Mevagissey birdwatchers find a rare visitor at Par Beach Bird Lake

At 11am the binoculars came down. For two minutes on Mevagissey Harbour, a small group of birdwatchers stood in silence. Then it was back to the water, and by the end of the day they had found something rare.

Nine nature and wildlife enthusiasts joined the birdwatching trip at the harbour last Sunday (8 November). It was a bit cooler, but the sun was shining.

The outing was organised by Rowena Castillo-Nicholls, founder and chair of Connect with Nature with Rowena, with Rob Nicholls leading the field trip.

📷Shag

A pause for Remembrance Sunday

With the trip falling on Remembrance Sunday, the group stopped to observe the Two-Minute Silence at 11am. Rowena gave everyone a poppy zip puller to mark the day.

📷Oystercatcher

Sixteen species from the harbour

Between them, the group saw sixteen species of birds. Afterwards came an enjoyable chat over coffee, tea, cheese, biscuits and chocolates.

📷First winter Little Gull

A rare gull at Par Beach Bird Lake

In the afternoon the group headed off on a side trip to Par Beach Bird Lake. That’s where they spotted the stunning rare gull, a first winter Little Gull.

Little Gulls are rare migratory visitors. They originate from Northern and Central Europe and Asia, where they breed across boreal and temperate freshwater marshes, lakes and wetlands in places such as Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Russia.

📷White-fronted Goose

What else turned up

The Little Gull had company. Other species the group saw included White-fronted Goose, Little Grebe, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Teal and Snipe, along with others.

Those on the trip included Lewis Hall, Hayley Hall, Paul Hughs, Rowena Castillo-Nicholls, Rob Nicholls, Jane Attwood, Vyv Scawen and Mike Scawen.

Details of the group’s outings are on the Connect with Nature with Rowena website.

📷Tufted Duck

📷Seal

📷The birdwatching group at Mevagissey Harbour, including Lewis Hall, Hayley Hall, Paul Hughs, Rowena Castillo-Nicholls, Rob Nicholls, Jane Attwood, Vyv Scawen and Mike Scawen