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 



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