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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

‘April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.’ So begins The Waste Land by Thomas Stearns Eliot. I first read this great poem when I was a sixth-former. I didn’t understand quite a lot of it then (a

An exaltation of Larks. An unkindness of Ravens. A charm of Goldfinches. A murder of Crows. Most bird-watchers will be familiar with collective names for groups of particular birds. However the other day I found myself wondering if there was a collective name for Eiders. I tried sever

Welcome to the first of our monthly bird blogs by local naturalist Derek Spooner. February 12th. Early morning; I part the curtains and peer anxiously at the weather. For three days Looe has been hammered by Storm Ciara. I need to carry out a water-birds count on the Looe estuary, and

The Campaign Story Looe Marine Conservation Group (LMCG) developed the Throw Jelly Not Balloons campaign to persuade people to stop throwing water balloon bombs for fun at water festivals and raft races. Water balloons are a needless form of plastic pollution which harms wildlife and

Welcome to our brand new website and our very first blog! We’re really excited that the Looe Marine Conservation Group’s new website has gone ‘live’ today 22nd January so please share it! We want you to discover, explore and learn more about Looe’s amazin