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In my latest blog for the Looe Marine Conservation Group I describe some encounters with raptors – birds of prey – in 2023. Many raptors spend all or part of their lives close to the sea. Casually scrolling through the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society’s Face

We are sorry that this event has had to be cancelled. Please see our events page for other upcoming events or visit our Facebook page. When: Sat 16th Sept, 11:00-13:00 Where: Meet at Hannafore fields gate at the end of Marine Drive Lead: John Meakin Join us for this fun and healthy so

When: Tuesday 19th September 2023, 18:15-20:15  Where: Millpool Centre Lead: Amelia Bridges Join volunteers as we conceptualise and plan our 2024 calendar of events!   Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Please check our website (www.looemarineconservation.org) and Faceboo

  When: Tuesday 17th October, 18:15-20:15  Where: Millpool Centre Lead: Amelia Bridges Matt Slater is the Seasearch Coordinator for Cornwall, a project for volunteer divers who want to learn more and help protect the marine environment. He also runs the Shoresearch Cornwall volunteer

When: Sunday 29th October, 11:00-12:15  Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station Lead: Matthew Nott Fancy finding some cool crabs & stunning starfish? Well why not join local experts as we explore the rocky shore! We ask that all attendees come along with suitable

When: Tuesday 21st November, 18:15-20:15  Where: Millpool Centre Lead: Amelia Bridges   TBC. The talk will be followed by our monthly meeting to which all are welcome. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Please check our website (www.looemarineconservation.org) and Faceboo

When: Friday 4th August, 14:00-15:00 Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station Lead: Matt Nott Join us during National Marine Week to explore the rocky shore! Delve into gullies, crevices & rockpools to uncover some of the amazing critters that live in our waters!

When: Tues 15th August , 19:00-20:00  Where: Zoom Lead: Amelia Bridges Join volunteers at our monthly meeting. Topics likely include upcoming events & ongoing campaigns. For the link and any queries, please email looemcg.events@gmail.com. We rely on donations to support our work a

  When: Friday 1st Sept, 12:45 – 14:15 Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station Lead: Matthew Nott Come and join local experts as we explore the rocky shore, finding lots of the amazing critters that live on it! Learn about starfish, crabs, fish, anemones and lo

  First a confession. This blog is not just about birds. In mid-September Christine and I were given the opportunity to stay three nights on Looe Island, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Nature Reserve. The oldest building on the island, Smuggler’s Cottage, had been refurbished, and was

For most of my life birdwatching was largely focused on identification, and (hopefully) seeing new and rare species: it was about list-making – life lists, locality lists, annual lists etc, as I illustrated in my last blog (March 2022). In my teenage years I flirted briefly with bird

The start of a new year. For many birders it is time to start a new list.. Keeping records of sightings is central to my birding. I have been keeping a natural history diary for about 20 years, and this generates my annual list of species. During the pandemic the numbers have diminish

As the year draws to a close, I find myself looking back on some of my birding experiences in 2021. Because of the pandemic, my birdwatching has mainly taken place in south-east Cornwall within a dozen miles of Looe, but there is one major and influential exception. My daughter and fa

The hobby of birding sometimes brings surprises. In migration seasons it is often the arrival of a rare bird – usually a bird that has landed up in the wrong place. In April I was surprised by the Hoopoe which went astray on its spring migration northwards and landed in a garden near

January 28th. Ping! An email message has dropped into my inbox from Claire Lewis, resident warden on Looe Island. She has seen the first Cormorant’s egg of the year! The seabird nesting season has begun! Cormorants are truly early birds and on Looe Island many start nesting in January

As November drifts into December and autumn gives way to winter, the focus of my ornithological attention increasingly moves offshore. I frequently visit the seafronts at East Looe and Hannafore. This is the time to scan the shallow seas for exciting visitors from the north. Divers! G

Autumn for John Keats was the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ but for the birders of Cornwall it is more likely to be cherished as the most exciting time of year for finding unusual birds; each day news comes via the internet of sightings of rare visitors dropping in during

My grandson sometimes asks me what my favourite bird is. He says his is Goldfinch. For the last decade my favourite bird has been Oystercatcher. The old English name for this bird (and one used in Cornwall) is the ‘Sea-pie’ – a reminder of its black and white livery. Perhaps Sea-pie m

In mid-May my daily exercise walk shifted. I forsook the cliff path and the beach: the spring migration was mostly over. I decided it was time to return to the estuary, and follow the fortunes of its resident breeding birds. I had spotted a Shelduck pair on the river in March and I wa

For at least six weeks now, during lockdown, my day has started in much the same way. 7.00 am: a cup of tea at the kitchen window. I listen to the male Blackbird that is broadcasting his gorgeous leisurely song from a roof somewhere in the vicinity. Blackbird, the herald of the morn I