Cornwall for Lesser Kestrel - May 2026

After arriving home from Suffolk on the Saturday, I was back in the car on the way to Cornwall on Sunday night after a Lesser Kestrel had been present for a couple of days on Goonhilly Downs.  With only a small number of UK records, and the first for some time, I was keen to see this fabulous bird.

The plan was to drive down and get a couple of hours sleep before dawn.  As usual, a number of road closures slowed things down so it was already getting light when I arrived. Only a couple of other birders were present at 6am, so we split up and went in different directions to try and locate the bird.  After about 30 minures I got a mesasge with news that they had found the bird in a tree on the downs nearby.  

I was soon in the right place and watching my first Lesser Kestrel in the UK.  As the sun came up it started hunting invertebrates between the small trees and on occaision came close, performing really well and giving some great views for the growing crowd of birders arriving.

Lesser Kestrel

As is always the case with Cornwall, it was a long journey home, but worth it for such a stunning bird.

Thanks for looking!

Tawny Pipit in Suffolk - May 2026

Tawny Pipit is one of those birds I'd never come anywhere near seeing in the UK - an increasingly sarce visitor, and predominately to the South of the UK where they don't tend to hang around too long.

News of one at Languard Point in Suffolk in late April wasn't an option as it was midweek, but it stuck around for a couple of days so I thought it was worth an attempt on Friday evening.  After finishing work early I was able to head down to Suffolk, traffic allowing I should arrive before dusk with a change of seeing it that evening. If not I'd stay over and try again in the morning.  

As it happens the traffic wasn't too bad for a Friday, and I made it with a good couple of hours of light to spare.  On arrival there were a handful of birders surrounding the fenced-off area where the Tawny Pipit was feeding.  It took a while, but I eventually had a few decent views of the bird over a 30 minute period, before it became more elusive.

Tawny Pipit

I was elated to see the bird, more so as it disappeared overnight and was not seen the next day!

I spent the night up the Suffolk coast at Westleton near Minsmere. I had always gone there in early May to see Nightingale, but I hadn't visited for around ten years.  It was great to hear numerous birds singing through the night at the heath and actually around the village, some must have been in peoples gardens!

Thanks for looking!