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Cornish skies

Peregrine Falcon, Lizard Point, July 2010, ©Lewis Thomson.

11/08/10

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I recently spent 10 fantastic days in Cornwall, not really a photography trip, but more for relaxation and to explore the superb coastline. It was actually really nice to leave the camera at the B & B and just watch the wildlife I came across, something I haven't done for a couple of years. Of course I couldn't resist braking out the camera on a few days. The Peregrine image above was taken at Lizard Point on my first day, a fantastic bird and a fantastic location! Other notable wildlife there included Dartford Warbler, a young Cuckoo still being fed by its Meadow Pipit foster parents, Common Dolphins and a second generation of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries.

From the Lizard I moved on to Cape Cornwall, a place absolutely bursting with potential during autumn migration, so much so that I am going back for two weeks in October for even more exploration. I did a great deal of sea watching at both the Lizard and Cape Cornwall and found it a real buzz to be picking out Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters from the hoards of Manx Shearwaters that were passing the headlands, birds that I had never seen before. There were two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls in the bay between Kenidjack Valley and the Cape, one of which was very obliging, allowing frame filling close-ups such as the one below.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, Cape Cornwall, July 2010, ©Lewis Thomson.

The weather was fantastic, although on a few days fog rolled in off the sea in the afternoons. It was a very strange feeling to be in thick fog but still be sweating with the heat. Even more eerie was the silence and stillness, only broken now and then by the lighthouses on the headlands sounding their foghorns. The fog usually lasted into the night accept for one evening at Cape Cornwall where it cleared at around 9pm to reveal the most stunning sunset I have ever seen.

Sunset at Cape Cornwall (1), July 2010, ©Lewis Thomson.

I managed to get my camera out in time for a few shots of the clouds lit with incredible reds, pinks, purples and oranges. As the sun sank below the horizon the colours became even more intense as shown in the image below. It was a fantastic trip packed full of wildlife and lots of time for thinking. I now feel fully refreshed and cannot wait for my next trip in the autumn!