I LOVE CORNWALL
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Welcome to my site.

Follow my adventure around the picturesque
and scenic countryside of Cornwall Kernow.

Fall in love with the county's
rich culture, heritage and tradition...
amazing wildlife...
spectacular landscape...
rugged coastline...
crystal blue waters...
gorgeous gardens...
fresh, lush foods...

Once you're in Cornwall, you'll never think
of leaving this place again. Exactly what I feel.
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One of my Greatest Wildlife Sightings - Bearded Vulture, also known as the LAMMERGEIER or OSSIFRAGE.

Sooo lucky to be the "FIRST" one to have seen and photographed the Bearded Vulture, also known as the LAMMERGEIER or OSSIFRAGE in Cornwall. Me and my husband Rob Nicholls cannot believe our luck.

We were actually in Breney Common doing a butterfly survey in preparation for our fieldtrip on 30th May 2016 and to see the rare Marsh Fritillary.

It was a sunny afternoon on the 23rd May 2016, 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 some pictures. 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!
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One of my Greatest Wildlife Sightings - American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensi) also known as the American Lady, Painted Beauty, and Hunter's Butterfly

On the 20 September 2022, 2:30pm, me and Rob went for a walk in Nare Head on the Roseland Peninsula. This is one of our favourite places in Cornwall. On our way to the headland, we saw Lawrence Sampson and had a chat with him for a few minutes before we carried on with our walk.

There's quite a few butterflies and birds around. From the carpark to the headland, we saw:
● Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Green-veined White, a huge number of Large White, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Speckled Wood and Wall
● Birds: Corvids, Sparrowhawk, Stonechat, Whinchat, Yellowhammer and a lot more...

I have taken photos of the butterflies and birds that we saw. Before I went to sleep that evening, I posted my photos in Facebook. The next morning, I have missed calls on my mobile, I have messages on my email, I have comments on my photos in Facebook. One comment catches my eye, a particular comment from our good friend Lee Slaughter - "Are you sure that this isn't the exceptionally rare Hunter's Painted Lady or American Painted Lady Rowena? Get this photo checked out urgently! I think it is an American (Hunter's) Painted Lady! PM me where you saw this please? I immediately checked my photos very closely one by one. Checked out Google and Wikipedia too. I was shocked and amazed. It suddenly dawned on me that the butterfly I thought was a Painted Lady was actually the extremely rare American Painted Lady Vanessa virginiensis. Wow, that's awesome. I could not believe my luck. Thanks to the sharp and discerning eyes of Lee Slaughter. He is certainly the best in the butterfly world. It's also been confirmed by Peter Eeles from UK Butterflies.

This American Painted Lady Vanessa virginiensis was first seen in the British Isles in August 1828 at Withybush, near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire. For the past few years, it's been seen around the UK and Cornwall.
Copyright © Rowena Castillo-Nicholls. All Rights Reserved.
​Images on the website cannot be used without the written permission of the photographer. 
​

For any inquiries, contact me.

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Rowena Castillo-Nicholls
Mobile No:   07711 105 485
​Email Address:   [email protected]
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • PROJECTS
    • BOOKS >
      • Paloresow Kernewek, ​The Cornish Choughs on the North Cornwall Coast
      • A Decade of Chough Watching
    • Talk and Presentation
    • Connect with Nature
    • Butterflies in Cornwall​
    • Rowena's Purple Cottage
    • Butterflies in the Philippines
    • Birds in the Philippines
    • Flora and Fauna >
      • Flora and Fauna of Penhale
      • Flora and Fauna of Nare Head
      • Flora and Fauna of Portmellon Valley
      • Flora and Fauna of Woodland Valley Farm 2022
      • Flora and Fauna of Woodland Valley Farm 2021
    • Wildlife Matters >
      • Wildlife in my Garden
      • Virtual Birdwatching in Cornwall
      • Virtual Butterfly-watching in Cornwall
  • BLOG
  • GALLERY
    • Greatest Wildlife Sighting
    • British Garden Birds
    • CORVIDS >
      • Corvids
      • Carrion Crow
      • Chough
      • Jay
      • Jackdaw
      • Magpie
      • Raven
      • Rook
    • GULLS >
      • Gulls
      • Black-headed Gull
      • Bonaparte's Gull
      • Caspian Gull
      • Common Gull
      • Great Black-backed Gull
      • Herring Gull
      • Iceland Gull
      • Kittiwake
      • Lesser Great Black-backed Gull
      • Little Gull
      • Mediterranean Gull
      • Azorean Yellow-legged Gull
      • Franklin's Gull
      • Glaucous Gull
      • Kumlien's Gull
      • Laughing Gull
      • Ring-billed Gull
      • Ross's Gull
      • Sabine's Gull
      • Yellow-legged Gull
    • Seabirds
    • Waders
    • Birds in Cornwall
    • Rare Birds
    • Sea Anemones in Cornwall
    • Wildflowers in Cornwall
    • Tropical Butterflies
    • Photography Packages
    • Gabriel Angelo Castillo
    • Miguel Angelo Castillo
  • EVENTS
    • 2026 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2025 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2024 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2023 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2022 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2021 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2020 Connect with Nature Events
    • 2027 Connect with Nature Events
    • Charity, Community Group, Local Organisation and others...
    • xxx >
      • OTHERS >
        • abcde
  • PRESS
  • AWARDS