The St Ives 20K area list

Every birder, or almost every birder, is driven by a list.  A list of birds that they have seen, or more specifically, a list of birds they haven't seen. And a list of birds they would like to see.  And we're no different.

The complete St Ives Area List currently stands at 281 species and there are 3 ssp not included - Blue Fulmar, Hooded Crow and Blue-headed Wagtail.  There are some outstanding records on this list proving what a well-watched and bird-friendly place St Ives has been over the years. 

There are also some surprising "non-attendees" on this list.  The next mini-twitch in St Ives will probably be for a Little Grebe.  And we've never had a Garganey or Corn Bunting or ... a Coot.  Maybe, Corn Bunting we can understand - but Coot - that just smacks of complacency and sloth.  And why have we not seen a Serin yet?  The one thing we have learned by constructing this list is that we really must visit Bussow Reservoir more often.  It's the only sizeable bit of standing water in our "patch", its 1km from the sea, it's in West Cornwall and we haven't got many ducks on our list.  What's not to like?

This St Ives 20K list is a product of a load of work scraping data from eBird; also with data kindly supplied by Cornwall Bird Watching Peservation Society; some well-kept, and some not so well-kept, manual records of local birders; as well as a touching faith in our ability to use EXCEL.  We have made every attempt to be accurate and we have also been as ruthless as possible with some records scraped off eBird that might have been ... *coughs* ... "not recorded with total commitment to accuracy and authenticity" -  Barn Owl perched on a rock at St Ives for example?  Despite our efforts, we are sure there are still some errors/missing records - so please let us know if you spot one of these. 

We have kept sensitive species information deliberately vague where appropriate - namely owls, harriers, any Dartford Warbler and Nightjar records that crop up - to name a few.  We'll try and keep this as up to date as possible. The recent (March '26) Pacific Diver is included.  

This list is an attempt to give everyone - ourselves included - an idea of what to expect but more importantly what's not expected. If you do visit St Ives, whether you join us or not - if you see a Coot, do let us know.

 

