Birding in Lockdown: Links to Garden Lockdown Listing League and our Birding Ideas Page, helping to make the most of extra time as a result of the lockdown.

Late news, 22/4, Pendower: 2 Great Northern Diver close to shore and a small group of Shag. (R Smith)

Late news, 22/4, Rosewall/Buttermilk Hill: 2 Ring Ouzel, 1m Wheatear, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 8 Meadow Pipit, 6 Wren, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Tawny Owl.

Late news, 22/4, Lanhydrock, Bodmin: Red Kite drifting NE towards Cardinham @ 17:45 (M Brooks, J Piper)

Late news, 22/4, Hellesveor Cliff: 1 Tree Pipit. (G Jones)

Cadsonbury: 1 Tree Pipit singing (A Parker)

Kingsmill Lake: 5 Whimbrel, 3 Greenshank, 13 Shelduck, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egret, 2 Cormorant, 11 1st s Black-headed Gull and c.300 Herring Gull at 8am just after high tide. (P Kemp).

Chapel Carn Brea: 1 Cuckoo heard, present 2 days. (S Baillie)

Redruth, Carn Brea: Cuckoo calling near Carnkie below 4 Lanes TV mast. 3 displaying male Whitethroat at car park, Grasshopper warbler singing on western slope near the monument, 2 more elsewhere, male Reed Bunting, Stonechat,  2 singing Willow Warblers, a Sparrowhawk and Linnets just all over. On the rocks overlooking the Camborne end of the hill were 2 Wall butterflies fighting in the air. (R Hoooper)

St Clements: 1 Wheatear 15:30 today in freshly cut field. (G Kingdon)

Porthgwarra: 1 Osprey north mid pm. (M Wallace)

Portheras Cove: 1 ringtail Hen Harrier east this am. (P Clement)

Carnyorth: 1 Red Kite north early pm. (J Swann)

Penzance: Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull still around. (M Ahmad)

Sancreed: 2nd cal yr Iceland Gull, 10 Whimbrel, 11 Canada Geese, 6 Raven. (D Flumm)

Wheal Martyn Sky Spur Trail: 4 Swallow over, 3 Skylark, 2 Willow Warbler and 1 Cuckoo. (R Hollis)

Rock Helipad Field: 3 Sparrowhawk, (circling together) 1 Pr Buzzard, 1 Tawney Owl, 2 Greenfinch. (S Grose)

Truro: 1m 1f Siskin on sunflower seed feeder in garden. (D Jenkins)

Watchcroft/Men-an-Tol: 1 Swallow, 3 singing Grasshopper Warbler, 3 singing Willow Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat, 1 male Stonechat, 3 Cuckoo calling simultaneously, 4 Meadow Pipit, 5 Skylark singing aloft. (J Evans)

Millbrook: 1 Hobby, 2 Whimbrel. (B Taggart)

Calvadnack, near Stithians Lake: 1 Cuckoo, 2 Buzzard, 5 Swift, 2 Great Tit, 2 Blue Tit, 3 Canada Goose, 1 Bullfinch, 2 Magpie, 2 Pheasant, 1 Heron, 2 Wood Pigeon. (J House & S House)

Buttermilk Hill: 22 Wheatears including a small flock of 16 that dropped in this evening. 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Sparrowhawk male, 7 Linnets, 9 Meadow Pipits, 3 pairs of Stonechats, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Sedge Warbler. (V Stratton)

St Ives Island: 7 Purple Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 21 Turnstone, 1 Guillemot, 1 Fulmar. (G Jones)

St Erth: 25 Sand Martin, 5 Swallow, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Siskin, m Reed Bunting at Tregilliowe Ponds; 1 Moorhen calling 22:00. (R Veal)

Loe Pool: 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Mistle Thrush. (A Witheywood)

A Cornwall Lockdown Diary, Day 31:

I have never been an obsessive bird lister. More to do with lack of organisation than disapproving of lists. This year, I’m giving it a proper go. I am keeping a UK year list, a garden list and because I visit London quite often, a Battersea list (which already includes Peregrine).

Six weeks into the year I was doing pretty well. North Norfolk brought some nice birds like Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Barn Owl and Pink-footed Goose, but then the dreaded virus struck and like everyone else I’m locked down for, well, who knows. The list has stalled at a little over 100. There are some easy wins to come (assuming we’re set free at some point) like Wheatear, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat, and my seabird tally has hardly got off the ground. But 200 feels like a good target for the year, even though I will never ‘twitch’. If I see it, I see it.

The BTO has seen an opportunity in the current crisis by making its Garden Bird Watch scheme free for a year to newcomers. Given that we’re all confined to barracks, we may as well watch our home birds and as a result the BTO has attracted many new recruits to GBW – me included. It’s easy enough to sign up and not as daunting as some surveys can be. Apart from the focus that the weekly record instils, it’s good to know that my observations go into the mixer with thousands of others and turn – in the hands of clever BTO scientists – into solid data about the state of birdlife in our gardens.

Simon Marquis ([email protected])