Gyr at Pentire Point

The Gyr proved as difficult as ever today – I spent five hours at Pentire Point and saw the bird badly for 3 seconds!!! Did however manage to get lots of useful information about seeing this bird.

It is roosting at Pentire Point but appears to be roosting on the vertical cliffs at the headland and there is no way of seeing it perched at its roost. Most people are seeing it leave or coming into roost. Everytime it has been seen it shows along the west cliffs (i.e. facing the estuary).

The best chance is to get there at 5.30 (park in the mine or farm car parks) and take the central/upper track to the point. Then turn and look down the west cliffs. The bird has been seen flying from its roost along these cliffs and for a lucky few preched on the grassy slope below you or the fence posts further ‘inland’.

The last two mornings it has been flushed by birders using the lower track along the west cliffs and has flown across the sea towards the estuary by 0615. It is probably best to avoid using this track if possible. During the week when fewer birders were present it has showed in the area until 0800ish. This morning 30 birders were present and only a handful of people saw it.

In the evening it tends to come in late (apart from one early sighting at 1700 on Thursday), fast and low! Use the same spot as described above and look for the bird coming in over the sea or along the point. Tonight it didn’t appear until 18.50 by which time was almost dark. It appeared over the central/upper track before dropping down to sea level along the west cliffs and then out of view and presumably to roost on the headland (all that took about 3 seconds!)

Where it gets during the day is anybody’s guess but there have been reports in recent days of the bird as far ‘inland’ as Wadebridge.

Hope that information helps and good luck to those going for it.

Best wishes

Paul Marshall