The Lapwing were not so impressed with the weather but resigned to waiting it out while providing me with some close images

So It was not such a bad day after all !