http://www.cousin-jacks.co.uk/ An RSS feed for Cousin Jacks - Photography by Mark Ormerod. EN parts of the Cornish coast - the stretch on the North between Portreath and Godrevy. The day felt like midsummer which was a welcome relief from the cold, wet mizzle of the past month or so and with the warm weather came the spring flowers. The gorse is in full bloom, as are the delicate dog violets and sea campion. Stone chats and dunnocks are common all along this stretch as well as the elusive but very vocal wren.



Catching a glimpse of the resident perigrines is always a treat - even if on this day it was only a brief flypast. There are several favourite spots along this stretch of coast where towards sunset I've been lucky enough to watch them hunting. Large flocks of jackdaws roost all along the cliffs and their preferred tactic is for the smaller male to fly down over where the birds roost, flushing them out. As the panicked flock rises the larger female then enters a stoop taking and killing one of the unfortunate jackdaws on the wing. There are several ledges, some very close to the path where the birds will regularly rest allowing a relatively intimate encouter.



I've noticed that the raptor population in the area has grown steadily since I first moved down and you're guarenteed to see Buzzards (there seems to be as pair every mile or so). Recently whilst walking the dogs through a valley a few minutes from my front door we counted four separate pairs and a number of indiviual birds in the course of less than an hour. I pass through several different birds territories on the way to the coast path and often see the same individuals in the same locations. I've on more than one occasion watched the resident bird in the Red River valley joinging the large flock of seagulls following a field ploughing tractor in search of worms. On this occasion we followed a pair lazily circling for the first part of our walk.



The stars of this particular day were the Grey Seals at Mutton Cove just round the corner from Godrevy. As you round the corner at Navax Point you notice a couple of seals swimming in the turquoise water - in the clear sunlight it looks more like a tropical lagoon than the storm lashed North coast. There were plenty of seals swimming just out from Mutton Cove itself where we counted some 36 seals were hauled out. We've previously seen over 70 and despite the occasional tourist attempting to get close on the slopes the seals clearly feel at ease here.



A mix of old bulls, last years cubs & females were stretched out in the sun. Clearly the spring mood had infected many of the seals as several pairs were playing in the water and the interaction between different generations was for the most part gentle and bewitching to watch. It is always a privilege to watch animals in the wild behaving naturally and this is probably the best spot in Cornwall to see them so close. Whilst its not perfect for photography - the location and isolation means you won't be getting eye level shots. Despite being close to the animals you're naturally looking down on them. The setting is a natural sanctuary and the seals for the large part behave as if you're not there even when stood on the slope above them. The high angle means you have to look for something a bit different for an image to stand out here and days like this when the seals are lively and interacting with each other mean some interesting behavioural shots rather than the more run of the mill static "seal on the beach" ones the quiet days produce.



Such a large group of seals produce a haunting soundscape that echoes off the cove's steep walls. The experience of watching and listening to them always provides a wonderful couple of hours before heading back up the coast towards home. Such a large group of seals produce a haunting soundscape that echoes off the cove's steep walls. The experience of watching and listening to them always provides a wonderful couple of hours before heading back up the coast towards Hell's Mouth to hopefully catch the late afternoon Peregrins.]]> 6/30/2009 1:37:00 PM http://www.cousin-jacks.co.uk/?view=plink&id=119 119

I take many images which, whilst I don't consider to be "portfolio" standard I hope will be of interest anyway. My old blog didn't have enough room for me to write in any detail either - or any form of sensible archiving so I've updated the software to add this functionality in.

Its been a strange spring - we've had everything from a mini heat wave which resulted in getting subburnt whilst seal watching - to torrential rain and flooding. Despite that spring is well under way with a the woods turning into a riot of wild flowers including the annual favourites bluebells and wild garlic. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing with you some of my favourite locations and experiences starting with those on my doorstep.

As always your feedback and comments are more than welcome.]]> 4/28/2009 4:46:00 PM http://www.cousin-jacks.co.uk/?view=plink&id=118 118