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Location: Godrevy Head, Gwithian RSPB Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve Windmill Farm Nature Reserve Lizard Point, The Lizard Peninsula Kynance Cove, The Lizard Peninsula Loe Bar, The Lizard Peninsula Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Went out early to search for 2 rare birds: White Stork and Brown Booby. Our first stop was at Godrevy. The birds were no show but we saw Seals, Gannets, Black Tern, Sooty Shearwater, Whimbrel and a lot more... Our 2nd stop was at RSPB Hayle Estuary. Not many species. Just the usual ones. Our 3rd stop was at Windmill Farm. The only notable species we saw was this gorgeous Barn Owl. Our 4th stop was at Lizard Point. As always, I am delighted to see 3x Cornish Choughs showing off their acrobatic flight. Our 5th stop was at Kynace Cove, one of the most scenic spot in Cornwall. Our last stop was at Loe Bar to see the rare Sandhill Rustic Moth lead by Adrian Spalding. We've seen 21x in total.
Adrian Spalding is the author of the "Loe Bar and the Sandhill Rustic Moth: The Biogeography, Ecology and History of a Coastal Shingle Bar" and other wildlife books. In Loe Bar and the Sandhill Rustic Moth, Adrian Spalding examines the survival of plants and animals on Loe Bar, a shingle beach on the coast of Cornwall, in the context of its history, geomorphology and exposure to the Atlantic environment. He develops these themes within a detailed study of the Sandhill Rustic moth that endures this harsh environment where storm surges, high salinity, high temperatures, strong winds and burial by sand affect the wildlife that occurs there. Adrian Spalding MA (Cantab), PhD (University of Aberdeen), FLS, FRES is a former Director of the Cornish Biological Records Unit (University of Exeter) and currently Director of Spalding Associates (Environmental) Ltd. He has had a lifetime passion for moths and butterflies.
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Location: Portmellon Valley Portmellon Beach Gorran Old School Rooms Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Congratulations Jeremy Roberts and Three Bays Wildlife Group Committee, Volunteers and Wildlife Walk Leaders for the successful Portmellon Valley Bioblitz this weekend. It's such a great event. We are really impressed at how organised you are. The event went really smoothly. Looking forward for the next one.  8:30 am – Moth Trap see what we have caught – Starting the shack Portmellon 10:00 am – Explore shore and Snorkel Safari (booking essential for snorkelling) at Portmellon Beach 11:00 am - Bird Walk– Starting at Gorran Old School Rooms 1:00 pm – Butterfly and Bumble Bee Walk – Starting at the Shack Portmellon 3:00 pm – Wildflower and plant walk – Starting Gorran Old School Rooms 5:00 pm – End of BioBlitz Social gathering – The Rising Sun Portmellon Jeremy Roberts and Robert Wells Tea/Coffee and delicious bacon bap to start our day! Di and Susie, our 2 excellent caterer today with Jane and Linda. Thank you Di for my sweet pea flowers. Posing for a photo opt before embarking to a wildlife walk. Having a rest after the enjoyable walk. Me and Rob had an amazing time! Rob can't wait to jump off the sea!!! Drinks at The Rising Sun Inn after the successful Portmellon Valley Bioblitz weekend. Cheers everyone!
Location: Portmellon Valley Portmellon Beach Gorran Old School Rooms Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Well-done Jeremy Roberts and Three Bays Wildlife Group Committee, Volunteers and Wildlife Walk Leaders for a brilliant day at the Portmellon Valley Bioblitz. I had an enjoyable and fun-filled time. Loads of amazing wildlife walks and activities.  8:30 am – Bird Walk – Starting at the Shack Portmellon 11:00 am – General Wildlife Walk – Starting at Gorran Old School Rooms 1:00 pm – Butterfly and Bumble Bee Walk – Starting at the Shack Portmellon 3:00 pm – Wildflower and plant walk – Starting Gorran Old School Rooms 6:00 pm – Explore shore as the tide drops - join us for a drink at The Rising Sun 8:30 pm – Bat Walk – Starting at the Shack Portmellon I had a great time at the base camp with Steph Wild. Everyone was happy with their wildlife walks. They've seen loads of amazing wildlife species.  Rob went to the Butterfly and Bumble Bee Walk today. He had a great time. He's looking forward to go the the Bird Walk tomorrow. Some of the delectable food at the Gorran Old School Rooms, Jane and Linda, our excellent caterer. Moths, Butterflies and Stick Insects Thank you Madeline Lowe for bringing your gorgeous Stick Insects and some Moths too. We all had a go at holding the gorgeous Stick Insects.
