Choughed to bits

As a family we have a great affection for the north Cornish coast and recently spent a week in the sleepy hamlet of West Pentire, east of Newquay. The area is well known for the wildflower fields that are under the stewardship of the National Trust, full of Common Poppies (largely over when we arrived), Corn Marigolds and other assorted arable plants. The image above gives some flavour as to the colour-scapes that such flowering can create. Corn Marigold is a fast disappearing species in my part of Surrey so it was a joy to see thousands of flowers in their pomp (below).

Although not a holiday that had natural history as a central theme I did wander off on a number of occasions, taking advantage of the warm, sunny and settled weather plus the coastal footpath that takes you on a journey through some of the most stunning scenery the UK has to offer. I ventured as far as Perranporth on foot, via Polly Joke, Kelsey Head and the imposing sand dunes of both Holy Well and Perran. Considering the short time spent looking I managed to fill the notebook with a number of notable sightings, a few of which are mentioned here.

I spent one morning seawtaching from Kelsey Head, with at least 13,000 Manx Shearwaters streaming west, along with small numbers of Gannets and auks (Razorbill, Guillemot and Puffin all recorded). The clifftops were haunted by a group of at least seven, maybe nine, Choughs (above) that at times took no notice whatsoever of their human admirer. Being late June/early July there was little passage, other avian highlights being Fulmar, Peregrine, breeding Wheaters and Raven (below).

Butterfly numbers were reasonable, with Meadow Browns and Painted Lady the most numerous, Gatekeepers becoming commoner as the week wore on, with just a single Clouded Yellow being recorded. Hummingbird Hawk-moths were present on a daily basis, 6+ being the peak count. I stumbled across a Red-veined Darter on a freshwater pool at the base of cliffs at the eastern end of Perran Sands - having not seen one for a few years I was very pleased to do so (below).

The sand dunes at both Perran and Holy Well were steep, extensive and impressive. My visits were brief and both sites certainly warrant further investigation. Typical plants included the usual suspects such as Sea-holly (good sized colonies), Sea Spurge, Sea Rocket and Babbington's Leek. Also recorded were a few habitat specific invertebrates, including Dune Villa, Dune Robberfly, Silvery Leafcutter Bee, Hairy-saddled Colletes (below), Sand-tailed Digger Wasp and Large Sharp-tailed Bee (pictured on Sea Holly flowerhead bottom) - not bad for a cursory glance!

One striking feature of my walks were the number of yellow-lime-green beetles that were feeding on the flower heads of Wild Carrot, which on further investigation proved to be Cteniopus sulphureus (below). There must have been tens of thousands.

As in my previous visits to the north Cornish coast, I came across quiet valleys that empty their streams onto sandy coves, vegetated and looking oh so prime vagrant bird habitat. I dream of Red-eyed Vireos, rare phylloscs, skulking pipits and perched shrikes. It is tempting to chance my arm and spend a couple of weeks scoring these idyllic haunts come September and October. Dare I?