Parbola campsite was quite a find. Set in West Cornwall about 5 miles south of Camborne and surrounded by hedges on one side and a mixed woodland with a stand of spruce. During the May bank holiday it had only 10 tents at the most but certainly could accommodate many more. There was a lovely family atmosphere and it was mostly quiet. The children enjoyed the open air pool and one of them wanted to go in it every day!
Around in the fields and trees were buzzards, goldcrests, chaffinches, tits, robins, blackcap and numerous rooks and crows. Rabbits were also noticed bobbing off into the edges of the fields.
Not far from here my sister lives. Her husband has made a wonderful pond in the back garden where we were delighted by a number of varying sizes frogs and some very fat tadpoles. The plant life was rather beautiful too such as the water crowthorne (need to check), water bamboo and water plantain. Three newts were active in it but more secretive, pond snails , such as the ramshorn and some tiny water boatmen.
One evening I noticed some bat activity coming back from teeth cleaning. I took my bat detector which I happened to have brought and watched, listening to them as they circled the pines in our field, one of the pipistrelle species I believe.
The next evening, Isaac after a late play needed calming down so we walked round our field then the neighbouring one. It was a little early to see the bats so we chatted quietly on our way round stopping to watch anything that moved or sounded.
I suggested we head to the darker woods as the bats would be out earlier there and we weren’t disappointed. At first there were three circling over our heads as the minutes went by. We both heard another sound which I mistook at first for a magpie. We moved towards the large cedar then saw two owls which after some investigating were young tawny owls flying around and perching in the cedar branches, calling incessantly!
It was really lovely to share this connection with Isaac who was obviously enthralled. This discovery needed to be shared so we quickly went and got Mum and she managed to see them too. We could still hear them through the night from the tent!
In the night Isaac was woken by a severe nosebleed which took some sorting. When I’d swapped pods so he could be nearer Mum I went off to the facilities and was a few paces from the tent when I saw a large shape slowly moving along the ground in the adjoining field. I shone my light on the shape which was as I expected, a badger. The trundling badger was unperturbed by my light being shone on it (I used my red filter initially). He headed off across the field whilst I watched with a warm glow of euphoria. I wanted to call the family but it was 2am and I thought they might not appreciate it!
What a lovely moment this was to add to the other nature connections from the holiday which included that of the Lizard Point bank holiday Monday where we saw Atlantic Grey Seals, a diving gannet and a pair of chough flying closely over and near us. Whilst watching the chough I also saw my first Wall butterfly, of which there were three. A number of other birds were also seen, but these were the highlights. (Oh and Isaac got really close to a rock pipit and at Trelissick gardens we were under a blackbird who was singing to us!). A little girl on Lizard Point beach found the biggest sea slater I’ve ever seen about the length of my thumb up-to the first joint! If you don’t know what one of those is It’s like a woodlouse but lives on beaches.
Witnessing a pair of buzzards, one of which had a full crop, flying back in the evening to their nests nearby was for me another moving experience.
It has been so lovely and quiet and it’s taken a while to unwind to it, so much so it’s not long until we have to leave!