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I moved to Cornwall in 2009. More or less, I've been here for a decade. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I finished a Bachelor’s Degree in Doctor of Dental Medicine at the Manila Central University. I am a Dentist by profession. But since moving to Cornwall, I had a huge career change. I have worked as a Butterfly Keeper in Eden Project and Office Administrator for Town and Country Markets. And now, I'm a Blogger and Wildlife Photographer. I'm also a Published Author of "Paloresow Kernewek, The Cornish Choughs on the North Cornwall Coast" published in 2013. I'm currently working on my next book. My husband Rob Nicholls is a keen birdwatcher. He always takes me out walking along the scenic and picturesque Cornish coast. That's what got me into photography and my passion for bird-watching and butterfly-watching. I love taking photographs of the Cornish Choughs and Butterflies in Cornwall. I love nature and wildlife. Thru my advocacy, Wildlife Matters, I have been promoting the importance of wildlife recording. I also set-up Ladock Parish Wildlife Group, a community group for people who love nature and wildlife in our parish as well as to improve our knowledge of the flora and fauna in our parish. I have organised a monthly event and activity for 2020. This are all FREE. Everyone is welcome to attend. I am funding all the events and activities. I'm a volunteer Chough Watcher for National Trust and RSPB. I'm a founding member and Trustee for Cornwall Butterfly and Moth Society. I'm on the management committee for Campaign to Protect Rural Cornwall. I feel lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to see these gorgeous rare migrant species. Being a migrant myself, I really find it fascinating to see these rare migrant species. It's really amazing that I have seen a few RARITIES, a once in a lifetime sighting.  I have seen and photographed all these rare species in Cornwall. All 3 species were included on BirdGuides.com Rarity of the Decade list. I think it's safe to say that I'm the only one who saw and photographed all 3 species. Species: Lammergeier, the Bearded Vulture Date: 23rd May 2016 Location: Breney Common Nature Reserve, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls 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 Monday, 30th May for the Cornwall Butterfly & Moth Society Fieldtrip and 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 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! Other species seen in Breney Common: Marsh Fritillary, 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... Species: Dalmatian Pelican Date: 16th May 2016 Location: Drift Reservoir, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Species: Brown Booby Date: 4th September 2019 Location: Kynance Cove, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Species: Grey Cat Bird Date: 17th and 23rd October 2018 Location: Treeve Moor near Land’s End, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Species: Cornish Choughs Date: 2x choughlings fledged on 25th June 2012 Location: North Cornwall Coast, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls This is first Chough to breed on the North Cornwall coast after 50 years. 1947 have been the year of the last successful breeding attempt of the Choughs in Cornwall. In 2001, the Choughs returned naturally to Cornwall. A group of three took up residence on the tip of the Lizard Peninsula. Species: Cornish Choughs Date: 3x choughlings fledged on 3rd July 2016 Location: Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls The first Choughs to breed on the Roseland Peninsula for decades (a century even). One year old female fledged three chicks - a very rare event. And the male Chough is the last offspring of the original pair. Species: Long-tailed Blue Butterfly
Date: 19th August 2019 Location: Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall, UK Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls
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Location: National Trust's Hemmick Beach Portholland Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Some of the butterflies we saw: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Glorious weather. Sunny with just a gentle breeze. No wonder, even Hemmick Beach is quite busy. Loads of butterflies on the hedgerow: Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Small White and Large White. Also saw a Wheatear and other seabirds. Lovely walk in Portholland. Loads of butterflies along the road: Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small White, Large White and Hummingbird Hawk Moth.
Location: National Trust's Church Cove, Lizard Peninsula National Trust's Kynance Cove, Lizard Peninsula Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Had a brilliant wildlife walk at the stunning Church Cove today. Seen loads of species of butterflies and birds. Church Cove is a hamlet in the civil parish of Landewednack. The parish is notable for being the most southern point on British mainland. Church Cove lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Parts of the hamlet lie within Caerthillian to Kennack SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). At the end of the day, we watched the spectacular sunset in Kynance Cove. Butterflies 7 Cornish Choughs Church Cove Me and Rob Kynance Cove Spectacular Sunset
Location: National Trust's Trerice House and Garden Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls What a gorgeous sunny day. We cannot help but go out and have a walk. You'll never know how long this kind of weather last. Went for a garden walk in National Trust - Trerice House and Garden. We've seen loads of butterflies and birds. Went to the Gannel Estuary as well for birdwatching. A really enjoyable day. Trerice House and Garden Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Small White, Green-veined White and Speckled Wood. Some of the stunning flowers.
Location: Portmellon Valley Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls I had an enjoyable time doing the Butterfly Transect in Portmellon Valley. Some of the amazing wildlife we saw from our butterfly transect in Portmellon Valley: 2 migrant butterflies - Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady, some of the Cornish resident butterflies - Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Small Copper, Red Admiral, Peacock, Wall, Small White, Large White. A huge Cricket. Some dragonflies and damselflies. Loads of birds - Sparrowhawk, Jay, Buzzard, Kestrel, Swallow and a lot more... Butterfly Huge Cricket Fungi Portmellon Valley  Portmellon Beach
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. Location: North Cornwall Coast Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls The rugged coastline of the North Cornwall Coast is just picturesque. What a great spot for birdwatching and butterfly watching with Rob and Marcus Rhodes. We had a fantastic and fabulous time. We saw loads of amazing species: Grayling, Painted Lady, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Cornish Choughs and a lot more... The ruggedly beautiful North Cornwall Coast Marcus taking photos of the Graylings Thanks to the sharp eyes of Marcus, we saw a few Graylings and an egg-laying one too! Other wildlife species we saw Cornish Chough showing off it's acrobatic flight A pair of Cornish Choughs foraging
Location: Roseland Peninsula Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Spectacular view! We came back again to this beautiful place to see the Long-tailed Blue with Rob, David Allan and David Conway. Unfortunately, the butterfly was not there anymore. But we still saw other species: Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Large White, Common Blue and Small White plus an Emperor Dragonfly and a few sea birds. But we should continue to keep our eyes open. Who knows what we might see!  Clouded Yellow Some of the gorgeous butterflies we saw. Rob Nicholls, Dave Conway and Dave Allan
Location: Roseland Peninsula Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls What a great and successful day despite the occasional rain and wind. We've seen three migrant butterflies. I am a very pleased and delighted wildlife enthusiast and so is Rob Behenna Nicholls and Paul Miles. First migrant butterfly we saw: 100++ Painted Lady. 2nd migrant butterfly we saw: Clouded Yellow. 3rd migrant butterfly we saw: Long-tailed Blue. Other butterflies we saw: 3x Speckled Wood, 1x Small Copper, 5x Red Admiral, 2x Small Tortoiseshell, 10++ Common Blue, 10++ Gatekeeper, 10++ Meadow Brown, 10++ Small White and Large White Long-tailed Blue Clouded Yellow Painted Lady Cornish Seal Rob and Paul Location: Aish Tor, Dartmoor National Park Bovey Valley Woods, Newton Abbot Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls Had an amazing time in Aish Tor, Dartmoor. Sooo happy to see one of UK's rarest butterfly, the High Brown Fritillary. After Aish Tor, we went to Bovey Valley Woods to see the White Admiral. We saw a few worn out ones and 2 in good conditions. What a successful day! The beautiful High Brown Fritillary, one of UK's rarest butterfly.    The lovely White Admiral at Bovey Valley Woods.
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