85 Bird Species Spotted Across Cornwall During New Year Birdwatch

Rob Nicholls and Rowena Castillo-Nicholls have started 2026 with an impressive run of sightings during their Annual New Year Birdwatching across Cornwall.

From 1st January to 4th January 2026, the pair recorded a total of 85 bird species while travelling around the county.

Four Days, 85 Species

Rob Nicholls and Rowena Castillo-Nicholls carried out their annual birdwatching between Wednesday 1st January and Saturday 4th January 2026, spotting a wide mix of coastal, wetland and woodland birds across Cornwall.

Among the many species seen were avocets, choughs, peregrine falcons, kingfishers, barn owls and yellow-browed warblers, alongside more familiar garden and farmland birds.

📷Female and Male Lesser Scaup

Two Standout Sightings

Two birds stood out as favourites for Rob and Rowena this year due to their rarity in Cornwall.

One was the Lesser Scaup at Helston Boating Lake. Lesser Scaup are rare North American visitors to Cornwall, and both a male and female have been present on the lake since November 2025.

The other highlight was the Lesser Yellowlegs on the Truro River. This bird is a rare vagrant from North America and has been a notable long staying visitor, particularly around the area near the local Tesco store.

Full List of Species Seen

Over the four days, Rob and Rowena recorded the following 85 species across Cornwall:

Avocet, Barn Owl, Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Blackcap, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Geese, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Chough, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Feral Pigeon, Fieldfare, Firecrest, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Golden Plover, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Northern Diver, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, Linnet, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Peregrine Falcon, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Purple Sandpiper, Raven, Redshank, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shag, Shelduck, Shoveler, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat, Tawny Owl, Teal, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren and Yellow-browed Warbler.

The annual count once again highlights the variety of birdlife that can be seen across Cornwall at the very start of the year.

📷Lesser Yellowlegs

📷Lesser Yellowlegs

📷Male Lesser Scaup

📷Female Lesser Scaup