Wednesday 17 December 2008

Wednesday 17th December 2008

Water Pipit, Med Gull (2w) and Pintail (drk) on the reserve today (from J.H.Johns)

Sunday 7th December 2008

(2.20 - 4.40pm) Firecrest - in tamarisks by gate of sewage treatment works (STW). 2 Chiffchaff - 1 in STW, 1 in ditch by Sandsifters (Red River) 1 Redshank on main pool and 40+ Curlew flew to beach from inland fields. No sign of Water Pipit. (from T.Twiggs)

Saturday 6th December 2008

(3.05 - 4.20pm) Firecrest - male in brambles by layby, Little Grebe on main pool, 1 Redshank on main pool, 25+ Lapwing flew south and 23 Curlew in fields inland of reserve (From T.Twiggs)

Wednesday 12 November 2008

Wednesday 12th November 2008

A morning visit to the reserve produced the following species: Grey wagtail, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Meadow Pipit, Blue tit, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Mute Swan, Starling, Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw and Buzzard (from Chris Yates)

Sunday 9 November 2008

Anyone visiting the reserve?

Reports from Gothian are a bit low on the ground at the moment? Please help us out with this blog by sending your photos and sightings from Gwithian.

Friday 7th November 2008

2 Goldeneye on the main pool today. (from A.Phillips)

Thursday 23 October 2008

22nd October '08

Wednesday 22nd October '08 - 15 Canada Goose (+ 1 Hybrid Canada x Greylag), Merlin, 120+ Golden Plover distantly in flight to SE in direction of Nanterrow Farm, 34 Curlew in fields east of Gwithian Bridge. (from Tim Twiggs)

Monday 13 October 2008

Spoonbill over....

A Spoonbill circled the reserve this afternoon at 15.40hrs before flying NE. Probably the same bird was seen flying in off the sea at St Ives later this evening.

Monday 6 October 2008

Monday 6th October 2008


A quick visit to St Gothian this afternoon gave 1 Yellow Wagtail and several White Wagtails, not much else of interest. (from J.H.Johns)


Friday 3rd October 2008


(4.30 - 5.30pm) 1 juv Little Stint, 1 Dunlin, 1 Curlew, 1 Little Grebe, 20+ Meadow Pipit, 1 Northern Wheatear (from Tim Twiggs. Photo:M.Sallis)


Tuesday 30 September 2008

Flying Visit

Very quick pop in to St. Gothian late afternoon for 10 minutes in strong wind and rain produced 3 Dunlin, 9 Curlew, 1 Little Grebe on main pool. (from T.Twiggs)

Saturday 27 September 2008

Friday 26th September 2008, Birthday Visit

Managed to sneak out for half an hour this afternoon on my birthday, after earning 'brownie points' looking after the rugrat for a couple of hours. Lovely sunny afternoon, for a change, and only a few dog walkers surprisingly. Unfortunately the birds were a bit low on numbers too. Persiverance paid of when two juvenile Little Stints alighted from the small pool with the reeds at the north end of the Main Pool (i'll call it Small Pool for ease of future identification!) and landed on the marshy pool (other fenced off area, which i will refer to as Marsh Pool!) allowing some nice close views. The only other birds of note were a single Dunlin and 3 Wheatears (all 1st cal/fem types). Plenty of Herring gulls of differing ages dropping in to bathe and 20+ Pied Wags. Rumour is that CCC are going to drop the water levels next year during wader migration! Should be good. (from P.Freestone)

September visits at a glance...

Two Little Stints were reported on the 14th September (RBA) and six were recorded on the 22nd along with four Yellow Wagtails and three Wheatear. Other waders included Ringed Plover and Dunlin. Four Sanderling were flying around the main pool on the 24th and a Peregrine flew over. (from J.H.Johns and D.Jenkins)

Wood Sandpiper


Superb shot of Wood Sandpiper in July this year (Matt Sallis)

Monday 18th August 2008

(4.40 to 5.25pm). So windy that scope was virtually useless and had to use the fence posts to use my bins! However, there was a single Knot with a single Dunlin on the main pool. Two adult Moorhen with 4 small chicks on smaller pool between main pool and seaward fence. Nothing else of note. Did check the gulls just in case there was a second Audouin's in the country but to no avail! (Tim Twiggs)

