TWO non-paying passengers on the St Mawes ferry are enjoying the high life after melting the hearts of the skipper and his crew.

But this pair of freeloaders are not of the human variety but seasonal visitors from colder climes known as turnstones.

The two birds have been christened Fred and Freda by St Mawes Ferry skipper John Brown (Topper) and are a regular feature aboard the ferry that runs between Falmouth's Prince of Wales Pier and St Mawes.

Fred and Freda normally board the ferry for a breakfast of crumbs, as it berths alongside the pier in Falmouth at 08.30am.

Often, after this, the pair take the ferry across to St Mawes, where they spend the day before catching the last ferry back at 4.15pm.

How they know the time the last ferry back to Falmouth is still somewhat of a mystery, but their names can regularly be found on the passenger log that is submitted to the ferry office each day.

Toby Budd, operations director for the ferry company, said: "The turnstones are relatively popular in the UK at this time of year. We expect them to return to the Antarctic around May. There they will breed before returning to Cornwall in September.

"They have done this now for the last three years and we are hoping that they will return again in the autumn.

"Turnstones are known for being tame creatures, many people say this is because they are born in the sub Antarctic where there is very little human activity, but there is no doubting the bond that they have formed with the crew of the St Mawes Ferry."

Also known as ArenariaIinterpres, turnstones have a mottled appearance and spend most of their time creeping and fluttering over rocks, picking out food from under stones. They can also swim under the water.

Toby added: "I think it's a lovely story and one that is very popular with our passengers. Although the two birds often spend the day in St Mawes they have been known to be more adventurous. To give you an example, this week the couple took the first boat across to St Mawes in the morning, they then returned to Falmouth on the ferry for lunch before returning to St Mawes in the early afternoon. During the afternoon they took a round trip on the ferry before returning again to St Mawes and catching the last ferry back to Falmouth.