Accepted Records for Cornwall in 2008

The systematic list below is a transcript from the British Birds Rarities Committee Systematic List of Accepted Records for 2008. This is by no means the full list. Some records can be submitted late or even not at all.

Black Duck: Butter's Tor Moor, Bodmin, adult male, 23rd May. Presumed same as Colliford Res in 2007 and more recently, the male at Walmsley Sanctuary in September 2009. (per County Recorder).

Lesser Scaup: Dozmary Pool, ad male, 13th to 25th April. (S.Bearhop, S.C.Votier et al).

Pacific Diver: 2007. Mount's Bay, adult, 17th February to 10th March. Presumed same Marazion 23rd to 29th November. (L.M. & M.D. Fuller; J.P. Martin). This is the first record for Cornwall and third record for Britain.

Zino's / Fea's Petrel: Gwennap Head, 25th August. (B.Richards).

Cattle Egret: 168 individuals were recorded in the UK during 2008 and as such, from January 2009, this species is no longer considered by the BBRC. In Cornwall, the following records were accepted:

Halsetown, St Ives, five 22nd Dec 07 to 17th January 08. (P.J.Freestone).
Gannel, eight, 27th Dec to 6th January.
Lizard, one, 1st January. (A.R. Pay).
Morvah, one 5th January. (D.Parker) .
Bellevue Farm, Stithians, three, 2nd February (P. Stronach).
Trevollard, Liskeard, three, 10th February. (P. Edmonds).
Stithians, one, 12th to 28th February, two on 15th. (P.A.Fraser).
Landulph, one ad. 24th-25th February (P.Edmonds, R.Gould).
Trelissick, 11, 25th March. (D.Eva).
Ladock, 4th - 8th April (per P.J.Freestone, S.Wilcock et al).

Other sightings no doubt exist but presumably have not been submitted.

Black-winged Stilt: Windmill Farm, Lizard. Three, 7th to 14th April. (A.R.Pay). A nice find and deserved reward for the amount of work invested at the CBWPS reserve.

Laughing Gull: 2005 records. Nanjizal, 1st winter, 4th-7th November. Marazion and Newlyn, 1st winter, 8th-21st November, (K.A.Wilson). Nanjizal, two 1st Winters, 19th-28th December, one trapped. (K.A.Wilson).

American Herring Gull: 2007. Mousehole, 1st winter, 9th-20th March (M.Ahmad). Presumed same at Sennen, 21st March to 30th May (M.Ahmad, K.A.Wilson).

Common Nighthawk: Church Cove, Lizard, 7th October. (M.Bonfield). First record for mainland Cornwall.


Buff-bellied Pipit: 2007. Nanjizal and Sennen area, 1st winter, 26th October to 17th November. (M.T.Elliott, K.A.Wilson). First record for mainland Cornwall.


Hume's Warbler: Cot Valley, 1st winter, 23rd December 2007 to 23rd February. Sound recorded, photo'd and trapped. (P.Clark, P.A.Fraser, K.A.Wilson).


Balearic Woodchat Shrike: 2007. Nanjizal, 1st summer male, 5th to 10th May, trapped and photo'd. (K.A.Wilson). note: This is the West Mediterranean islands race of Woodchat.


Red-eyed Vireo: Trevilley farm, Sennen. 11th to 17th October. (J.Hewitt, C.Winyard).


Bobolink: Porth Joke, 11th October, photo'd. (M.Edyvean, S.Rowe). First and long-awaited record for mainland Cornwall. A stunning find by Steve Rowe et al and the last of the trio of firsts for the county in that week, the previous two being Common Nighthawk and Alder Flycatcher. No single observer managed to see all three though some were lucky and saw two of them !


Alder Flycatcher: Nanjizal, 7th to 8th October. (K.A.Wilson). Although not yet included within the BBRC report and presumably still awaiting ratification by the BOU, the bird and photo is shown here anyway. This is the first record for Britain and the biggest feather in Kester's hat! The last "big record" in Cornwall was the Yellow-throated Vireo at Kenidjack in 1990.