Well, it's been a while!
The other weekend I was invited to spend a few days birding in Cornwall by one of my best birding friends Jane (she'd got a freebee holiday (3 nights) from her sister for Christmas).
This first of three posts isn't in chronological order, just how the photos went together! (-:
Jane and I both love sea-watching (it's an acquired taste) and one of the best known places for this is at Porthgwarra on the extreme south western tip of Cornwall. The wind direction for sea-watching was probably the worst possible on this day, but that didn't really matter as it was a gorgeous blue sky day, if a bit chilly! Below shows a photo of Jane finding a comfortable position (we were here for an hour or two).
Before I carry on with Porthgwarra in this post. Jane and I were lucky enough to come across some Chough during this trip. Chough used to breed in Cornwall a long time ago before dying out, but just a few years ago they recolonised naturally from the continent and are here in small numbers. I can't reveal where we saw these birds, but it's safe to say that we were chuffed to see Choughs making a comeback! These two were happily digging away for grubs in the grass and then lifted off playfully (it seemed) to perform some aerial acrobatics.
I managed to snatch a couple of photos while they were flying above us. Their bright red slightly decurved bill and red legs can just been seen in these photos.
They also have a beautiful 'chow chow' cry which fits perfectly with their rugged clifftop existence! Beautiful birds!
Back at Porthgwarra and I left Jane to her sea-watching to wander along the cliffs to see what took my eye. I was in the mood to click with my camera! I loved the colours and textures of the cool sea and hot baked lichen on the cracked rocks in this shot (though it wasn't exactly hot on this day)!
I could never be bored watching a relentless sea crashing against immovable rocks. I could have sat watching this all day I think!
However, birds did 'call' to me after a while and I practised my actions shots on these Fulmars that were checking out the cliff face for suitable nesting sites.
They are such distinctive birds in flight with their stiff wing beats and are masters of the air. They are the closest we get to the Albatross in this country as they're part of the 'tubenose' family of seabirds.
As I make my way back to where Jane is still sea-watching (she likes to count when she's birding), I pass the coast guards house. What an amazing view from your workplace!!! (-:
There were some wonderful rock formations here. I'm not sure the camera does justice to this stunning scenery!
There'll be more from Cornwall in my next post...oh, and it's nice to be back! (-: 