BOU Sequence Number Species Name Status within the St Ives 20K Area
10 Ruddy Duck Very rare - 3 old records from 1979, 1982 and 1985 (all Bussow Res).  Doubt we'll ever get another….
20 Mute Swan Surprisingly uncommon
30 Bewick's Swan Very rare - the last in Trewey Common in Dec 1993
40 Whooper Swan Rare -but 3 recent records suggest its underrecorded
50 Brent Goose Uncommon - last record in 2023 in St Ives Harbour
70 Canada Goose Reasonably regular in the area
80 Barnacle Goose Rare - records confused by escapes and naturalised birds at Gwithian
120 Greylag Goose Rare - but probably overlooked.  Who looks for Greylags???!! 
140 White-fronted Goose Very rare - last record from Trewey in 2010
160 Pink-footed Goose Very rare - another record from the famous Bottomley's … 1985 this one
180 Mandarin Duck Very rare - one record from Trewey 1996
190 Egyptian Goose Very rare - a record from Zennor in 2022
200 Shelduck Very rare - last record from The Island 2010 … strange
220 Long-tailed Duck Rare - used to be annual now every 3/5 years
250 Eider Uncommon to rare - more a South Coast bird than North Coast
270 Common Scoter Regular in winter - almost daily - but they rarely settle
290 Surf Scoter Very rare - records from 1987, 1998 & 2013.  We're due another …
300 Velvet Scoter Very rare past St Ives - although regular past Pendeen in winter
350 Goldeneye Very rare - 1984 was the last one.  We're not very good on ducks
360 Smew Very rare - Jan 1985 was the last one .. At Bussow.  We really need to go there again
380 Red-breasted Merganser Very rare - surprisingly. 
390 Goosander Very rare - last in 2022 - they spend the winter in Hayle - 5kms away - so this is odd that they are so rare
410 Ferruginous Duck Very rare - Bussow Reservoir in 1985 the last one which was originally seen at Drift from 1984
420 Pochard Very rare - don't know what was happening in Jan '85 but what a run of ducks on Bussow
440 Ring-necked Duck Very rare -last at Bussow Reservoir in 1992 after being in Drift and elsewhere
460 Tufted Duck Uncommon -  but certainly annual on passage past the Island.
480 Scaup Rare - a recent record but maybe less than annual
510 Blue-winged Teal Very rare - One possibly "unsubmitted" record from 1987 - Trewey
520 Shoveler Very rare - one recent record from 2023
540 Gadwall Very rare - 1984 November was the last one … which is quite frankly very poor
550 Wigeon Uncommon - but probably regular on passage
570 Mallard Not exactly common as we have little standing water/lakes
590 Pintail Rare to uncommon - annual
600 Teal Uncommon but probably regular passing the Island
650 Grey Partridge Very rare - found on the road outside the Tinners Arms in Zennor in 2023
680 Pheasant Very common and very regular throughout the year
690 Quail Very rare - most recent from 2019 on Buttermilk Hill.  A Quail year
730 Slavonian Grebe Very rare - 2 old records - last one 2003
740 Red-necked Grebe Very rare - but one very recent record Jan '26
750 Great Crested Grebe Surprisingly rare - with a recent Jan 26 record
760 Black-necked Grebe Very rare - 2 records - but a recent from March '25
830 Cuckoo Spring to early summer across the area - but gone quickly by mid-June
870 Turtle Dove Rare - although probably annual especially during autumn
880 Collared Dove Common throughout the year
890 Woodpigeon Common, regular, everywhere - unfortunately
900 Rock Dove Not the real Rock Dove ..  Sky Rats are everywhere, which the Peregrines appreciate
910 Stock Dove Regular but not common mainly up in farmland
940 Water Rail Uncommon to rare in winter - probably overlooked
970 Spotted Crake Very rare - one old record from 1976
980 Moorhen This statistically is rare - but we've discovered a small population at Bussow so now common and regular
1050 Baillon's Crake Very rare - one shot in 1858  No wonder they don't come back.
1090 Oystercatcher Common and regular along the coasts
1100 Grey Plover Very rare - but another Hayle winterer that we rarely see 5 kms away
1110 Golden Plover Regular in winter - on the moors up Zennor way 
1140 Dotterel Very rare - last record from Zennor 2023
1160 Ringed Plover Uncommon - but annual
1180 Little Ringed Plover Very rare - a record from Clodgy Point in 1996 
1190 Lapwing Uncommon - but probably overlooked
1320 Whimbrel Regular but not common - almost daily at times of passage
1330 Curlew Regular but not common - passage, winter bird.
1340 Bar-tailed Godwit Passage migrant - regular but not common
1350 Black-tailed Godwit Uncommon to rare -autumn passage
1370 Long-billed Dowitcher Very rare - last in 1937 at Zennor
1390 Jack Snipe Very rare - Zennor 1991 - but they must be more common than the stats suggest
1400 Woodcock Rare - but probably way more common than seen.
1430 Snipe Uncommon - but certainly overlooked
1450 Common Sandpiper Uncommon - but more often heard from the NCI building as they "weet - weet - weet" around the rocks
1460 Spotted Sandpiper Very rare - 1 from Bussow Res in 1970, 1 from St Ives Island in 2010 - we're due another in 2050
1480 Grey Phalarope Regular in small numbers when conditions are right.  Maximum day count around 10
1490 Red-necked Phalarope Very rare - two in 1958
1500 Green Sandpiper Uncommon to rare - last in 2020
1540 Wood Sandpiper Rare - last seen near Zennor in 2023 - before that 1983
1550 Redshank Uncommon - probably annual and probably overlooked
1580 Greenshank Rare to uncommon - but annual, we think
1600 Turnstone Commonest wader around the area - like Sparrows in St Ives Harbour
1610 Knot Rare - less than annual
1630 Ruff Very rare - last record in 1983 - surely we're due another one
1660 Curlew Sandpiper Rare - but a very recent one in the wader roost on the Island might mean its overlooked
1720 Sanderling Regular but not common - in small numbers on passage and some in the Island roost occasionally
1730 Dunlin Is the regular roosting wader on the Island - peaking in winter and passage - but not common
1740 Purple Sandpiper Regular in small numbers during winter from Oct to April.  Sometimes up to 50 birds but usually 5-10 knock around the Island
