Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/374

 A HISTORY OF CORNWALL Slavonian grebe in winter. The red-necked grebe is an irregular visitor, in most winters scarce, but sometimes abundant as in January, 1895, December and January, 1901-2, and March, 1905. The eared-grebe is occasionally seen during the winter months about Looe and the mouth of the Fowey. The great northern and the red-throated divers are regular winter visitors, though their numbers fluctuate greatly from year to year. The black-throated diver is an irregular winter casual. These divers are nearly always in immature plumage. Among the regular inland autumn and winter visitors are the black redstart, the brambling, the siskin, and the hawfinch. The lesser redpoll appears most winters in the neighbourhood of Lostwithiel. 5. TRURO-FALMOUTH DISTRICT On the north this district extends from Par to Gwinear Road station along the southern boundary of the St. Columb-Camborne district. It in- cludes the coast-line from Par to Nare Point below the mouth of the Helford river. The central topographical features of the district are Falmouth Bay and the estuaries of the Fal and Helford rivers, with their many tidal creeks and tributary streams. At low water the greater portion of most of the creeks consists of extensive reaches of mud divided by the shifting bed of the stream. In many cases the creek banks are richly wooded as at King Harry's reach, on the Ruan river, along the left bank of Tresillian river, and on the Helford river. At Plum Garden creek near Truro the fruit-trees over- hang the water. The district as a whole is hilly and mixed in character, woods and downs, magnificent furze-brakes, moorland and bog, being plentifully scattered among cultivated land of varied quality. The fine private grounds at Tregothnan, Carclew, Heligan, Penrice, Killiow, Enys, Clowance, Pendarvis, and elsewhere are naturally important centres of bird life, and the reed-beds at Swanpool and Pencalenick are more than usually attractive. The coast too is very varied, sea-cliff alternating with covered slope and low-lying land. The long stretches of warm sand and boulder-strewn beach are broken by bold headlands, and the sea-line is cut by many wind-sheltered coves and bays. The cliffs in many parts are bold and rugged, draped here and there with ivy and patched with gorse. Some of the warm sheltered slopes like those round by Pendennis Castle have abundant cover and offer ready and congenial shelter to the adventurous forerunners of spring migration. The landlocked sea running far into the hills, the diversity in the physical aspect and covering of the land, and the remarkably mild and equable climate of the sheltered area, make this in many respects the most favoured bird district in the county. Every bird mentioned above as breed- ing in the Tamar-Fowey district has nested at least occasionally here, with the solitary exception of the tree-pipit. Even the redstart, the woodwarbler and the yellow wagtail have nested in the district. The nuthatch may breed regularly about Penryn ; the greater and lesser spotted woodpeckers have lately become residents in several of the private grounds. The red-backed shrike, the blackcap, the grasshopper warbler, the reed-warbler, the whinchat and the cirl-bunting appear to breed every year ; the sedge-warbler, white- throat and willow-warbler are locally abundant. The garden-warbler and 322