St.Agnes & St.Marys 12/10/25

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Back to St.Agnes this morning in perfect weather for birding.

There had been a small arrival of hirundines, with about 10 Swallows and a couple of House Martins.

My initial aim was to see the Hoopoe that has been present here for a week or two. As it turned out it couldn't have been easier as the bird was found on the beach at Periglis, oblivious to it's admiring audience of birders. It probed in the sand for grubs, possibly those of sandhoppers.

From there I made my way further round the coast to the bay at Porth Warna where another long-staying bird, a Spotted Sandpiper, was similarly easy to find. It fed amongst the seaweed to start with, then moved to rest-up on nearby rocks.

Finally I headed to Wingletang hoping to find a Lapland Bunting that had been reported. There was no sign of the bunting though two smart Wheatears were some compensation.

Back on St.Marys I walked a circuit from Rocky Hills to Lower Moors and finally Old Town Bay. My timing on reaching the latter site was perfect in that the juvenile Rose-coloured Starling had been seen in a Pittosporum hedge, so we waited for it to appear. This it eventually did, with a good, albeit brief view before the bird flew off.

Hoopoe



Spotted Sandpiper 


Song Thrush

Northern Wheatear


Rose-coloured Starling 




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