Gwithian and Trevescan

I travelled alone overnight and joined Liam, Toby, Gethin and the rest of the crowds assembled a little way northeast of the Hayle Estuary mouth. Long story short, the Brown Booby never put in an appearance. A Knot, a Whimbrel, a Sand Martin, four Swallows, a Rock Pipit, two Ravens and a basic assemblage of seabirds including Manx Shearwaters, Shags, Gannets and Fulmars, plus several Mediterranean Gulls, were feeding out in the bay. Eight Sandwich Terns were on the sand and Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Oystercatcher were also present.

I gave up just before midday and headed to Trevescan, though didn't search for the Western Bonelli's Warbler for particularly long at all before making my way back home.

Trevescan, Drift Reservoir and West Worthing

An overnight drive with Ed and Gareth - who did a magnificent job of keeping me alert despite their own sleep deprivation - saw us arrive in the grassy car park field at Trevescan just after dawn. To our delight and huge relief the first-winter GREY CATBIRD (Britain's second) that we had travelled to see showed nicely on three occasions during our visit in the scrub just northwest of Treve Moor House. The surrounding area was busy with small numbers of Redwings, Song Thrushes, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Siskins flying over, as well as a heard-only Chough, a Snipe, a Grey Wagtail and a couple of Reed Buntings.

Grey Catbird at Trevescan

Unfortunately we didn't have a huge amount of time on our hands so we left after about three hours to fit in a pit-stop at Drift Reservoir, seeing the reported three Ring-necked Ducks distantly from the road.

Back home and after dark, four Redwings seeped their way over my West Worthing garden.