• Warden's news

    With the unsettled weather, May has been quiet this year on the migrant-front.  Hayle Estuary has had quite a purple patch with the April Bonaparte’s Gull lingering until 21st May and an American Golden Plover from 1st -7th.  A Temminck’s Stint drew a crowd at Ryan’s Field on 14th but had gone the next day.

     With news of the proposed move of the Penzance heliport to a field close to the estuary, we have…

  • Halye Library wildlife garden

    Thanks to Brian who recently installed the new bird identification panel in the hide at Hayle Library's wildlife garden.

     

  • Improvements made to Eric Grace Memorial Hide access

    Volunteers worked tirelessly earlier this month to install 40 metres of land drain to prevent the footpath becoming water loged this winter.

  • Hayle Pump

    Good numbers of ducks and waders are now returning to Hayle Estuary, for a rest bite from their long southward journeys or to spend their winter holidays here with us.  You can see curlew, bar-tailed godwit, dunlin, ringed plover, oystercatcher, redshank, teal and wigeon all back on the mudflats.  Grey herons and their white cousins the little egrets are easy to see as they feed along the water’s edge on fish that live…
  • Smashing vandals at it again

     At Hayle, work continues on the hide at Ryan’s Field, adding a fresh lick of paint and refreshing the old notice boards gives a brighter feel to the big old concrete building.  Unfortunately some people did not appreciate our efforts, almost as soon as the new leaflet dispenses were installed they were pulled off the wall, smashed and thrown into the lagoon, so we bought new ones and installed them in the hide but…

  • May to June bird report

     

    At Hayle, a Little Ringed Plover took up residence early in the month at Ryan’s Field and on occasion could be found in the car park there presumably looking to nest! It was last seen 9th May.  An immature Ring-billed Gull was at Ryan’s Field and Lelant Water 1st – 3rd May and a female Red-breasted Merganser likewise 16th-17th.  A Spoonbill arrived on 10th and was joined by another bird for a couple…
  • Spring clean at Ryan's Field

    Volunteers have been working at Ryan's Field this week, strimming footpaths and parking bays and working on the Eric Grace Memorial hide.  We will be working on the hide again next week to finish painting inside and out and to install the new information boards.

  • March to April reserve newsletter now available

    Contact Jenny for your copy of the latest reserve newsletter

  • Recent bird sightings

    Our colleagues in the Cornwall Birdwatching & Preservation Society (CBWPS) have started a "Daily sightings" page this year and any bird news from our Hayle Estuary reserve is detailed along with that from other areas in west Cornwall. Our other reserve locally, Marazion Marsh usually heads the list every day (as it should!) but sightings at Hayle tend to be more sporadic.  The website is updated every evening…

  • What a mess!

    On Sunday 11 April, while Carol, Lorna, Mike and Celia litter picked round the edge of Copperhouse Creek, Dave, Maria and myself spent a couple of hours pulling car tyres, wheels, traffic cones and all manner of dumped rubbish from the flood alleviation channel.  There is still lots more to do there and I will advertise another date very soon.
  • Major spring clean

    Tomorrow I will meet the volunteers at Copperhouse Creek to remove rubbish.  Most of the wintering birds have left the estuary now so we will finally be able to go out across the mudflats to get the tricycle and traffic cones.  I’m taking a few pairs of waders for the volunteers who want to brave the creek and dig out the car tyres and shopping trolleys.