Hayle in the south west of England, is a well known tourist spot for people looking to holiday in Cornwall. There are 3 miles of sandy beaches, with holiday accommodation on the near by "towans" or sandunes. Nearby is the popular resort of St Ives. Hayle is also very well known by the bird watching community as a great place to come and see gulls, migrant waders and terns.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a site with a hide, and car park which is free to use for all visitors. To get to the site drive down the A30 towards Penzance, turn off at the St Ives / Hayle exit, and follow the signs towards Hayle. After about 200 yards there is a turn off to the right, with a RSPB bird sign, follow the road round and you are at the site. Sat nav co-ordinates are Lat/ Long: 50.17683,-5.43149. The site is also within walking distance from the railway station at nearby St Erth, or in Hayle itself.
On the site the bird watching hide overlooks Ryan's Field, which is a tidal lagoon and saltmarsh. To view the main estuary, is a short walk across the road into Hayle. If you are going to visit the area, and you really should, then the best time to view for waders is around 2 hours before or after high tide.
Some of the birds you may see are:-
Curlews - with their long curved beaks, and mottled brown plumage which feed on the soft mud for worms or other inverterbrates.
Oyster Catchers - have a striking long orange bill which they use to either hammer open shellfish, or probe into the mud for invertebrates.
Widgeon - A member of the Duck family, with a dark chestnut head, reddish breast, and yellow forehead.
Little Egret - A small white heron, which feeds on the fish in the estuary. There are many more species that regularly visit, including some rarities.
The RSPB web site has more details, including identification tips, photographs and videos of the more common species.
Winter is when you can see most Birds on Hayle estuary, with Widgeons, and Teals feeding on the seeds of aquatic plants. There are less waders than in autumn, however you can expect to see Dunlin, Curlew, Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Plovers and Godwit.
If you continue further towards Hayle town centre, then Camsew Pool and Copperhouse creek also provide good viewing. There is a free map to download from the RSPB site, which shows the best areas to view from.
Further afield there are many other excellent birding sites in Cornwall which we will highlight in future articles.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a site with a hide, and car park which is free to use for all visitors. To get to the site drive down the A30 towards Penzance, turn off at the St Ives / Hayle exit, and follow the signs towards Hayle. After about 200 yards there is a turn off to the right, with a RSPB bird sign, follow the road round and you are at the site. Sat nav co-ordinates are Lat/ Long: 50.17683,-5.43149. The site is also within walking distance from the railway station at nearby St Erth, or in Hayle itself.On the site the bird watching hide overlooks Ryan's Field, which is a tidal lagoon and saltmarsh. To view the main estuary, is a short walk across the road into Hayle. If you are going to visit the area, and you really should, then the best time to view for waders is around 2 hours before or after high tide.
Some of the birds you may see are:-
Curlews - with their long curved beaks, and mottled brown plumage which feed on the soft mud for worms or other inverterbrates.
Oyster Catchers - have a striking long orange bill which they use to either hammer open shellfish, or probe into the mud for invertebrates.
Widgeon - A member of the Duck family, with a dark chestnut head, reddish breast, and yellow forehead.
Little Egret - A small white heron, which feeds on the fish in the estuary. There are many more species that regularly visit, including some rarities.
The RSPB web site has more details, including identification tips, photographs and videos of the more common species.
Winter is when you can see most Birds on Hayle estuary, with Widgeons, and Teals feeding on the seeds of aquatic plants. There are less waders than in autumn, however you can expect to see Dunlin, Curlew, Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Plovers and Godwit.
If you continue further towards Hayle town centre, then Camsew Pool and Copperhouse creek also provide good viewing. There is a free map to download from the RSPB site, which shows the best areas to view from.
Further afield there are many other excellent birding sites in Cornwall which we will highlight in future articles.
Wendy R is an up and coming blogger on Cornwall. Her website http://www.secretcornwall.org.uk provides information about walks, accommodation, nature, villages, and popular tourist destinations in Cornwall.
Article Source: Wendy_R.
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