Mark Grantham, Author at Cornwall Birds (CBWPS)

Royston Wilkins

Posted on April 8, 2026April 28, 2026 by Mark Grantham

It is with great sadness to report the death of Royston Wilkins, a well known character to everyone on the Cornish birding scene.

Royston, 78, passed away on the 8th April 2026. It was known that he suffered respiratory problems. Despite this, his determination to see everything available was a testament to his personality and character. Even in the week leading to his death, he managed to twitch the Killdeer at Chapel Amble.

Royston was a true Cornishman, intensely proud of his heritage and accent. He was a clay country boy, from Foxhole. He served his apprenticeship as a carpenter, life skills of which he turned to fitting windows and setting up his successful long term business with his son Leon. He self-built his own family home.

Royston, or “meddy” to his mates, started birding in the mid ‘80’s. A relatively late starter, he soon became addicted to the hobby. It wasn’t long before he found his first Bee-eater on the Lizard followed by a Red-footed Falcon at Croft Pascoe. One of his best finds was a Bufflehead at Stithians. Never shy of using technology, “meddy” armed himself with a birder’s pager and the best optics. His list grew rapidly to well over 400 species in Cornwall alone, an achievement only matched by a handful of other birders.

It wasn’t long before his mind wandered further afield. Birding trips to Scilly, Norfolk, New Forest, Scotland and Wales soon followed. Nowhere was out of bounds. Naturally, world birding was the next venture and the NatureTrek 990 tours suited Royston perfectly. Balancing self employment with his hobby, the ten day tours were perfect. He was by now a serious world traveller, visiting Sri Lanka, Israel, Russia, Gambia, Senegal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Africa and South America. The list is endless.

Royston was an integral part of the famous Scillonian lll Pelagics. He took the lead role in sourcing and transporting the chum from St Ives to the Penzance quayside. It was a stinking, horrible task but “meddy” took great delight in organising this task and the army of chummers.

Staying with the Scillies, who can forget being picked up in his white van and dropped off in the middle of a twitch on St Mary’s? Royston was a familiar sight on Scilly every Autumn, making new friends and contacts while fitting his windows.

Royston was also a passionate football supporter and season ticket holder. Every Saturday afternoon would be spent at Truro City, Treyew Road and latterly at Langarth. Despite the exposed, bitterly cold location, he made every effort to watch his team. He took great delight when Truro won the FA Vase in 2007 and achieved promotion to the National League last year. He travelled to Charlton Athletic when Truro reached the First Round proper. Occasional away games and cup runs posed no hurdles. Royston would also visit his home village team, the Foxhole Allstars, as well as away games to Liverpool with his son Warren.

One can now appreciate the determined character that he was. He loved his friends and would often argue a point if he felt he was right. He worked hard and played hard, pretty much to the very end. It’s fair to say some had their ups and downs with him, but he was intensely loyal and dedicated to friends. And none more so than his beloved family, who he often talked about with great pride. His absence will leave a gaping hole in every walk of his full life.

Royston leaves his loyal wife Truda, always devoted and by his side, three children, Leon, Warren and Lucie and four grandchildren.

You will be sorely missed. More than you know. Rest in Peace my friend.

Steve Rogers

Kester Wilson, John Chapple, Brian Mellow, Royston Wilkins, Peter Walsh, Steve Rogers, Steve Kolodzieski, Stephen Jackson. Norfolk May 1998.

Roger Smaldon (1942-2026)

Posted on February 6, 2026May 13, 2026 by Mark Grantham

I cannot recall when I first met Roger but it was probably when my birding was in its infancy and I was taken on various CBWPS field meetings by the late Harry Deal

I suspect that it was on one of the annual winter meets for Spoonbill at Antony House which were then led by the late Brian Evenden.

It was immediately apparent that Roger was an experienced and knowledgeable birdwatcher.

I quickly learned that he was a highly respected birder whose pals included such luminaries at Steve Madge, Ted Griffiths, Vic Tucker, Rod Belringer, John Nicholls, Roger Andrew and Ray Gould to name just a few.

Over the ensuing few years I occasionally saw Roger at various locations in East Cornwall.

He was one of life’s friendly and engaging characters who seemingly had time for everyone.

We were also in regular telephone contact, usually swapping stories on a Sunday evening.

When I took over responsibility as Bird Recorder for Cornwall in 1982, Roger, due to his meticulous note-keeping, was the obvious choice to act as my assistant. He was a tireless and loyal ally for many years, only retiring from the post because of his increasing work commitments.

He was an extremely careful and erudite watcher of birds, and it was his devotion to the Rame Head area that led him to discover the first Wilson’s Warbler for the Western Palearctic on 13th October 1985.

Later, on 3rd June 1999 he was to find a Spectacled Warbler at Roborough Downs, Devon – only the third UK record at the time.