1760 Pectoral Sandpiper Very rare - last in 1983 on Trewey Common
1860 Arctic Skua Regular during passage times and occasional winter records.  
1870 Long-tailed Skua Rare - but regular - needs the right conditions - 6 on 4th October 2025.  A target sea watch species
1880 Pomarine Skua Regular - during late summer passage but these also appear in winter
1890 Great Skua The most regular skua off St Ives - passage is clearly peak time but we have wintering birds regularly in and out of the bay
1900 South Polar Skua Very rare - one BBRC accepted record in 2023 -ID'd off photos, etc
1920 Puffin Regular - but not common - during spring especially and autumn passage
1950 Black Guillemot Rare - one in 1996 of the Island
1960 Razorbill Common although not as common as Guillemot - outnumbered by about 5:1 on average
1980 Little Auk Rare - maybe one record a year past the Island during winter
2000 Common Guillemot Commonest auk off St Ives pretty much throughout the year. Peaking at passage
2030 Bridled Tern Very rare - One in 1982 off St Ives
2040 Little Tern Uncommon to rare - only seen on autumn passage
2070 Gull-billed Tern Very rare - one in 1967 off St Ives
2100 Black Tern Uncommon to rare - but regular during autumn passage.  There were approx. 20 during Autumn 2025
2110 Sandwich Tern Summer visitor in small numbers - more common during passage
2120 Elegant Tern Very rare - one in 2002 off St Ives which was originally in Devon
2130 Royal Tern Very rare - one in Hayle passed St Ives on its way out … 
2150 Forster's Tern Very rare - this is the Hayle one from 1987 - seen from St Ives also
2160 Arctic Tern Regular but not common during autumn.  Can pass in good numbers in right conditions - tend to be late afternoon birds
2170 Common Tern Similar to Arctic Tern - regular but not common in autumn passage.  On "tern days" can pass in good numbers in mixed flocks
2180 Roseate Tern Probably our rarest tern - unsurprisingly - much less than annual but we think we may be missing these in mixed flocks 
2190 Little Gull Regular during Autumn passage especially but can turn up any time between late summer and late spring
2200 Ross's Gull Very rare - one back in 1977 off the Island
2210 Kittiwake Common throughout the year - probably the commonest bird off St Ives
2220 Sabine's Gull Uncommon but in the right conditions very regular off St Ives.  66 in one day in 2025.   A target species
2250 Bonaparte's Gull Very rare - one from 1968 at St Ives
2260 Black-headed Gull Common throughout the year
2270 Laughing Gull Very rare - one recent record in '25, prior to that '77 … we have a long wait for another one
2310 Mediterranean Gull Regular in small numbers throughout the year - sometimes a flock of up to 100 roost over near Clodgy
2320 Ring-billed Gull Records from '89 and '93 but one has wintered at Hayle for the past few years and so must fly past the Island at some point
2330 Common Gull Regular - but not common in Spring, Autumn and Winter
2370 Herring Gull Common throughout the year
2380 Yellow-legged Gull Rare - but probably not looked for much - probably more regular than stats show
2390 Great Black-backed Gull Common throughout the year
2400 Glaucous Gull Very rare - last in 2020 - getting rarer
2410 Lesser Black-backed Gull Mainly a spring to autumn visitor - noticeable arrivals "in off" along coast in spring
2440 Iceland Gull Very rare - one recent record in Feb '26
2460 Red-throated Diver Regular and sometimes common winter visitor
2470 Great Northern Diver Probably our commonest Diver.  Start arriving in the bay by Oct and peak around Feb and most gone by end March/April.  A few linger into April/May
