April 2026

Nocmig summary 30 March - 10 April. SM3 in garden - Quite convincing moorhen calls 23.40-45h on 1 April, also 02.01h 6 April (99%), though probably strange herring gull calls. Tawny owl hooting until 4 April. Yellow-browed warbler (91% accuracy and sounded good) 19.06h 4 April. Redwing 04.40h 30 March and 02.32h 6 April. Toad 22.16h 6 April. Clear common sandpiper 02.32h 8 April, choughs over 19.00h 7 April. Also linnets, greenfinch, chaffinch. Audiomoth - swallow 07.27h 5 April, chiffchaff 06.55h 6 April, rook 5 and 6 April 06-07h.

12 April-19 April. Raven 19.40h 12th; linnets 19.29h 12th; Sandwich terns 01.38h 13th; whimbrel 22.55h 12th, 01.31h and 04.00h 18th, 21.29h 18th; tawny owl hooting consistently, still hooting on early morning of 19th, typically after 01.00h; tree pipit 91% 20.37h 14th, 85% 22.29 same night; common sandpiper 21.55h, 23.56h, 02.32h 16th, 04.08h 18th; rook 18.37h 15th; possible yellow-browed warbler(88%) 18.17h 15th (last day of reliable sightings too); chiffchaff 19.13h 17th; firecrest 19.02h 17th, supported by playing through Merlin too; possible ringed plover (89%) 02.10 18th. I also recorded some strange calls I still have to identify.

23rd-30th April. Not much of note identified, and lots of false positives on Chirpity. Common sandpiper 01.04h 26th and whimbrel 21.11h 25th, 18.20h 26th and 22.20h 26th.

30th. Two swift, 25 swallow, 5 house martins, a sand martin, a dunlin flying over town, 2 wheatear, and a distant red kite from The Island.

29th. Two sparrowhawk, 3 buzzard, 23 swift, a ringed plover and a whimbrel from The Island. Back to Walmsley with Liam where we saw the 3 black-winged stilts (2 males and a female), had a brief flight view of the purple heron, also saw 3 ruff, whimbrel, 23 black-tailed godwit, 2 wood sandpipers, 1 common sandpiper, greenshank, reed bunting.

We had distant views of the adult whiskered tern before it flew off high, only returning later in the evening.

We had great views of an otter in front of the hide.

28th. A distant red kite from The Island - first I've seen from there. I heard a garden warbler and saw a whimbrel at Drift Reservoir where the water level was very high, and there were 4 whimbrel at Marazion. In the afternoon I drove to Walmsley Sanctuary and saw the 2nd calendar year purple heron, 3 black-winged stilts, red kite (another over the estuary at Wadebridge), a male marsh harrier, 3 ruff including a white-headed summer plumage male, and an elusive wood sandpiper.

27th. Kynance area. A singing male Dartford warbler and 13 whimbrel. Today was a choice between The Lizard and Porthgwarra, and I made the wrong choice as a dark-phase booted eagle flew over Porthgwarra! I saw Lackey moth larvae in a tent, and subterranean clover. the clover is not strictly one of the Lizard specialty clovers, but we didn't see it on our clover hunt in 2021.

26th. Thirteen common scoter past The Island, and a chiffchaff on the south slope. A singing grasshopper warbler showed very well at Bartinney and I could still hear it at close range.

Here's it singing.

Land's End had so many whitethroat present - I've never seen so many.

25th. A whitethroat was singing on the Island. Three purple sandpiper still present, and a whimbrel flew from Porthmeor. The Pallas's warbler showed well in Trewyn Gardens, and this was the last day it was seen - the winds have dropped at last and it seems to have moved on. Merlin picked up a grasshopper warbler at Bartinney, and also a short-toed lark, which I'm doubtful of, although one appeared on Scilly that evening (the islands are visible from Bartinney). It claimed a yellow wagtail too. There was a male reed bunting present.

The dusky warbler showed ridiculously well around the slipway at Boscathnoe reservoir. Its eyes looked slightly unhealthy, and its bill was open some of the time. I hope it hasn't picked up a fungal infection from being around the feeding area. At one point it settled in low vegetation about 2m from me, remaining motionless. It is feeding actively at least.

24th. Alan Lobb found a smart summer plumage Kentish plover at Marazion and I shot off to see it - only the second one I've seen in Britain.

A pair of garganey were also on the marsh, and a red kite flew past. A Sandwich tern was offshore.

In the afternoon there was a cuckoo singing, a chough and 2 roe deer on Rosewall Hill.

23rd. Common sandpiper and sand martin at The Island. Pallas's warbler still in Trewyn Gardens - seen once and called twice in an hour - elusive. Orange tip here too. Two sedge warblers, 2 stock dove, white wagtail, 2 wheatear and a swift at Marazion. A jackdaw ate a young slow worm.

22nd. I saw a purple sandpiper and heard a ringed plover from The Island.

21st. Willow warbler, probable chiffchaff, 4 wheatear and a swallow on The Island. The Pallas's warbler was seen in Trewyn Gardens by other observers.

20th. Three common sandpiper on and 2 raven over The Island. At Lands End I saw a swift, linnets, a house martin, 2 whitethroat including this ringed bird that appears to have 'AR' in the ring, and at least 30 red kite. Orange tip flying.

A male ring ouzel on Rosewall Hill (my 13th visit this Spring), and a green sandpiper on the pool there.

18th. Three chough over and a chiffchaff on The Island. At Marazion I saw 12 common scoter, a cattle egret, 13 whimbrel, 3 curlew, 2 common sandpiper and a male reed bunting.