He was heavily immersed in recording the birds of Dartmoor and was instrumental in setting up the Dartmoor Bird Group in 1991. He religiously organised surveys of wintering birds such as Goosander, Hen Harrier and European Nightjar. He also collated and disseminated bird records which formed the basis of the Dartmoor Bird Report, which he produced.

His devotion to the task ultimately led to him being invited to write a book on Dartmoor birds.

Published in 2005, his book, surprisingly entitled ‘The Birds of Dartmoor’ has become the seminal work on the subject. This is now a highly sought after title.

He was also a regular contributor to British Birds magazine and a several observational notes are credited to him.

Roger was well known for his somewhat tardy response to news of rare birds and was renowned for turning up a day late and after the bird had flown. This earned him the nickname ‘The Big Dipper’ and to his house being addressed as ‘Cinclus cinclus’ (and for those who do now know, that is the scientific name for Dipper!

Roger and his wife Aileen were annual spring visitors to my part of Cornwall, always staying in the Padstow area which was handy for him visiting my patch at Trevose Head.

No other birder has left such an indelible mark on my birding development and very few have been held in such high esteem as Roger.

I will miss his good humour and friendly banter.

He had been a member of Cornwall Birdwatching and Preservation Society for at least fifty years and was still submitting sightings up to the time of his demise.

He leaves his wife Aileen and his sons Matthew and Adam and their families.

The birding world is certainly poorer without him.

Stanley Christophers

Terry Cooper

Posted on January 9, 2026April 28, 2026 by Mark Grantham

In January, West Cornwall Ringing Group lost one of its founder members, Terry Cooper, after an all-too short battle with cancer. Terry started ringing in 2010 and was there at the inaugural ringing group session at Ponsanooth Sewage Works in 2013 (on the far right). Whilst Terry never mastered the fine art of mist-netting, what he did to make up for that was truly inspiring, turning his creative, practical hands to making traps to use in his St Austell garden: potter traps, spring traps, chardonneret traps, feeder traps, sparrow traps. Over the years, Terry consistently ringed more birds than anyone else in the group, including several hundred Starling and Goldfinch. Where full-time students at the University of Exeter failed to catch Herring Gulls as part of their research, Terry couldn’t stop catching them, so the students would decamp to St Austell to see how it was done. His garden even featured in more than one ringing conference presentation of novel catching techniques. Terry was also a prolific maker of Barn Owl nestboxes, supporting the early years of the ringing group project installing new boxes across the county, a legacy that will live on for many years. Not only were these produced in quantity, but also quality, with no one yet managing to match that, including myself. On top of all that, Terry ran a long-term ‘Retrapping Adults for Survival’ project, colour-ringing and resighting Jackdaws at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and was a regular on the Looe Island gull-ringing trips. Above all though, Terry never had a cross word, more an ability to consistently bring a smile to the face of us all on group ringing sessions. For this he’ll very much be missed. Mark Grantham

Irish-ringed Oystercatcher ‘PUP’ wintering on the Camel

Posted on December 29, 2025December 29, 2025 by Mark Grantham

Oystercatcher PUP has chosen to spend its winter in Cornwall after an overnight trip from Northern Ireland.

As part of ongoing monitoring work on the use waders make of Dundalk Bay, Northern Ireland, ringers there have been fitting GPS devices to some birds. One of these was seen recently on the Camel Estuary and the project team have been kind enough to share some details of this bird.

Dr Natasha Murphy told us: “This bird was tagged on 2025-11-16 in the southern end of Dundalk Bay, and left Dundalk 2025-11-24 around 17:00. Our tags take hourly GPS fixes and upload every few days to Movebank, so you could keep an eye on PUP there; https://www.movebank.org/cms/webapp?gwt_fragment=page=studies,path=study7717055502“

The map below shows that after leaving Dundalk at 5pm, PUP passed southwest Wales three hours later, continuing on to the Devon coast where it paused for a few hours, before arriving on the Camel Estuary around 7am.

It’s been on the Camel ever since, and the animation here gives an idea of how it moves around the estuary over a tidal cycle.

Over it’s time here, you can also see just how much of the whole estuary it uses (shown in pink).

Mark Worden (1968-2025)

Posted on May 6, 2025May 13, 2026 by Mark Grantham

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mark Worden, a much-loved and widely respected member of Cornwall’s birding community, who passed away in July. Mark’s warmth, generosity and boundless enthusiasm touched all who knew him and his absence leaves a space that will be felt deeply across Cornwall and beyond.

Mark devoted an enormous amount of his time and energy to Cornwall Birds (CBWPS), most notably during his six years as warden of Maer Lake Nature Reserve. Welcoming visitors with a friendly smile and an eagerness to share his local knowledge, he worked tirelessly to keep the reserve a thriving haven for wildlife. His dedication and care ensured that Maer Lake remained a special place for both birds and people.

