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August 20th, 8am. My mobile pings. There is a message from Jan, a friend who lives in Seaton, a few miles east of Looe. The message comprises a picture of five White Storks in a field, with the simple caption ‘Downderry!’. This is a village adjacent to Seaton. The previous day I had s

The phrase ‘a wild goose chase’ refers to a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist, or is somewhere else. In my latest Bird Blog I explore the chances of finding different species of wild geese in South-

When: Tuesday 15th Oct, 18:15-20:15 Where: RNLI   Cetaceans are a group of mammals that include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The Cetacean Acoustic Trend Tracking (CATT) is a long-term acoustic monitoring project utilising Chelonia F-POD loggers and citizen scientist. The Looe

When: Sunday 3rd Nov, 11:30-13:00 Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station   Fancy finding some crackin’ crabs & stunning starfish? Well why not join local experts as we explore the rocky shore! We ask that all attendees come along with suitable footwear (no

When: Tuesday 19th Nov, 18:15-20:15 Where: Talk online via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88249708200 – join directly or meet group members at Looe RNLI to watch together, followed by monthly meeting.   Whilst grey seal pups are superbly adapted to life in the sea, with mo

When: Sat 13th January, 12:00 – 13:30 Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station   Brush off those Christmas cobwebs and get some fresh sea air at our traditional New Year Beach Clean! Afterwards, we’ll head down to the Jolly Sailor for a celebratory drink an

When: Sun 14th Jan, 10:30-!6:00 Where:  Forest Holidays Deerpark, Liskeard, Cornwall. PL14 4QY. What3words: tinkle.perch.someone   Pollution incidents often occur in our watercourses, spelling disaster for life in the river and impacting the marine environment. Regular monitoring

When: Tues 16th Jan, 18:15-20:15 Where: RNLI   Let’s talk pollution! Pollution is reported to be one of the five main drivers of the biodiversity crisis, threatening 37% of marine mammals with extinction. Marine pollution is diverse and includes harmful PFAS (aka ‘Forever Chemic

When: Sat 28th January, 10:00-15:00 Where:  Hannafore Point Hotel   Shoresearch is The Wildlife Trusts’ national citizen science survey of the rocky shore, the exciting world of extremes where the sea meets the land. It’s a great way to explore your local coast, learn

When: Sat 10th February, 12:00 – 13:30 Where: Seaton, meet in the beach cafe carpark   What better way to show your love for the beaches than to join our friendly group to clean Seaton Beach? All kit will be provided, all we ask is that you come along in suitable clothing a

When: Sunday 11th February, 12:00 – 13:30 Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station   Join us for the first public rockpooling session of the year! At this event suitable for the whole family, we’ll explore the fascinating rocky shore and learn about the int

When: Tuesday 20th Feb, 18:15-20:15 Where: RNLI, Looe       Atlantic bluefin tuna returned to waters off the UK and Ireland almost a decade ago, and since 2018 scientists have been studying this iconic species. When did these apex predators return to waters off the UK?

When: Tuesday 19th March, 18:15-20:15 Where: RNLI   Fathoms Free are a group of marine conservationists and divers who gather the abandoned and lost fishing gear from our shores and seabed. This includes nets, crab pots and hooks, some of which can survive for hundreds of years u

When:  Saturday 30th March, 14:00 – 15:30 Where: Seaton, meet in Seaton Beach Cafe carpark   Want to play your part in cleaning up our ocean? Well, there’s no better place to start than at your local beach clean. All equipment is provided, all we ask is that you come along

When: Sunday 7th April, 11:00 – 12:30 Where: Hannafore Beach, meet below the coastguard station   If you’ve ever wondered what lives in the rockpools near you, then join our local experts at our rockpool ramble to find out! Please wear suitable clothing and footwear and lea

When: Tuesday 16th April, 18:15-20:15 Where: RNLI & on zoom       With the help of the 112-year-old sailing boat ‘Annette’ and other smaller crafts, the Clean Ocean Sailing (COS) crew sail and paddle to remote, inaccessible places to clean up our Cornish coast. They

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

  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