Cornwall Birding

The estuary at Hayle is the most westerly in the County and is renowned nationally as a great birding area, turning up many rarities in the past. The estuary is owned by the RSPB and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its wintering wildfowl and waders. Read more »

Todays Birding highlights in Cornwall include:

Lands End - RED-RUMPED SWALLOW flew south over Swingates House at 11.20hrs. Also Short-eared Owl along cycle track.

Newquay - WOODCHAT SHRIKE still at Trevose Head this morning. Please keep to public rights of way.

Newlyn - Iceland Gull (juv) still in harbour this morning.

Todays Birding highlights on the Isles of Scilly include:

St Mary’s - Golden Oriole 1st sum. male singing at Higher Moors in sallows 80yrds south of pumping station early morning and possibly same bird at Holy Vale at 13.00hrs. Iceland Gull still on Golf Course this morning.

Tresco - Turtle Dove (6) at Borough Farm at Midday.

Bryher - Little Tern on Big Pool at 13.30hrs.

A Spotted Sandpiper was at Upper Tamar Lakes for seven days in 1987.

Todays Birding highlights in Cornwall include:

Sennen - ICTERINE WARBLER  singing along cycle track in scrub at Trinity Pool loop tho elusive

Newquay - WOODCHAT SHRIKE still at Trevose Head today. Please keep to public rights of way.

St Ives - Red Kite over this morning between 08.15 and 08.45 then flew East (Thanks R.James)

Newquay -  Red Kite flying over farmland on Newquay side of Summercourt mobbed by Jackdaws and flew towards St Columb at c13.30hrs. (Thanks C.Harris)

Callington - Red Kite over Kit Hill 18.05hrs to 18.55hrs being mobbed by Carrion Crow, eventually flew north (Thanks H.MacKellar)

Penzance - Red Kite flew east over town at 11.30hrs. Red Kite flew east along A30 over Drift at 12.25hrs. Also Pom. Skua seen off Penzance from on-board Scillonian III in evening. 

Marazion - Red Kite flew east over Little London at midday.

St Just - Red Kite over Airfield this morning at 11.00hrs

Newlyn - Iceland Gull (Juv) still in Harbour.

Rame Head - Black Redstart (fem) today (Thanks C.Buckland)

Black Redstart, Rame (Photo: C.Buckland)

Todays Birding highlights on the Isles of Scilly include:

St Mary’s - Iceland Gull in Old Town Bay this morning. Golden Oriole male singing at Lower Moors near Shooter’s Hide early morning

Guided walks and events in Cornwall in the month of June include: Read more »

Very little in the way of rarities on this date with just a Red-rumped Swallow at Lands End in 2003.

Todays Birding highlights in Cornwall include:

Nanjizal - *WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER*(2; 1st sum Male and 1st sum fem) still at north end of valley by tall conifers this afternoon and EUROPEAN BEE-EATER on wires.

Penzance - *CATTLE EGRET* (9) this morning still at Boscreege Farm near Newmill. Iceland Gull (juv) at Tolcarne Beach this morning.

Lands End - EUROPEAN BEE-EATER (2) over this morning and Red Kite at Trevilley Farm.

Nanquidno - WOODCHAT SHRIKE (fem) this morning. View right into field from gate at seaward end.

Newquay - WOODCHAT SHRIKE at Trevose Head today.

Mevaggisey - TAWNY PIPIT briefly south of Mevaggisey at Chapel Point this morning then flew North (Thanks D.Payne)

Cot Valley - Red Kite (3) over valley at 14.55hrs

St Buryan - Red Kite (2) east over at 16.05hrs

Bodmin Moor - Red Kite near Fox Tor, viewable from Tregune Farm this morning.

Liskeard - Hobby (3), Tree Pipit (2) and Garden Warbler at Nine Stones today (Thanks C.Buckland)

Marazion - Blue-headed Wagtail near sanctuary area fence this afternoon. Also Yellow Wagtail.

Todays Birding highlights on the Isles of Scilly include:

St Mary’s - Iceland Gull (juv) at Porthloo at 06.30hrs. Also Turtle Dove at Porthloo Duck Pond. Golden Oriole at Lower Moors at Midday and Turtle Dove at Peninnis Head. Also Purple Sandpiper (2) at Peninnis Head.

Thought we would share these excellent images of a Yellow Wagtail Moticilla Flava, so called ‘dombrowski‘. This subspecies is believed to be an integrade between feldegg and probably flava or beema. Images kindly submitted to Cornwall Birding by Adam Boyns. This bird and two White Wagtails were at St Gothian Sands NR, Gwithian on Monday 5th May 2008.

