OVER TREWEY COMMON

I've just remembered I did take some photo's during last weekend, on Saturday morning I went down West along part of the coast road looking for Harriers and other birds of Prey.
The coast road runs from St Ives to Lands End, it is one of my favourite places to drive along and as I've banged on about before the landscape is breathtaking and photo,s cannot do it justice.
First stop was at the church in the small Hamlet of Towednack, where I scanned the surrounding area for my quarry with out success. The church was built in the 13th century with additions being built at later dates. It is claimed to be the last place where a sermon was conducted in the Cornish Language, although the church at Ludgvan makes this claim as well.

TOWEDNACK CHURCH.

After leaving Towednack I drove along Holman Moor and joined the coast road, After cresting the top of Eagles Roost ( I wish I had taken a photo of this point ) I pulled over to scan the area and was rewarded with a female Hen Harrier gliding down from the high moors to the farmland below. Next it was on through the ancient village of Zennor and then doing a left turn, the small by road rising steeply on its way to the junction to Trewey Common. Halfway up this hill I stopped to take the two images below giving views over Zennor and the Atlantic coast.

ZENNOR AND THE ATLANTIC COAST

Looking at the image above you can just make out the church at Zennor just to the left of the tree. and at the base of the hill on the right is the coast road winding its way along the bottom of the moors.

ZENNOR AND THE HIGH MOORS

Above is a continuation of the previous view and it gives the main features of this area, of a small coastal farming strip giving way to moorland inland. This is the prominent feature along this coast road. So now its upwards and onwards to Trewey Common.

TREWEY COMMON.

Above is the road across Trewey Common and it runs for about 1 1/2 miles before it drops back down to the coast road. As you can see this is a very barren and bleak enviroment consisting just heather and scrubland deviod of any trees. This last point is noticable all along the coast route the lack of any large trees. In the photo below you can see the edge of farmland giving way to this moorland area.

TREWEY COMMON.

So this was a brief look at part of an area that is good winter birding ground, In these places you are likley to find Raptors including Hen Harriers, Short Eared Owls, Merlins and Buzzards, along with large flocks of Golden Plover and wintering Thrushes.