Cornwall - Fri 17 Oct to Fri 24 Oct

A week away in Cornwall and despite it being a family holiday, I did manage to get in some birding.

A bit of seawatching from Porthkurnick did produce a surprise in the form of a Great Skua that passed by closely. Many Gannets out in Gerrans Bay but nothing on the water, I guess two early for returning grebes and divers.

A decent coastal walk from Towan around St Anthony's Head and back did turn up to Chough, always a delight to see and a bit of a surprise. Half a dozen Swallows were noted flying along the cliff in strong winds.

A mid-week trip to The Lizard and Mullion Cove to twitch a Steppe Grey Shrike was successful, with this being a lifer for me. It showed really well, if a little distant, but I managed some photos.

A stop at Tesco in Truro produced a Lesser Yellowlegs which showed really well.

From Portscatho I found three Ringed Plovers and a Sanderling in with a flock of around forty Turnstones and there were at least sixty Mediterranean Gulls loitering on the rocks and offshore.

All in a few decent birds for the year list and a lifer to boot.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 9 Oct

A new addition to the year list today with a pair of Siskin in the car park, somehow I'd missed this species over the winter, so was glad to finally connect with a couple.

Other than that, it was pretty much same old same old today with four Wigeon and two Teal on the water, a Great White Egret still on West Pool and two Common Sandpipers. There were really good numbers of Meadow Pipits across the site, probably well over a hundred, but I couldn't fin anything in with them.

Sutton Bingham year list for 2025 now at 118 species.