17th. A very strong passage of seabirds past The Island in NW winds, with 400+ Manx shearwater and 50+ auks passing close inshore per minute at times. A chiffchaff was also singing. I spotted the Pallas's warbler in a tree on Richmond Place, and it then showed well on the Trewyn House side of the Gardens. Two Arctic tern fed off Porthmeor.

We then drove to The Lizard again this time to see the WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER at The Waterings, Upper Housel. I had two brief views, one when it flew along the hedge showing its red upperparts and white outer tail feathers. The second view involved it calling ('tck calls) as it returned to the hedge from across the path. The underparts look quite pale in some photos, though experienced local birders are convinced it is a 2nd calendar-year Western.

16th. A wheatear, 8 swallow and a chiffchaff on The Island. Another chiffchaff in my back garden. I think the yellow-browed warbler may have left, though I made a video recording of the Pallas's warbler with my iPhone as I walked through Trewyn Gardens to go shopping. An evening walk to Clodgy Point to revisit a scene that Sickert painted, and we saw a whimbrel, purple sandpiper and 2 wheatear.

15th. Two rook, 2 Canada geese and a whimbrel flew over The Island. There are purple wood anemones flowering on Rosewall Hill, and we found a bloody-nosed beetle. A buzzard flew over Trewyn Gardens.

14th. A pair of greenfinch were courtship feeding on The Island. The male (photo by Hetty) below. Also present were a chiffchaff, 2 wheatear, purple sandpiper and a swallow.

In the evening we went to Lizard Point to see a very confiding hoopoe (it was attacked by a peregrine the same day and had a lucky escape). Top photo by me, others by Hetty.

13th. I spent a lot of the day photographing warblers, when news broke of a little tern off Porthmeor.

12th. An amazing day of St Ives birding unfolded. Another birder thought there were two yellow-browed warblers in Trewyn Gardens, and Liam also though he saw two birds. I then saw two birds simultaneously, and started looking at photos. One bird was a lot brighter in comparison with the 'scruffy' yellow-browed, and on closer inspection showed a median crown stripe, confirming it as a Pallas's warbler! At one point there was a blackcap, a chiffchaff, a yellow-browed warbler and a Pallas's warbler in the small subtropical garden in central St Ives with willow warbler also heard distantly!

Both the yellow-browed and the Pallas's warbler were vocal, calling and sometimes singing. The yellow-browed warbler was last seen reliably on 15th. The Pallas's warbler is still present on 25th. Some photos below during this period. There was a lot of twitching. Holly blues and a hummingbird hawkmoth were in the park mid-month.

Pallas's warbler

Here's the call.

and a short video from the iPhone as I walked to the shops.

Yellow-browed warbler

I went to Boscregan to see the first summer male woodchat shrike near Little Hendra Farm.

The first plants of purple viper's bugloss are flowering, and the presumed hybrid Iberian x common chiffchaff was singing at Nanquidno.

Here's the song

The first-winter Bonaparte's gull is still on the Hayle Estuary.

11th. A pair of greenfinch on The Island in the morning, 3 Sandwich tern in the afternoon. Wheatear on a windswept Rosewall Hill, and a willow warbler singing at Nance Fishing Lakes. At around 09.50h, Liam called to say he has a singing yellow-browed warbler in Trewyn Gardens, about 100m from my house! I managed a few photos. A sparrowhawk was also in Trewyn Gardens.

The calls are in - this seems to work fine by clicking on 'play' on phones and iPads, may be problematic on some computers.

The song is more complex.

The Hepworth Sculpture Gardens look beautiful with the Spring blossom.

10th. Some good birds on The Island - a female-type merlin flew past at close range, a swallow and a red-throated diver passed by, 2 rook circled overhead and a greenfinch was on the south side. Still no ring ouzels for me, and I also missed the woodchat near Nanquidno. My camera also fell out of my rucksack and smashed the 100-500mm lens mount.

9th. A red throated diver flew west past The Island. A strong passage of auks and Manx shearwater offshore.

8th. A beautiful, still, warm and sunny day. We went to Gunwalloe where I heard my first reed warbler of the year. An adder approached us closely as we settled for a rest in the grass. A slender groundhopper was also present.

7th. Five wheatear on Rosewall Hill. The dusky warbler showed very well at Boscathnoe Reservoir, and had its bill open much of the time as though it was trying to sing.

An oak eggar caterpillar on Rosewall Hill.

6th. I was surprised to find a grey plover on The Island this morning - first one I've seen there. There were also 19 purple sandpiper still present.

5th. A strong passage of Manx shearwaters from The Island. Back to Chapel Amble with Liam, Billy and Tim in better weather. The killdeer was more distant however. We saw c125 sand martins, a house martin, ruff, greenshank and 2 marsh harriers.

4th. Nanquidno, where the strange chiffchaff that may be an intergrade common/Iberian is singing. Some of the 'v' notes are classic Iberian, though Mike McKee has a video of what must be the same bird with identical song last year that also emits a common chiffchaff call.

3rd. I went to Chapel Amble to see the KILLDEER, my first new bird for 2026. A few record shots in poor light below. Also present in the area were a green sandpiper, swallows, sand martins and a red kite.

2nd. Whimbrel and a Sandwich tern past the Island. Two chough over town.

1st. I walked from Trevescan past Nanjizel onto Porthgwarra. Swallows are back around the farm at Trevescan. there were 8 wheatear and 7 chough at Porthgwarra. I missed the orcas off the Lizard by going to the far west.