Location: Portmellon Valley Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Had an enjoyable time doing the Butterfly Transect in Portmellon Valley with Rob and Simon. We've seen loads of gorgeous butterflies from our Butterfly Transect today: Comma, Painted Lady, Small Copper, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Small White, Large White and a lot more... Beautiful Butterflies Location: Dodman Point Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls I just had the most enjoyable time Sea Watching - spotting marine mammals in Dodman Point from morning till evening. Robert Wells, a marine expert from Three Bays Wildlife Group lead the fieldtrip. We've seen loads of amazing marine life, sea birds and butterflies. Looks like sea watching is going to be my new interest!!! We've seen loads of amazing wildlife: Marine Mammal: a pod of Dolphins and 2x Seals Mammal: 1x dead Shrew Bird: 20++ Cormorant, 2x Fulmar, Swallows, Swifts, loads of Gulls and a lot more... Butterfly: 1x Marbled White, 30++ Wall Brown, 30++ Meadown Brown, 30++ Ringlet, 20++ Gatekeeper, 5x Red Admiral, 5x Small White, 2x Large White, 3x Speckled Wood and a lot more... Dragonfly: 3x Golden-ringed Dragonfly Dodman Point is the highest headland on the south Cornwall coast, measuring 374 feet (114 m). It is also known by its earlier names of the Deadman and Deadman's Point. It hosts the remains of an Iron Age promontory fort, and at its seaward end is a large granite cross, erected in 1896 to help protect shipping from this headland. It is mentioned in the shanty Spanish Ladies. Below the large stone cross, there is a way down to the bottom of the small cliffs and there is some climbing there on the faces mainly bouldering as it is rarely scaled so there are no fixed anchor points. Our most notable sighting at Dodman Point were a pod of Dolphins. It's just awesome to see them jumping off the waters. Unfortunately, this yellow boat with a very noisy motor is going straight to the pod. He just keeps on going straight to them. Really causing a wildlife disturbance. Grey Seal Birds Butterfly Dragonfly  A dead Common Shrew Flowers Great day! Granite Cross Sooo exhilarating to be on the cliff edge!!! I always have an adrenaline rush. But I love it.
Location: Portmellon Valley Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Had an enjoyable and fun-filled time doing the Butterfly Transect. The weather had been lovely: a little bit warm with a some sunny spells and a gentle breeze. Butterflies Dragonfly and Damselfly Bee and Solitary Wasp Fungi Wildflowers Location: Portmellon Valley Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls It's been an enjoyable and successful Butterfly Transect Training with Jeremy, Harriet, Walter, Michelle, Gordon and Jackie. We've seen quite a few species despite the weather. Butterflies, Moths and Bees Dragonfly and Damselfly Butterfly Transect Training Lower Portmellon Valley Portmellon Beach
Location: Breney Common Nature Reserve Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls It has been a successful and enjoyable day. It’s lovely to see you Phillip HarrisDel Netherton and Dave Conway. It’s just amazing to see loads of wildlife species with knowledgeable people. I always learn a lot of stuff. * Butterflies: 21x Marsh Fritillary, 34x Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, 11x Speckled Wood, 17x Common Blue, 8x Small Heath, 3x Red Admiral, 2x Green Hairstreak, 2x Small Copper, 1x Small White & 1x Holy Blue * Moths: Speckled Yellow, Mother Shipton, China-mark, Cream Wave, White Wave, Silver Y & a lot more… * Caterpillars: Orange Tip & Emperor Moth * Chrysalis: Six-spot Burnet Moth * Dragonflies: Golden-ringed, Southern Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser & a lot more… * Damselflies: Beautiful, Large Red, Azure, Common Blue and a lot more… * Dragonfly Nymph * Birds: Cuckoo, Buzzard, Raven, Heron and a lot more… * Wildflowers: Loads of Orchids, Monk’s Hood/Wolf’s Bane, Cow Parsley, Cuckoo Flower, Foxglove, Bluebell, Field Scabious, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Ragged Robin, Campion, Forget-Me-Not, Cowslip, Violet, Sundews & a lot more… * Beetles: Seven-spotted Ladybird * Amphibians: Common Frog * Crickets & Grasshoppers * Fungi The rare Marsh Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Green Hairstreak, Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Common Blue & Small Copper Moths Orange Tip and Emperor Moth Caterpillar Six-spot Burnet Moth Chrysalis Seven-spotted Ladybird, Four-spotted Chaser & Dragonfly Nymph Fungi Wild Orchids Rowena Castillo Nicholls, Rob Nicholls, Phillip Harris, Del Netherton and Dave Conway
