DRIVE TO CAMBORNE - VISIT TO HAYLE AND COPPERHOUSE CREEK
WEATHER: torrential rain showers throughout the day but dry, sunny and windy when we arrived in hayle.
THIS IS NOT A BIRDING HOLIDAY! Dawn and I are just having a break in a nice part of the world where some birdies might cross our paths, we are with Celia, Dawn's sister, and friend Rachel who is with Ian.
It took 2 3/4 hours to get to Hayle from Stoford and we drove through some horrendous rain showers, with flooded roads and slow traffic in parts. But it cleared once we were past Bodmin.
Our walk around Copperhouse Creek in Hayle was very pleasant, the sun was shining but it was windy. We walked from the car park at the Outdoor Swimming Pool and covered the entire circumference of the creek in a clockwise direction. It was low tide and plenty of birds were out on the mudflats. I had my binoculars with me and listed a few waders.
Copperhouse Pool looking from the car apr at the swimming pool
Bar-tailed Godwits were dotted over the mudflats with one or two Curlews, lots of Redshanks were joined by fewer Greenshanks and m,any Canada Geese fed on the exposed eel grass. Hundred of Black-headed Gulls loafed on the sandy banks and we saw Oystercatchers, Cormorants, Little Egrets and Grey Herons. Large groups of Wigeon, Teal and Mallards were also feeding out there.
a Scheduled Monument - the Black Bridge
We crossed the Black Bridge (built in 1818 from blocks of copper-smeltering slag called scoria) and walked along the main road back to the car park. From the west side we had the sun behind us and I picked out a group of Redshanks, I carefully sifted through them just in case the Lesser Yellowlegs ( an American wader, two of which had been found there recently) was still lingering in the area, but alas I could not see one! A small flock of Dunlin also sat out there and I picked out a group of six Red Knot.
another view of Copperhouse Pool at low tide
After a nice cuppa at the cafe next to the Swimming Pool we made our way back to Camborne to check into our hotel, the wind had become a little chilly and the light began to fade. We met up with Celia and Rachel and went for dinner in the restaurant, nothing special but nice.