July 2008 sightings

Monday 28th July 2008 - WOOD SANDPIPER still on main pool (C.Yates)

Sunday 27th July - WOOD SANDPIPER on east side of main pool. Female Shoveler on reedbed pool then flew onto main pool. Little Grebe, Common Sandpiper and juv Heron still. Also Reed Bunting (2) on sedge covered pool. Lots of juv Rock Pipits and Pied Wags. ( from P.Freestone)

Friday 25th July - Little Grebe, Grey Heron (juv), Common Sandpiper (1), Greenshank (1) on main Pool. Also Shelduck (4 juvs), Linnet (10+), Rock Pipit (8+), Skylark (2) and Fulmar over. Still plenty of Sand Martins around. (from P.Freestone)

Saturday 11th July - Little Grebe, Tufted Duck (fem), GBB Gull (1), Lssr BB Gull (1), Herring Gull (25), Shelduck (ad and brood of 5), Redshank (2)and Rock Pipit (4+) all on main pool this afternoon. Swift (2) and plenty of Sand Martin over pool. (from P.Freestone)

Sunday 1st June 2008

A drake Scaup was on the main pool until the 12th. It was constantly harassed by the Shelducks guarding thier 7-8 young. (from D.Jenkins et al)

Sunday 1st June 2008

A drake Scaup was on the main pool until the 12th. It was constantly harassed by the Shelducks guarding thier 7-8 young. (from D.Jenkins et al)

The Rest of May 2008.....

Wednesday 21st May - A Hobby was present hawking mainly over the main pool from 6.30 - 6.50pm Nothing else of apart from a drake Tufted Duck. (from T.Twiggs)

Friday 16th May - Little Tern reported this morning (RBA). No sign of any Garganey, but Yellow Wagtail flew east, Wheatear (3) and Common Sandpiper again. Still plenty of Swifts (c25) this morning (from P.Freestone)

Thursday 15th May 2008 - GARGANEY (male and female) on main pool this evening, WATER PIPIT reported this morning. Also 2 Reed Warbler, 1 White Wagtail, 4 Arctic Terns, 20+ Common Terns and 3 Sandwich Terns, Black Redstart, 3 Northern Wheatear, 10+ House Martin, 30+ Sand Martin 4+ Common Swift and Raven. (from H.Cook, T. Twiggs and A.Brown)

Wednesday 14th May 2008

An OSPREY circled the main pool before heading east along the coast. Nothing much else apart from Common Sandpiper on the main pool and a few Reed Warblers in Red River Ditch. (from P.Freestone)

Species List

Below is a list of birds seen at St Gothian Sands NR at Gwithian. If you know of any species that have occured there and are missing from the list, please let us know. Also if you see anything in the future then let us know so we can keep the list updated. The list does not include birds seen offshore or on the beach from the northern bank and does not include Godrevy Point. It does include flyover seabirds.

SPECIES LIST
Little Grebe, Northern Fulmar, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Night Heron (spring 2008)Cattle Egret (2008), Little Egret, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Brent Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Osprey, Eurasian Kestrel, Merlin, Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Common Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Great Ringed Plover, Killdeer (2002), European Golden Plover , Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper (2007), Curlew sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Common Black-headed Gull, Ring-billed Gull (?), Common Gull, Herring Gull, Western Yellow-legged Gull, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern (spring 2008), Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, European Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Skylark, Horned Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Tawny Pipit (may 2008), Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Water Pipit (winter 07), Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, Wren, Hedge Accentor, Robin, Black Redstart, Whinchat, Common Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Eurasion Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Common Raven, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Bullfinch, Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting, Reed Bunting.

139 species in total

Please let us know of any ommisions via e-mail. Thanks.

Photos.....






Heres a few photos taken at the reserve in 2008, new ones will be added!

Welcome to Cornwall Birding's St Gothian Sands NR Blog!

Hello and welcome to the St Gothian Sands NR Blog, sponsored by Cornwall Birding website. St Gothian Sands NR was officially opened in 2005. The reserve was created when the old Sand works at Gwithian closed down leaving some great habitat, attractive to birds. This blog will hopefully keep you up to date with whats been seen and whats happening on the reserve. Some will be archive reports from Cornwall Birding website but most will be new once the archive stuff is put on here. Enjoy.