Location: Portmellon Valley Five Acres Nature Reserve Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Some of the beautiful butterflies from our walk. Wildlife photography for me and videography for Rob. We're always carrying loads of paraphernalia all the time - camera, videocam, binoculars and a lot more... It's just brilliant to go walking for miles and miles without seeing any human being. No concrete buildings and no pollution. All you see is the beauty and wonder of nature and wildlife at it's best. Sooo peaceful and refreshing. Love it. House Martin in Portmellon Beach It was low tide when we started our walk. When we came back, it's already high tide. Rob is so much tempted to jump to the sea. Hahaha... Five Acres Nature Reserve of Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Location: Portmellon, Mevagissey Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls The weather is just glorious. Sunny and warm with a gentle breeze. So, me and Rob thought if would be fantastic if we go for a walk in Portmellon Valley. The valley is just so picturesque. All you see is lush green fields and plenty of gorgeous wild flowers. We've seen 15 different species of butterflies and loads of birds too. We had an enjoyable walk from 12:00pm to 5:30pm. Website: https://www.ilovecornwall8.com/ Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilovecornwall8 Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ilovecornwall8 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilovecornwall8 Butterflies we saw from our walk: 1x Green Hairstreak, 30++ Common Blue, 3x Holly Blue, 10++ Small Copper, 1x Painted Lady, 8x Red Admiral, 10++ Peacock, 1x Comma, 6x Small Tortoiseshell, 10++ Speckled Wood, 3x Wall, 20++ Orange Tip, 2x Brimstone, 10++ Green-veined White, 10++ Large White, 10++ Small White. These are the beautiful flowers we saw from our walk. Some of the Fungi we saw from our walk. We walk for 5 hours and 30 minutes. We have such a fantastic and fabulous time. The scenery is just amazing. The picturesque fishing village of Mevagissey. We can't help but reward ourselves with a sumptuous fish and chips at "The Fishermen's Chippy" after our long walk. Location: Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Me, Rob Nicholls, Jackie Jarvis, Tri Watson and Peter Watson meet up to look for a rare orchid. Unfortunately, we have not seen any orchid. But I am absolutely thrilled to have found a colony of "DINGY SKIPPER" today in Cornwall. I have never seen a Dingy Skipper recorded in this area before. So this is really a great "finding" for me. Yeeesss!!! We've seen a total of 12 different species of butterfly in this location. Totally awesome!!! We saw 10++ fresh looking Dingy Skipper and 2x with a slightly battered wings, 5x Brimstones, 4x Peacock, 2x Red Admiral, 2x Small Tortoiseshell, 1x Holly Blue, 3x Small Copper, 4x Speckled Wood, 5x Orange Tip, 1x Green-veined White, 2x Small White and 3x Large White. Plus loads of Bees, 2x Hornet, 3x Jay, a few swallows and swifts, buzzards and loads of corvids. Conservation Status of Dingy Skipper: - Section 41 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in England. - Section 42 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in Wales. - Northern Ireland Priority Species. - Scottish Biodiversity List. - UK BAP status: Priority Species. - Butterfly Conservation priority: High. - European status: Not threatened. - Fully protected under the Northern Ireland 1985 Wildlife Order. After that brilliant "finding" of a Dingy Skipper colony, we went to Bunny's Hill to see the gorgeous Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. We saw 5x Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, 4x Brimstones, 1x Red Admiral, 2x Orange Tip, 1x Green-veined White, 2x Large White and 3x Small White. Dingy Skipper With Rob Nicholls, Jackie Jarvis, Tri Watson and Peter Watson I had a great time photographing the Dingy Skipper. Sooo ecstatic to have discovered this colony. Beautiful Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary from Bunny's Hill Bunny's Hill
Location: Breney Common Nature Reserve Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Cornwall is known for its diverse nature and wildlife. Every year, hundreds and even thousands of nature and wildlife enthusiasts come down to Cornwall to have a glimpse of some rare birds, butterflies and other notable species. I have been sooo lucky to be the "FIRST" one to have seen and photographed the Bearded Vulture, also known as the LAMMERGEIER or OSSIFRAGE in Cornwall in 23rd May 2016. Me and my husband Rob Nicholls cannot believe our luck. We were actually in Breney Common in Bodmin doing a butterfly survey in preparation for our fieldtrip on Monday, 30th May for the Cornwall Butterfly and Moth Society Fieldtrip to see the rare Marsh Fritillary. It was a sunny afternoon, about 2:30pm. We were looking up towards Helman Tor when a large bird, soaring high, came into sight over the ridgeline, heading in a south westerly direction. It’s just gliding gracefully in the sky. The wingspan was probably 9 feet or more, 3 metres. It was very high, maybe up to 2,000 feet and had a small bird in tow - which was not getting too close. The small bird turned out to be a buzzard! The Lammageier did not flap its wings. It was