March 2025

29th: at least 2 Dartford warbler on the Penwith moorland.

28th: 3 red-throated diver (one summer plumage), 3 Sandwich tern and 3 swallow from the Island.

27th. The Island, St Ives: 2 chough (flew out to sea, circled high up in a thermal with gulls, then flew East), 3 common scoter, Sandwich tern. Quiet on Rosewall Hill. At least 3 puffin flew west off Lizard point, and a new first-year spoonbill joined the ringed bird at Ryan's Field.

26th. A song thrush flew into town from the Island. I heard a greenshank and a curlew from Rosewall Hill. Meadow pipits here too, and Merlin claimed a tree pipit.

The second-year ringed spoonbill fed near the hide at Ryan's Field, with 3 black-tailed godwit also present. Another hoopoe at Marazion, and 5 swallow there too.

25th: Pendeen: hoopoe, 2 black redstart in the sea mist. The ashy-headed wagtail departed yesterday.

22nd. We visited Pilning Wetlands soon after 14.30h and inadvertently just missed the booted eagle that had moved on from Cornwall by about 10 minutes. We did see 2 little ringed plover, a jack snipe feeding in the open, and 2 wheatear.

14th-17th. A long weekend break with the family in Lyme Regis organised by my daughter Kiara. I love Lyme for its character and beauty. The weather was great, and we stayed near the town close to the River Lim, where I looked for dippers without success. We had great views of a female sparrowhawk eating a feral pigeon, and also saw two firecrests on the edge of Longmoor Gardens. I didn't take my camera, and Hetty returned to the car to get the 5D Mark IK and 100-400mm with extender so we could take these shots.

The ammonite pavement at Monmouth Beach.

There are some impressive reefs of honeycomb worms Sabellaria alveolata on the beach. They are at the eastern limit of their range in Britain at Lyme Bay.

The Cobb.

Pinhay Warren on the Undercliff.

6th. Stunning hawfinches in the Forest of Dean. There were at least two females, including a bird colour-ringed Green 6T on right leg. At least one splendid male too.

Two goshawks, flyover siskins, and an obliging common lizard at New Fancy View, and 5 mandarins at Cannop Ponds.

5th. Singing chiffchaff heard in the garden at Bristol. Recent birds include jay, buzzard and blackcap. There are carrion crows, magpies and grey squirrels nesting in the garden, and a resident red fox.

1st. The Island, St Ives: 8 common scoter, 7 red-throated diver, 3 black-throated diver (1 summer plumage), 3 great northern diver, 1 great skua, 3 common gull, 1 female-type black redstart. Also ca. 5 common dolphin, 4 bottlenose dolphin, 1 harbour porpoise. 

Michelle's crows

A foraging group of grey seals