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?

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.