April 2024

28th. A starling with a deformed bill on the Island.

26th. Splendid bluebell display at Goldolphin House.

25th.Two Risso's dolphins in St Ives Bay. There were five on 28th about thee miles out - one jumped out of the water. There are lots of cuttlefish in the bay for them currently.

20th. Lanhydrock. Good displays of bluebells and lesser celandine. We saw 2 siskin.

19th, We walked the Botallack - Kenidjack loop and saw 3 red kite, several chough, all three common hirundine species and a roe deer. I saw a distant male ring ouzel and a hummingbird hawkmoth on Rosewall Hill in the evening. Spring squill and some thrift in flower now.

18th. We saw 4 Dartford warblers in West Cornwall.

17th. We went looking for the golden oriole near Church Cove on the Lizard, but it wasn't there (I've missed three recently). We did see a wheatear, a whitethroat and some nice patches of spring squill.

16th. Spoonbill on Ryan's Field from the A30. there was a red aurora alert just before sunset, and the activity then subsided. I captured a second peak in activity around midnight from The Island.

There were large movements of Manx shearwaters off the Island in the northerly winds, with up to 220/minute close in. A Sandwich tern was also present.

15th. Three wall lizards near the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

14th. Priddy Mineries. Mating bloody-nosed beetles, violet oil beetle, and the heavy metal tolerant alpine penny-cress is in flower now.

13th. Barnsley Warren in Gloucestershire to see the pasque flowers, which were at their best.

Green-winged orchids flowering too.

A grass snake swimming at Lower Moor, Wiltshire.

Then we saw the snakeshead fritillaries art Clattinger Farm meadows.

We also heard a garden warbler, and saw dotted bee fly, orange tips and brimstones on one of the first days that felt like Spring.

8th. A female peregrine flying close to the Life Sciences Building, around St Michael's Hill. At least one bird on 10-12th too.

7th. Cleeve Hill Common. A yellowhammer and 2 red kites en route, and a red-legged partridge nearby. I couldn't find any ring ouzels but did see my first house martin of the year and two swallows.