March 2026

10th. There are adult and a first-winter Bonaparte's gulls at Copperhouse Creek currently.

Several Mediterranean gulls too.

9th. The Dartford warblers are back on the West Penwith moorlands. I saw at least two today.

I eventually got decent views of the dusky warbler at Boscathnoe after hearing in call while flying in. There were also 2 firecrest and 6 sand martins present.

8th. Fourteen purple sandpiper in flight from The Island, ca. 20 great northern and a red-throated diver.

7th. Few birds seen on a walk around Buttermilk and Rosewall Hills, Bartinney and the Foage Valley. The adders in the hedges at below Chapel Carn Brea were spectacular however. There's a rove beetle Paederus (presumed littoralis) in the second image.

6th. A lone purple sandpiper on The Island during a storm.

There's a dead shag below the lookout.

During our evening drinks on 4th, we thought that Pacific diver was a possible bird that we could see from the Island. Amazingly, Liam found one on the morning of 5th, and there are some record shots of the distant bird taken by Alan below. The plain back and chin strap show it was an adult, maybe one of the Mount's Bay birds.

I was back in Cornwall on 3rd, the day the Ross's gull disappeared! I missed a lot of local birds on 4th, though caught up with the curlew sandpiper that Alan found on The Island, just as it was getting dark and before our evening drinks at the Pilchard Press. It was with about 20 dunlin and 4 purple sandpiper.

There was also a dead polecat/ferret on the road near Consols. Alan saw one on The Island a few days beforehand.

2nd. Forest of Dean. Ten sightings of goshawks in 90 minutes around midday onwards at New Fancy, including three in the air together at one point.

I also saw 3 marsh tit, nuthatch, 5 goosander and mandarins at Cannop Ponds, and a mistle thrush (first of year at last) at Speech House, with two stock dove too.