2480 White-billed Diver Very rare - one record from 1988. We're due another soon …
2490 Pacific Diver Very rare - one record from March '26.  The first record!! … 
2500 Black-throated Diver Regular but never common and not daily during winter
2520 Black-browed Albatross Very rare - 2 records from 2023 and 1982
2530 Wilson's Storm-Petrel Rare - but recently has become more regular and less "mythical".  A target species for St Ives Sea watch
2550 European Storm-Petrel Regular but not common - often on still days in summer and on passage days
2580 Leach's Storm-Petrel Rare - but in the right conditions regular.  A target species
2590 Fulmar Regular throughout the year - reasonably common
Fulmar (Blue Phase) Very rare - last record in 2009
2620 Cory's Shearwater Regular and almost common in autumn passage - recent years have seen a big increase in numbers
2630 Sooty Shearwater Regular - not common - but seems to turn up pretty much at any time in the right conditions
2640 Great Shearwater The rarest of the large "shears" off St Ives.  Needs the "right" conditions more than the others
2650 Manx Shearwater Used to be summer visitor.  Now all year round - peaks in autumn obviously with huge numbers of 100k individuals a day
2660 Mediterranean Shearwater Regular in summer/late summer in small numbers
2670 Barolo Shearwater Very rare - 2 records from 1967 and 2007. But we should be getting one soon
2710 Black Stork Very rare - one wandering individual seen over Buttermilk in June '21
2720 White Stork Very rare - one record in 1998
2750 Gannet The "white van" of the sea - common and regular throughout the year
2770 Brown Booby Very rare - the first one for the UK flew past in 2019
2780 Shag Commoner than Cormorant especially in St Ives Bay
2800 Cormorant Common along the coast westwards. 
2810 Glossy Ibis Very rare - 2 records - last in 2025
2830 Dalmatian Pelican One record from 2016.  The first record for UK 
2850 Bittern Very rare - one record from 1970
2860 American Bittern Very rare -one record in 2010 at Trewey Common found by a farmer
2890 Little Egret Regular in parts of the area and passing offshore occasionally
2900 Night-heron Very rare - one record Consols in 2012
2940 Great White Egret Rare - one a year
2950 Cattle Egret Very rare - last in 2023 - possibly overlooked in area
2960 Purple Heron Very rare - one in 1977 from Trewey Common
2970 Grey Heron Pretty regular and reasonably common in expected areas
3010 Nightjar Present
3050 Alpine Swift Rare - last in 2023 seen in the town and Tate for a couple of weeks
3080 Little Swift Very rare - one reported from Buttermilk in 2023
3090 Swift Late Spring to early summer.  Departing parties seen in mid-July over St Ives
3100 Pallid Swift Very rare - one from Nov. 2025 - submitted
3110 Barn Owl Present
3160 Short-eared Owl Rare - winter visitor - maybe overlooked
3170 Long-Eared Owl Very rare - maybe overlooked
3180 Snowy Owl Very rare - one record from 2008
3190 Tawny Owl Uncommon - but probably overlooked
3200 Osprey Rare - last however was 2025 over Zennor - so probably more regular than we think
3230 Honey-buzzard Very rare - a recent record over St Ives but prior to that Treveal was the site with 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993
3280 Sparrowhawk Regular throughout the year and reasonably common
3290 Goshawk Very rare - last one Buttermilk 2012
3310 Hen Harrier Rare winter visitor
3330 Montagu's Harrier Very rare - 70's & 80's vibes here from St Ives and Treveal - but a recent 2023 record might suggest more regular
