St Ives Birders Photo Gallery
This is where we bombard you with photos of birds and things that we've seen from St Ives. All these photos have been taken within the 20K area. Warning - not all these photos will be of high quality. Some indeed will be downright awful. If it's a good photo, that'll probably be either Gareth or Adam. If it's rubbish, that'll be one of the rest of us.
Recent Photos - birds seen in the last couple of weeks or so
Pallas's Warbler - Trewyn Gardens - Gareth
Pallas's Warbler - Trewyn Gardens - Gareth
Green Sandpiper - Bussow April 21 '26 - a recent run of records over the past 2 days
The Bussow Cuckoo - beaten only by the Foage Cuckoos today as the first for the year in the 20K area
Common Sandpiper - Bussow Reservoir April 19 '26 - Common Sandpiper have traditionally only been seen on the Island briefly. Now we've found one at Bussow who knows how many we'll see
Common Tern - April 18 '26. We get Common Terns in the autumn usually in mixed flocks on "tern days" and late in the afternoon. A spring Common Tern is not a common thing
Pallas's Warbler - what a lovely bird this is. It calls frequently and has been heard to sing. Trewyn Gardens April 13 '26 - Gareth
Little Tern - probably the same birds that were seen in Hayle earlier. Little Terns are not common off St Ives - especially Spring ones. April '26 - Gareth
Yellow-browed Warbler - found the day after he found one in Falmouth - originally thought to then be 2 birds - the other one turned into a Pallas's - Trewyn Gardens - Gareth
Singing YBW Trewyn April 11 - Gareth
Little Tern - April '26 - Gareth
YBW - Trewyn Gardens - Gareth
Older Photos
The first Ring Ouzel of 2026 - Buttermilk Hill April 1st found and taken by Billy
Sandwich Tern 26th March '26 - one of the first of the season - Billy
Beaky the Starling who hangs around the NCI building on the Island, Not seen him/her for a while ... Gareth
The Alpine Swift roost site on St Ives church - Gareth
South Polar Skua - this is the shot that nailed this identification from Billy. The 3rd for Britain we think? Anyway - a great shot from the Island -Billy
The Famous Snowy Owl at Zennor - Gareth
Male Black Redstart in St Ives - they like to hang out around the Island or Barnoon Cemetry - Gareth
A classic Cornish Snow Bunting - St Ives Island - Billy
Leach's Petrel off St Ives. October is the best time - and they tend to need a stromng NW blow to bring them in - Billy
Cory's Shearwater past the Island - you won't get views like this off Pendeen - Billy
Flock of female Common Scoter - normally males outnumber females by 10-1 - Billy
An Adder on Rosewall Hill - March '26 - Gareth
Dead GN Diver Porthminster Beach - Billy
Red-necked Grebe 10/1/26 - Alan
Red-necked Grebe 10/1/26 - Alan
One of 5 Great Skuas on 26th March '26 - pretty regular throughout the winter - numbers increase as the year progresses - Billy
Kestrel with prey on the Island - Gareth
GN Diver bill Porthminster Beach - Billy
Glaucous Gull Porthgwidden - Gareth
Red-necked Grebe 10/1/26 - Alan
Turnstone in the harbour. Turnstone have replaced Starlings/Sparrows on the wharf - Gareth
January seawatch '26 - Alan
Red-necked Grebe 10/1/26 - Alan
Pallid Swift over Tate - Nov 5 '25 - terrible photo and this was one of the better ones! - Alan
Spotted Flycatcher Zennor Oct '25 - almost the last chance to get Spot Fly for thge year list for Billy and we did ... Alan
Turtle Dove Zennor Oct '25 - autumn seems to be the best time to see Turtle Dove - Alan
Sabine's Gull Sept '25 - think this was the day we had 66 in a single day - and all of them passed within 500 metres of the Island - Gareth
The famous Alpine Swift - Billy
Kumlien's Gull Lambeth Walk St Ives '21 - Gareth
The famous Alpine Swift over St Ives town - Gareth
A classic St Ives Black Redstart - Billy
Dark-bellied Brent Goose past the Island - Billy
Fieldfare up at Foage - probably the most reliable place for them in winter - Gareth
Iceland Gull St Ives - Gareth
Kumlien's Gull St Ives 2024 - Gareth
Long-tailed Skua - 4th October 2025. One of 6 LTS seen that epic day - Gareth
Manx Shearwater St Ives - Billy
Mediterranean Gull - regulary seen in small numbers pretty much throughout the year but more common in autumn through to spring
Pomarine Skua - off St Ives. Pendeen gets more volume of seabords but St Ives gets 'em closer
Purple Sandpiiper - usually we get 10-20 wintering on the Island - Gareth
Red Kite - over Buttermilk Hill. Every May there is a few days when Cornwall is overrun with Red Kites - young birds dispersing the country. There are more on the South Coast but we do get a few around St Ives
Red-breasted Merganser - Carbis Bay
Snow Bunting - autumn is the best time and usually we get a few either passing through Clodgy Point or 1 or 2 that hang around the Island for a bit - Gareth
Wheatear - male - is there a better looking common bird? - Gareth
View towards Godrevy Lighthouse from the Island 26th March '26 - Billy