We are currently having a real problem with low-flying helicopters which appear to be deliberately targeting the reserve at the main estuary, Lelant Water and Carnsew Pool. Last Sunday for example, I was at Carnsew with 11 volunteers for our monthly litter-pick and at 11:30am an Air Sea Rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose approached from the south west on a flight line that would have taken it to the south of the reserve. However, as it came closer it turned to fly directly over the estuary and thereby flushed every single wader, gull and wildfowl on the reserve - before turning north towards St Ives Bay. So far my liaisons with the Culdrose air station have drawn a blank so we have now contacted Natural England (Hayle Estuary is a SSSI) for their help. This is not a one-off and if anybody witnesses any disturbance incidents like this can you please contact me.
Possibly linked to the above, bird reports have been rather slim of late. Numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls are rising as they always do at this time of year - there were c500 on Sunday before they were flushed! We've also had up to 14 Med Gulls/day in with the migrating flocks of Black-headeds and sharper eyes have picked out up to 3 Yellow-legged Gulls amongst the Herrings.
Copperhouse Creek appears to be less disturbed by the aircraft and is a good place to see Wigeon and Teal at the moment - and a Water Pipit has taken up residence the last couple of weeks at the eastern end on the saltmarsh.
Site Manager, Cornwall reserves