3340 Marsh Harrier Rare - one recent record over Zennor in '25
3350 Red Kite Rare - but regular every May during "Red Kite Week"
3360 Black Kite Rare - but recent sightings in 2023 and 2025 as well as regularly seen outside the area
3370 White-tailed Eagle Very rare - a record from 1948 at Teveal
3390 Buzzard Uncommon over St Ives (maybe due to gull harassment?) but common everywhere else
3410 Hoopoe Rare in our area - last in 2017 - but Pendeen, Marazion, etc have multiples every year.  
3430 Bee-eater Rare - last in 2012 at Zennor
3450 Kingfisher Rare to uncommon throughout the year
3470 Wryneck Rare - but almost annual
3480 Green Woodpecker Uncommon and "notable" when seen/heard.  
3500 Great Spotted Woodpecker Not uncommon in the right areas
3520 Lesser Kestrel Very rare - one record from 1968 from Treveal
3530 Kestrel Regular throughout the year but not exactly common.  Was regular on the Island but recently not so much
3570 Merlin Very uncommon winter - but maybe overlooked
3590 Hobby Rare - but probably annual in spring passage
3600 Peregrine Uncommon but reasonably regular throughout the year
3610 Gyr Falcon Very rare - last record in 1996 from Treveal
3690 Red-eyed Vireo Very rare - a bird ringed in 1987 in Treveal
3710 Golden Oriole Rare - used to be annual now every 3/5 years.  May becoming more frequent again?
3720 Great Grey Shrike Very rare - last in 1993 in Foage Valley
3760 Daurian Shrike Very rare - one in 1989 at Zennor
3770 Red-backed Shrike Rare - one in 2025 - before that 2010 - should be more regular
3810 Chough Sensitive species - but regular along the coast and once a week or so appear at the Island
3820 Jay Regular and pretty common throughout the year
3830 Magpie Very common and regular throughout the year
3850 Jackdaw Very common and regular throughout the year
3860 Rook Regular and reasonably common throughout the year
3870 Raven Regular and present across the area
3880 Carrion Crow Very common
Hooded Crow Rare - one in Treveal in 2024
3900 Blue Tit Very common everywhere
3910 Great Tit Very common, everywhere
3920 Coal Tit Regular in parts of the area
3970 Woodlark Very rare - 2 in Treveal in the autumn of 1995 
3990 Skylark Regular in parts of the area
4070 Icterine Warbler Very rare - 2 old records from '84 and '85
4080 Melodious Warbler Very rare - one record from 1995 - Clodgy
4150 Sedge Warbler Regular in the right places in summer
4160 Aquatic Warbler Very rare - one record from 1975 at St Ives
4200 Reed Warbler Rare - probably overlooked
4260 Grasshopper Warbler Recorded less frequently than we'd like.  Probably underrecorded
4270 Sand Martin Passage migrant visitor - regular
4300 Crag Martin Very rare - one recent record from 2024
4310 Swallow Common and regular from spring to autumn on passage and local breeder in farms etc
4320 House Martin Peaks in Spring and autumn passage
4330 Red-rumped Swallow Very rare - St Ives in 1996 - we're surely due another one
4360 Long-tailed Tit Very common, everywhere
4370 Cetti's Warbler Very uncommon - but probably overlooked
4380 Wood Warbler Very rare - Treveal May 1989
4410 Yellow-browed Warbler Rare but annual with 1 or 2 a year
4430 Pallas's Warbler Very rare - 1 record from Zennor in 2015
4470 Willow Warbler Common summer warbler across area from late April to Sept
4490 Chiffchaff Pretty much throughout the year - but common in summer
4560 Garden Warbler Rare to uncommon - this actually may be more common than we think
4570 Blackcap Common in summer in wooded valleys and coastlines.  Peak numbers in autumn and some overwinter
4580 Barred Warbler Very rare - last in Zennor 2023
4590 Lesser Whitethroat Rare - but used to breed
4630 Whitethroat Common summer warbler across area from late April to Sept
4660 Dartford Warbler Present
4730 Waxwing Very rare - 2 records - most recent in 2010
