Took a T1 bus to Hayle in the early afternoon as I had seen on facebook one of my birdwatching aquaintances had photod a Slavonian Grebe and a great Northern Diver on Carnsew pool .
The weather was overcast with spells of light drizzle and quite windy too. I brought a flask of tea with me to help keep me warm and hydrated . As i started the walk , crossing the bridge between Asda Carpark and Carnsew pool I noticed the tide was coming in at quite a pace under the bridge but was only about half in, the water on Carnsew was quite choppy.
Above: the Slavonian Grebe in its winter colours
Further along there was the corpse of a Rook in the middle of the path... not quite sure how it had met its demise. Further along I went and looked at the path i had reopened back in early autumn, it was previously completely overgrown but I spent 40 minutes cutting back the Brambles , Blackthorn and Privit. I was pleased to see signs that people have been using it since I did the work.
Did some research on the horned grebe or Slavonian grebe(Podiceps auritus) Basically it is a Grebe that is found in America and Eurasia. In summer it breeds in lakes in the Northern lands eg Scotland Iceland Norway and across Asia as far as western China. The American subspecies breeds in Mid and West Canada and norther USA . In Winter the birds migrate south and tend to live in sheltered coastal marine environments around the British Isles, Mediterranean, and the seaboards of USA and Asia . The summer breeding colours are markedly different to winter plumage ... the most notable thing are the distinctive yellow tufts that start behind the eyes and give it the name Horned grebe. These can be raised and lowered and are an important part of the courtship display in spring. The courtship dance is in four recognizable stages.
Anyway I continued my walk around Carnsew pool . There were
three or four Little Egrets about in different parts of the pool. Near the big inlet pipes I saw from a distance two dark birds low in the water and diving i
was wondering if they were divers but i soon identified them through my
monocular as a shag and a cormorant .
They usually to do a funny little jump into the air before their dive . I
followed along onto the narrow causeway and scanned the opposite side of the
pool and there far off I spotted the Slav in its black and white winter
plumage. I managed to get a couple of very far off shots on my camera ...
hardly recognizable , though i could see it better with my monocular.
Slavonian Grebes feed on small crustaceans, fish and other
invertebrates such as freshwater aquatic insects.
In the summer their diet is more focused on invertebrates in
the winter in the marine environment small fish are more important in their diet.
According to my research they have a special dietary adaptation where they
regularly eat a few of their own feathers. These feathers then form a mat in
their gut which traps fish bones so
they can be digested, as the fish are swallowed whole.
Further along the causeway a Curlew took off and there was a
little congregation of Oyster-catchers and a Little Egret which made a nice
photo as they were quite close to me and
hadn't flown off. I noticed on the opposite side of the causeway, in the
estuary proper, that the tide was coming in at quite a flow up the river and
was then a bit surprised to see an Atlantic Grey Seal surface quite close to me
. It's the first time I've seen a seal come up the mouth of the Hayle River
into the estuary. Though I’m sure it occurs fairly regularly. I managed to get
some nice footage of it before it decided i was too close for comfort and
submerged ... reappearing far off on the opposite side of the river.
Above: Little Grebes and the platform I created so I could steady my camera on a signpost.
Coming in the opposite direction along the causeway was a
pleasant elderly lady with her two dogs a Whippet and a Lurcher (or maybe
scruffy Greyhound!) . We stopped to chat and I told her about the Seal , the
great Northern Diver , the kingfisher and the Slav Grebe. I explained to her
what a Diver was as she had never heard of them and showed her the vid on my camera . It could still be seen
far off and i pointed it out to her she said she would try and see it closer
and told me she had never seen a kingfisher either ! Once she went on her way I
noticed some little grebes and also noticed a sign on a metal post stuck in the
estuary beach (Keep dogs on leads), This post would make an excellent camera steadier once i had built up rocks around the base to stand on . This I proceeded to do and got some far off steady footage of the diver and little grebes. Hopefully this rock
platform will be of benefit to other birders.!
I continued on right around the causeway, passing another lady dog walker who I recognised as she often burps , these load burps can be heard from far off. As I got onto the far bank of the pool I made my way to where I last saw the Slavonian grebe but no sign of it. I spent over ten minutes scanning the whole surface of Carnsew pool , far and near but all I saw was several little grebes, the great northern diver and some Wigeon ducks that has turned up . I was a bit disappointed and decided to call it
I continued on right around the causeway, passing another lady dog walker who I recognised as she often burps , these load burps can be heard from far off. As I got onto the far bank of the pool I made my way to where I last saw the Slavonian grebe but no sign of it. I spent over ten minutes scanning the whole surface of Carnsew pool , far and near but all I saw was several little grebes, the great northern diver and some Wigeon ducks that has turned up . I was a bit disappointed and decided to call it
a day when miraculously, in my mind, a man approached , and what's more a binoculared man! He asked if I'd seen much and I said I'm looking for the Slavonian Grebe ! "It's over there" he said and pointed to it. Being far out in the middle of the pool and being quite a small bird I had missed it . It was too far to get decent footage but I managed to get a good look at it through my monocular. I thanked him and semi- repayed the favour to the man by pointing out the diver, which he was looking for , though I think he would have spotted it himself being so much bigger than the grebe. I took one more quick hike to the opposite bank to try again to get close but to no avail the grebe was out in the middle. I was satisfied overall though as the more recent view were closer than the first and I spent some time watching it's behavior and fishing style. I headed off thankful for a pleasant couple of hours at the estuary. My next stop was ASDA cafe where the lady gave me two huge jacket potatoes cheese and beans , rather than one. It was near closing time and I'm always chatty and friendly with her. I then struggled to walk to p the bus stop, having rather a full tum !
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