Just Desserts

 

"Good luck, mate. You deserve to see it."

 

I got that Saturday week, and again this time around, as last Saturday I kept my word and went back for another go after the Sociable Plover.

 

Yes, despite no 'official' sighting since the previous Sunday.

 

 

The weather, while still not exactly ideal, was far better, and I found a whole heap of Lapwings in 'the' field at Crows-an-Wra; 143, in fact.

 

Obviously, not even a sniff of the Sociable, which has either permanently shifted to somewhere else in Penwith's masses of walled fields or snuffed it [the weather's been too iffy for a proper relocation].

 

 

Things were rather like my response to the chestnut about madness. You know 'defined as repeating an action and expecting a different result'. I say - among other things - 'flip a coin'. Or roll a die, or.. You get the idea. 

Short version; Crows-an-Wra until clear bird not present, then a meander looking for other sites, taking in a circle, then Crows again until all birds depart, then stop off at Hayle on way home.

 

Long version;

 

 

Lapwings [et al].

Crows-an-Wra

Lapwings airborne.

How many do you see?

Yup, definitely Lapwings.

 

One vain drive around looking for plovers later, I found something in a more helpful mood;

Dans Maen.

Aka, The Merry Maidens.

At least one lifer then. ;)

 

The Maidens are a lovely circle, if a bit popular [it was like Picadilly frickin' Circus...]  for my tastes. [Ok, yes, sunny weekend day]. Pity the neighbouring circles* were turned into field boundary walls [a couple are still there, fallen and forlorn-looking, with more 'obvious' ex-standing stones in nearby walls.]

Nearby, some lovely-looking standing stones in the edges of fields, though not particularly accessible.

The Fiddler

One of The Pipers

Proper Drizzlecombe-sized menhirs, these. :)

Also in the immediate vicinity;

[Replica] Cup-marked Stone and

Tregiffian Chambered Tomb

Hard to miss, this one, as the road bends around it...

Things then took a turn for the dramatic, as an unfortunate cyclist slipped while trying to carry his bike over the stile into the Maidens' field, breaking his ankle. I found him with a friendly couple who were already on the phone with the emergency services, so I dug out a waterproof picnic blanket [unused in 2020 and so def. C-19 free..!] to help him stay warm. Being right next to the road made the wait for the ambulance a less trying experience than the last one, and soon after they'd arrived [right on ETA], we had a special guest join us;

Cornwall's Shiny New Air Ambulance!

 

Not sure why it's green and white [surely if not an emergency-style colour scheme, black and white would be more appropriate?], but very impressive all the same. [Wonder when / if we can upgrade the Devon one?? :) ]

 

 

After heading back to C-a-W - completeing my search loop - and finding zip, zero and indeed zilch, I again stopped off at Hayle on my way home. This time the plug had been left in, and so there were some birds on Ryan's;

 

Waders on Ryan's Field.

 

Lapwings, Redshank, Curlew, and Spot The Barwit! 

 

No gulls, though. [I'd harboured foolish dreams of a close RBG.. It's showing close somewhere!]. Over the road...

Assorted ducks and waders blobs

on the estuary.

Spot the Knot? Ho hum... It was after sunset at this time, so unsurprising that I got grainy little.

And so it ends, with another dip and another big failure on the level of- oh wait, I already went through this spiel, didn't I?

I'll spare you and just say   It Hurts.

Birding, eh?

Be Seeing You...

[[*Surely one, probably more. A habit of circles in the south west - and indeed henges all over the shop - to be made in lines. In my blog, see The Grey Wethers. Or search The Hurlers, Priddy Henges, etc.]]