4750 Firecrest Used to be a "notable sighting" - now almost as common as Goldcrest especially autumn/winter
4760 Goldcrest Common and regular throughout the year
4790 Nuthatch Regular in certain parts of area
4800 Treecreeper Very rare - certainly overlooked
4820 Wren Very common
4860 Starling Very common
4870 Rose-coloured Starling Very rare - most recent record St Ives 2014
4880 Dipper Very rare - record from 1996
4940 Grey-cheeked Thrush Very rare - one record 1998 - found dead
4970 Mistle Thrush Regular in parts of the area
4980 Song Thrush Common and regular across the area - especially in autumn
4990 Redwing Regular and common in winter -often heard at night from end of September onwards
5000 Blackbird Commonest Thrush throughout the year
5010 Fieldfare Regular in winter - arrive in October but never common.  Foage Valley is most regular place
5020 Ring Ouzel Uncommon but regular in Spring and Autumn passage
5110 Spotted Flycatcher Rare - but when we go looking we find one.  Certainly annual in autumn
5120 Robin Ubiquitous, everywhere 
5150 Nightingale Very rare - one recent record from 2025 on The Island 
5160 Bluethroat Very rare - an old record from 1968
5200 Red-breasted Flycatcher Very rare - Clodgy and the last in Treveal 1991
5230 Pied Flycatcher Rare - but when we go looking we find one.  Certainly annual in autumn
5250 Black Redstart Regular in winter in and around St Ives.  Barnoon Cemetery is a good place
5270 Redstart Rare - last in 2020
5300 Whinchat Rare - maybe overlooked  Probably annual at least
5320 Stonechat Regular across the area
5370 Wheatear Regular on passage in small numbers 
5410 Dunnock Everywhere and very common throughout the year
5440 Tree Sparrow Rare - one record from St Ives in 2023
5460 House Sparrow Very common
5470 Grey Wagtail Found in the expected places - valleys and river/water bodies
5480 Blue-headed Wagtail Very rare - last in 1972 - but we should be seeing this more often
Yellow Wagtail Rare - last one was Zennor in 2025 so probably annual
5510 Pied Wagtail Common and regular across area
5530 Tawny Pipit Very rare - one at Wicca in 2013 and prior to that 1983 at Treveal 
5540 Richard's Pipit Very rare - last in 1990 - surely this will fall soon … 
5560 Tree Pipit Rare - a few recent records in autumn suggests it should be more common
5600 Meadow Pipit Reasonably common throughout the year - very common across autumn and early winter with new arrivals
5610 Rock Pipit Common along the coast westwards
5620 Water Pipit Very rare - a couple of old records and a recent dubious from St Ives harbour
5630 Brambling Very rare - a single record from 2024
5640 Chaffinch Common and regular across the area especially wooded parts.  Very common on passage and comes through in flocks of 40+
5660 Hawfinch Very rare - last in Zennor 1996  but also Treveal in 1990
5670 Common Rosefinch Very rare - Treveal Sept 1985
5690 Bullfinch Regular although not common throughout the year
5710 Greenfinch Reasonably common and regular across the area
5730 Linnet Common and regular in all expected habitats
5740 Redpoll Rare - maybe overlooked
5780 Crossbill Rare - possibly under recorded
5800 Goldfinch Probably the commonest finch - everywhere and throughout the year
5820 Siskin Regular but uncommon across area
5830 Snow Bunting Annual winter visitor in small numbers
5840 Lapland Bunting Very rare - Treveal 1993 October - surely these must fly over the Island in flocks!
5860 Reed Bunting Uncommon but probably overlooked
5980 Ortolan Bunting Very rare - 2 from 1992 and 1993 - 1 from 1996 at Zennor.  James will find one this year …
6020 Yellowhammer Very rare - but possibly overlooked on moors above St Ives/Zennor
6220 Northern Parula Very rare - one record from 1967 in St Ives town in November