just gliding gracefully across the sky. It was huge and unlike anything usually seen in the skies over Cornwall. Luckily, I was already prepared with my camera and was able to take a few shots. We were able to watch it for about 12 minutes, before it went out of sight. Perhaps, a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. It's nice to sometimes be in the right place, at the right time! Another rare species we’ve seen on that day in Breney Common is the Marsh Fritillary butterfly which is on the “UK BAP: Priority Species”, section 41 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in England” and “fully protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act”. Other species were Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Small Copper, Common Blue, Small Heath, Read Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Brimstone, Speckled Wood and a lot more. It’s really great to see all this amazing wildlife. But with the increasing habitat loss cause by development, we are in danger of losing all these species. We need wildlife for pollination. Insects such as bees, butterflies and moths and other animals such as birds, rodents and monkeys are all examples of pollinators. The wildlife causes plants to make fruit or seeds. They do this by moving pollen from one part of the flower of a plant to another part. This pollen then fertilizes the plant. Only fertilized plants can make fruit and/or seeds, and without them, the plants cannot reproduce. There are quite a few rare species in Cornwall. So, always keep your eyes open.  Bearded Vulture, also known as the Lammergeier or Ossifrage  Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia
Location: Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall St Clement, Truro, Cornwall Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls What a fantastic and fabulous "4 days off" this Easter. Me and Rob Nicholls had done some reflection and praying as well as having a great time bonding, walking, butterfly and birdwatching. We've been good in eating fish and vegetables only too. No meat at all. The Roseland Peninsula, or just Roseland, (Cornish: Ros, meaning promontory) is a district of West Cornwall. The 2009 film documentary “And Did Those Feet” suggests that Jesus Christ may have visited the Roseland Peninsula. The legend of Christ's visit to England is depicted in William Blake's poem "And Did Those Feet in ancient time". St Clement (Cornish: Moresk) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall. Aside from the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside they come to see the village church and its associated conservation projects that are maintained by members of the local community. Unlike some other villages in the district, the village of St Clement has changed very little in recent times. The parish of St Clement lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Wildlife Sightings - 2x Little Egret, 1x Grey Heron, 10++ Shelducks, loads of Gulls and different species of Corvids at Tresillan - 2x Orange Tip, 4x Peacock, 1x Red Admiral, 1x Small Tortoiseshell and 2x Small White, Ruan Lanihorne - 10++ Sandwich Tern, 3x Great Northern Diver, loads of Guillemots and Razorbills, loads of Shags and Cormorants, 2x Gannets,1x Kestrel, 2x Buzzard, loads of Gulls and different species of Corvids in the Roseland Peninsula - 1x Speckled Wood (resident butterfly in our garden), Grampound Road Location: Breney Common Nature Reserve Drift Reservoir Cabilla Woods Nature Reserve Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls "My 2016 Spectacular Wildlife Sightings in Cornwall" - DALMATIAN PELICAN, LAMMERGEIER, the bearded vulture, Heath Fritillary ABERRATION, Roseland pair had produced 3 CHOUGHLINGS and Silver-washed Fritillary VALESINA. 8th October 2016: The Cornwall Chough Watch Team won the RSPB's President Award. Me, Rob Nicholls and Mark Hayhurst went up to the International Convention Centre in Birmingham to received the RSPB's President Award in behalf of the Cornwall Chough Watch Team during the 125th Annual General Meeting of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 25th July 2016: Went to Cabilla and Redrice Woods Nature Reserve and saw the 1x Silver-washed Fritillary VALESINA. 3rd July 2016: The Roseland pair had produced 3 choughlings and fledged. The last Chough seen around this area was in the 1820’s, which was 200 years ago. 2016 has been record breaking in the “CHOUGH WORLD"! There’s 23 choughlets in total. 6th June 2016: Went to Greenscoombe Woods Nature Reserve and saw 2x Heath Fritillary aberration (at first, I thought I only saw one but when I went through my photos on my computer when I got home, that's when I realize I have two). 23rd May 2016: Sooo lucky to be the "FIRST" one to have seen and photographed the LAMMERGEIER, the bearded vulture in Helman Tor. 16th May 2016: Went to Drift Reservoir and saw the DALMATIAN PELICAN. |
Rowena
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