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So having decided that our plan would be to spend most of our time in "our" area but that we could not resist hitting some big areas just outside and that 100 species was doable - we plotted our route and timings and we struck to it.  Admittedly, nothing special turned up elsewhere and so we were not challenged to stick to the plan - but stick to it, we did.  We were up at 04:30, the bird-mobile was fired up by 05:02 and we were all "on site" by 05:14.  Energy levels at 05:00 are remarkably high.  That first House Sparrow is a nail biter ... the Starling that is "usually on those wires" sets the nerves jangling a bit.  Our "certain Razorbill to fly past the Island" didnt materialise. 

It's not ALL about St Ives ... sometimes we head out and visit other top spots around West Cornwall.  Friday morning was such a morning when Alan and Billy decided after checking Bussow and Nance Lakes with nothing more interesting than a Sedge Warbler and a few hirundines.  We headed to Marazion and after finding a pair of Garganey on the main we were happy.  After checking out the Eastern end of the marsh, it was time for coffee.  The Hoxton Special is the cafe of choice - their Epic Cheese Toasties are ... well ... epic.  As Billy was otherwise engaged making use of the local amenities, 2 Dunlin and something else were running along the beach eastwards away from a dog-walker who was, of course, completely oblivious to the disturbance being caused.  That "something else" turned out to be an adult Kentish Plover.  Scenes!!

To his eternal credit, Liam had a sneaking suspicion that one of the "Yellow-broweds" was something different.  First when it was seen it looked "a bit bright" and secondly when Gareth's initial shot's came through showing a super-bright, prominent supercilium.  So, he went to check again first thing this morning and guess what, he was right  ... the brighter bird is a Pallas's Warbler.  A great spring find and a St Ives 20k new bird as well.  The Pilchard's Press will get a bit of a workout soon ...

The official list for the St Ives 20K area is 281.  Which is pretty decent for a small area.  We reckon that outside North Norfolk, Shetland, Scilly, and bird observatories there can't be many similar sized places with a similar sized list.  But 281 means that we are 19 short of 300 - which led us to look at what we're missing - which then led us to a rather shocking discovery.

Since our last posting in mid January - and we did say that we wouldnt be regular! - things have been quiet (other than the monster find of a winter Wilson's Petrel by James which he talked about here. There are several reasons for that - mostly because its been mid-january and February and that's hardly peak season for anything. But also because some of us got away from Cornwall for a bit leaving a couple of stalwarts to man the barricades and keep the year list going.  A site record (probably) of 450 Fulmar on February 18th and on the same day, a very early House Martin by Billy gripped several of us off.  An immature, probably 2CY, Iceland Gull passed The Island and flew into the bay on the 22nd which was another Billy find. 

On the 26th January, one of our esteemed members, James - finder of rare Swifts and Hirundines, found a petrel flying around off Eastern Green Beach between Penzance and Long Rock basically.  Any petrel in January is rare - and we believe this to be a Wilson's Petrel.  Now, the more astute amongst you will know that Eastern Green beach is somewhat outside our self-defined St Ives Birders area.  Top marks for being geographically aware and on the ball!  We post this account by James himself more as a record of this remarkable sighting, and also because we have a feeling given the current progress on Wilson's taxonomy that this record may well become more important over time... and, you know, because James is one of our own!

On the morning of 11th Jan with the wind howling in from the South, AL visited his stations of the cross around The Island with pretty low expectations.  Those expectations were exceeded somewhat initially by seeing a large dolphin/cetacean heading north out of the bay at some speed.  Large, dark grey, bulky and blunt-headed with a very tall almost "orca-like" dorsal find (it was NOT an Orca!) - swimming quickly and breathing every 10 seconds or so as it really travelled quickly North-west-ish out of the bay - it must have been a Risso's Dolphin.  Risso's are regular in late summer - not so much in winter - and given that it was dark grey with no obvious scarring it may have been a young-ish one?

The Inaugural Bird of the Year 2025 for the St Ives 20K Area ... and the nominees are:

An early start with a great sunrise but a pretty slow couple of hours at the railings this morning with a single Manx, a few auks, 6 Common Scoter, an "on-the-deck" Chough risking life and limb feeding within the dog-walking area, and several Red-throated/Great Northern Divers past and offshore.  Until that is, when at around 10am Liam picked up a "#%$£ing Grebe flying out of the bay!"  Grebes of any sort are rare at St Ives - especially #%$£ing Grebes - so this was one we needed.  However, as soon as he'd picked it up it landed and disappeared into the waves and was lost to view.