Yellow Wagtail, St Gothian Sands NR. (photos:A.Boyns)

A Laughing Gull was at Polperro in 1990.

Todays Birding highlights in Cornwall include:

Penzance - *CATTLE EGRET* (9) still in fields at Boscreege Farm near Newmill.

Sennen - Yellow-legged Gull (2w) off Lifeboat station at Cowloe.

Nanjizal - *WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER* still at north end of valley on seaward side of conifers, tho elusive. (Thanks A.Boyns)

The Lizard - Montagu’s Harrier flew east between Lizard Point and Kynance Cove this afternoon.

Rame Head - Montagu’s Harrier (ad.male) flew inland this morning. Also Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher in area.

Wadebridge - Wood Sandpiper (4), Ruff and Black-tailed Godwit at Walmsley Sanctuary

Truro - Turtle Dove in ploughed field at St Clements at 20.00hrs (Thanks G.Kingdon)

Todays Birding highlights on the Isles of Scilly include:

St Agnes - Wood Warbler in The Parsonage and Hobby over Higher Town.

A Ballions Crake at Stithians Resrvoir in 1995 was the first county record of this species. We still await the second!

Todays Birding highlights in Cornwall include:

Penzance - *CATTLE EGRET* (9) still near Newmill at Boscreege Farm this morning

Sancreed - Golden Oriole (male) 3/4ml SW of Sancreed at Caer Bran Hill Fort this morning. *CATTLE EGRET*(3) still near Drift Reservoir at Treganhoe Farm.

Nanjizal - Hoopoe in fields between Trevilley Farm and Nanjizal Valley. Also *SUBALPINE WARBLER* still at seaward end of Nanjizal Valley in scrub near Faraway Cottage, though elusive.

Colliford Lake - Golden Oriole in willows near tip of eastern arm at 14.00hrs. Also Garganey (drk)

Rame Head - Golden Oriole (2) and Wood Warbler reported along coast path at Penlee (Thanks C.Buckland)

The Lizard - Short Eared Owl seen mid afternoon on telegraph pole at Windmill Farm NR (Thanks A.Blyth)

Sennen - Iceland Gull off lifeboat station again this morning.

Stithians - Hobby flew north from Carnkie towards Reservoir this afternoon

Wadebridge - Wood Sandpiper (2) at Walmsley Sanctuary at 08.30hrs

Truro - Whimbrel (6) on river at St Clements this morning (Thanks S.Taylor)

Cot Valley - Lesser Whitethroat and Swift (3) (Thanks C.Yates)

Todays Birding highlights on the Isles of Scilly include:

Bryher - Golden Oriole (3) still and Redstart.

A Subalpine Warbler was at Sennen in 1992 and a Purple Heron was at Marazion in 2003.

Todays Birding highlights in Cornwall include:

Penzance - *CATTLE EGRET* (9) still in fields at Boscreege Farm near Newmill. Purple Sandpiper (36+) on beach by jubilee pool.

Bude - *CATTLE EGRET* at Maer Lake early morning

Sennen - Iceland Gull (2w) in Cove and Purple Sandpiper (3)

Lands End - Icterine Warbler still in willows south of car park, tho elusive, also Turtle Dove (3)

Record shots of Icterine Warbler at Lands End (Photos:R.Menari)

Newquay - Golden Oriole West Pentire at Porth Joke, flew to top of valley at 08.30hrs.

Nanquidno - Redstart (fem) just east of Nanquidno Farm this morning, also White Wagtail.

Marazion - Arctic Tern (2) and GN Diver (2) offshore this morning.

Rame Head - Whitethroat (4), Linnet (2), Yellowhammer (4), Stonechat (1), Chiffchaff (1) and Fallow Deer (4) this morning. (Thanks J.Batey)

Wadebridge - *CATTLE EGRET* at Walmsley Sanctuary at 17.00hrs. Whimbrel (132+) at Dinham Flats this evening.

Newlyn - Iceland Gull still in harbour this afternoon

Todays Birding highlights on the Isles of Scilly include:

St Mary’s - Woodchat Shrike (male) on west side of pine belt on The Garrison at 12.30hrs. Iceland Gulls at Porthcressa and on Golf Course today. Also Rook still.

Bryher - Golden Oriole (5) on west side of Watch Hill at 14.15hrs and showing well and probable Icterine Warbler by football pitch.

St Martin’s - *PALLID SWIFT* over Middle Town at 17.20hrs