Late Autumn specials

As a former east coast birder, I’m used to November comprising of Little Auks, but nothing much else of note. Fortunately, autumn comes later in the south west and as the rest of the country freezes, the birds head down hear en-masse to seek refuge in the sheltered valleys where insects still thrive.

The birding over the last week or so on the Lizard has been superb. Late autumn started well with a spate of good seabirds including a Sabine’s Gull and a cracking Long-tailed Skua off Bass Point. Regular scouring of the most sheltered valleys is starting to pay dividends though. I stumbled across two Yellow-browed Warblers in two days without really trying last week, with a supporting cast of Siberian Chiffchaff and numerous Blackcaps, Firecrests and Chiffchaffs. While out doing fieldwork yesterday I had a fly over large pipit. Unlike most, this obligingly landed in front of me and called. Richard’s rather than one of the rarer ones, but great nonetheless.

I’m off to bird in the orient and Australia from next week, so won’t be doing much Lizard birding. Back towards the end of January, so sayonara readers (what few you are). I’ll try and update my blog while I’m away. I’ll leave you with this superb photograph taken by Thor Veen. (Un?)fortunately, not an example of Lizard suppression, just one to hope for on the Lizard next Autumn. This one was photographed in Canada recently. That said, Brian’s probably had one or two in his garden without telling anyone;-).........