AGP and more...

Liam and I left campus early on Thursday with the hope of seeing the probable Turkestan Shrike which was found at Sennen the previous day. Upon arrival, it seemed that the bird was no longer present. We gave it an hour and half looking and with no luck, so we decided to visit a few more sites before going back to campus. First down to Lands End and after a while the Dusky Warbler did eventually pop out of the willows to give fairly good but brief views. It was calling constantly but rarely showed and only for a few seconds, but still a good bird and my second of the autumn! Also, a *Yellow-browed Warbler* was calling from the same patch of willows. Other birds around included about 5 Chiffchaffs and a very late Lesser Whitethroat.

Our next stop was Hayle and on the way we made a quick stop at Drift Reservoir. A good stop with 2 Gadwall and 3 Shoveler being Cornish ticks. At Hayle, the usual large numbers of birds, particularly Wigeon and Teal, were present. There was also a sizeable group of Golden Plover just off the causeway. Liam set about looking through them as I had a general scan of the area. A couple of minutes later Liam shouted out "I think I've got an AGP!" A bit of panic set in and I immediately turned to the group and soon picked out the bird in question... it certainly looked interesting. We set about taking notes and pictures of the bird and it eventually flapped its wings, revealing the grey underwing... it was definitely a 1st winter American Golden Plover. Liam put the news out of his awesome find, as I took a few more pictures, but then my camera decided to die. The bird would sometimes disappear in the flock but when seen well it really did stand out.

BOTC American Golden Plover

Still feeling excited from the find we had a quick look Gwithian. Walking around St Gothian Sands NR, Liam picked out a female Goldeneye and right on the other side of the island the *Pink-footed Goose* was still present. A Reed Bunting flew into the reeds which was a Cornish tick for me and Liam.

All that and I made it back with five minutes to spare before my lab practical!