Male Firecrest Conner Downs. The year started off well when i found this first winter Kumliens Gull in January on the Hayle estuary . Second winter Caspian Gull Hayle in what was a record breaking winter for these smart birds ,new individuals kept turning up including this beast of a bird. February . Yellow Legged Gull . Hayle another good winter for these Gulls. Skylark. Hayle Towans , Nothing better than listening to and watching Skylarks in spring. Grasshopper Warbler. Hayle Towans. May. Tawny Pipit. near St Just. May. As above. As above. Adult Rose Coloured Starling .Hayle . June ..read more

Yellow Browed Warbler ,Lelant , one of my favourite birds . This Siberian little sprite turns up in reasonable numbers in Britain and western Europe which is quite surprising when you consider it breeds 2500km away, this is thought to be what is called reversed migration where inexperienced birds go the wrong way. This bird was continually calling its distinctive disyllabic high pitched tso-weest call. It was feeding franticly on small insects. Last pic of this little Cracker. Dusky Warbler St Erth fisheries . Dusky Warbler breeds in Siberia to northern China and although it ..read more

Male Red Breasted Flycatcher enjoying a preen in the morning sunshine. RBF breeds mainly in east and central Europe and winters in Pakistan ,India and the middle east and is a rare visitor to Britain mainly in the Autumn ,but most birds are first winter birds, so to see an adult male with the red throat and breast  is a real rarity. They can be fairly phyllosc like at times . Almost a winning flight shot showing the nice tail pattern.   ..read more

Adult Rose Coloured Starling Hayle  Towans June. Some good friends of mine phoned to say they had an unusual bird visiting their  garden and suspected it might be a RCStarling and asked me to take a look ,sure enough after a few minutes this splendid bird appeared in there back garden. The yellow on the forehead is pollen . Rose Coloured Starling Breeds to the west of the Black Sea and southwest Siberia through Turkey and Iran to West China it mainly winters in India and Southeast Arabia. It reaches Britain  and western Europe as a scarce vagrant in small numbers, I deci ..read more

Semipalmated Sandpiper .Hayle September. You can just make out the small webs on the feet. Semipalmated Sandpiper is a North American breeder which usually winters in central and south America and is a very rare vagrant to Britian. Posing here with a dunlin to the left . This first winter bird showed very well at times and would walk to within a few metres of people present. Bairds Sandpiper. Another North American bird which breeds in eastern Siberia too and winters in south America and a rare vagrant to Britain . This is a first winter bird  Hayle September. Little Stint , M ..read more

Indigo Bunting .3rd record for Britain and a first for England and the Isles of Scilly. After the news of a Rose Breasted Grosbeak had been found the afternoon before on Gugh we decided to head for St Agnes to see if the bird was still there the next morning ,although there was no sign of the Grosbeak we did get to see a cracking Red Eyed Vireo another rare American vagrant .Feeling more than satisfied with our  day little prepared us for what was about to happen in the afternoon when this first winter bird was found and Kerry and i were first on the scene ,what a moment when it flew ..read more

 Skylark in song flight one of the great sounds of spring.  As above.  As above .  This very skulking Grasshopper Warbler has been on territory for over two weeks now.  Male Whitethroat already feeding young.  As above.  Male Stonechat with a Ruby Tiger Moth for its young.  A rear view of the same bird.  Wimbrel in flight had a good passage the last few days.  Meadow Pipit.  Meadow pipit in display flight.  Buzzard being mobbed by a rook.  Been a steady flow of Wheatears the last couple of weeks including this fine m ..read more

 Kumlien,s Gull 2nd year,not a bird i ever considered to get on my garden list, to cap it all its the bird i found on the estuary back in January.  Hobby. Red Kite ..read more

 The long staying adult ,more pics to follow.  Bird one ,first winter,November.  Bird 2 the long staying adult photographed in November this bird stayed well in to March.  Bird 3 Sub adult .  Bird 4 Sub adult ,November.  Bird 5 Adult November.  Bird 6 3rd winter.November.  It was a German ringed bird.  Bird 7 November.Sub adult.  Another German ringed bird.  Bird 8 Sub adult,February  Bird 9 ,3rd winter,January.  Bird 10 ,second winter nick named the beast ,February . These are just some of the Caspian Gulls seen on the estuary this winter. Including the ..read more

 The highlight of the year for me personally was finding this American Royal Tern on my local patch at Hayle at the beginning of June, a first for Cornwall.  Second winter Caspian Gull.A good winter for Caspians with at least 5 or 6 seen over the winter.  Adult and the above second winter Caspian Gulls  in March on the Hayle estuary the first time i believe that two have been photographed together in Cornwall.  Adult Yellow Legged Gull a good year for them.  There were also good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls to be seen at Hayle including this fine Adult.  Our spring trip to the Isles of Scill ..read more