A familiar and much-loved figure at local birding sites such as Davidstow Airfield and Bude, Mark’s passion for birdwatching was infectious. Whether scanning the skies on a windswept airfield or sharing the joy of a new discovery with friends, his enthusiasm never wavered. He relished the excitement of a rare find and the camaraderie of the chase, travelling far and wide in pursuit of scarce species. Yet it was often the shared moments, a lively conversation in the field, a piece of local birding news or a story told with his characteristic humour that made birding with Mark so memorable.

His interest extended beyond watching birds to actively contributing to their study and conservation. As a keen participant in the BTO’s ringing scheme, Mark helped deepen our understanding of bird populations locally and nationally, adding another layer to his already significant contribution to ornithology.

Above all, Mark will be remembered for the way he brought people together through a shared love of birds and the natural world. He had a rare gift for making everyone feel welcome, for turning a shared sighting into a shared experience and for reminding us all of the joy that birds and birdwatching bring.

All of us at Cornwall Birds are profoundly grateful for Mark’s friendship, his passion and his many contributions over the years. He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the landscapes he loved, in the reserves he helped care for, and in the countless people whose lives he enriched. Mark will be deeply missed in the hides and along the hedgerows, at Maer Lake and in so many places that will forever hold memories of his presence. Yet he will be remembered always with deep affection, heartfelt gratitude and enduring respect for the joy and kindness he brought to everyone around him.

Pete Roseveare

Cornish Choughs break new record this summer

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Mark Grantham

The Cornish Chough population has grown by more than 100 birds for the second year running. In a new chapter for this remarkable conservation success story, a record 55 pairs (11 of which were new pairs) made a breeding attempt this summer, up from the previous high of 47 last year. Not all breeding attempts were successful, as the poor spring weather hampered inexperienced pairs. However, this record-breaking number illustrates the success of more than 20 years of conservation efforts to restore Cornwall’s national bird to a healthy and sustainable population.

Of the confirmed pairs, 40 successfully raised a brood, with 108 chicks known to have fledged; just four fewer than last year’s total.

2022 – 25 successful pairs, raising 71 young
2023 – 39 successful pairs, raising 112 young
2024 – 40 successful pairs, raising 108 young

It’s likely that the wet weather over the winter and early spring made it difficult for birds as they started to breed at the end of March. But after this highly successful breeding season there are probably now well over 300 Chough in Cornwall, spread between Roseland and the Camel. Not all of this year’s young will survive to adulthood and raise families of their own, but the higher the number of fledglings that survive each year, the more robust the birds become against extinction in the future.

However, as the population grows it becomes harder for volunteers who monitor the Choughs’ breeding success to keep up. So, anyone eager to help out with the conservation effort in 2025 is urged to make contact, particularly on the north coast, from the Camel Estuary to Bude, where prime habitat for Choughs is expected to attract more and more breeding pairs in the coming years. If you’d like to volunteer, or just have Chough records to submit, please email choughs@cbwps.org.uk or look online at bit.ly/ChoughVols

Teemill shop up and running

Posted on July 14, 2024July 14, 2024 by Mark Grantham

For those that haven’t seen it already, we now have a great range of clothing available to buy on our online shop, run by sustainable clothing manufacturer TeeMill. Four local artists have produced some stunning designs that we’ve reproduced on a range of T-shirts, sweaters, hoodies and tote bags. Local artists Nick Elton and Martin Elliot have produced designs with a distinctly Cornish identity and we have also teamed up with Falmouth University’s School of Art and Design and chose two students to participate in a micro-internship. This has given them the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and provide us with some exceptional artwork. Two designs from Rebecca Jarvis and three from Emily Howard have added originality and breadth to the collections. Reasonably priced, we make a small profit on each item sold.

Keep an eye out for ringed Spoonbills

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Mark Grantham

Over the autumn and winter we’ve received reports of several colour-ringed Spoonbills, giving a great insight into where these strange birds originate.

Green V463

This bird was ringed as a chick at Høje Sande, Ringkøbing Fjord in Denmark in June 2023 and turned up at Marazion Marsh on 28th September, before unexpectedly wandering back north to Potteric Carr, South Yorkshire, seen on 10th-15th October. Realising the error of its ways, it returned to Marazion Marsh four days later and commuted between there and Hayle estuary until at least 9th December.

Spoonbill and Little Egret, Martin Webb

Great White Egret and Spoonbill – Alex McKechnie

BW[AE]

This second bird has an equally interesting, but far more extensive, history. Ringed as a chick at Schiermonnikoog, Oosterkwelder in The Netherlands in July 2006, it spent its first winter 470 km away in France before returning to The Netherlands. It spent its second winter in Poole Harbour, Dorset, then again returned to The Netherlands. Subsequent winters were as follows:

2008-09: Devon and then on the River Tamar in Cornwall in February 2009
2009-10: Yealm estuary, Devon, then back on the River Tamar in January 2010
2010-11: France in September/October, Dorset a week later and River Lynher, Cornwall in December 2010, then back to Devon in January
2011-12: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2012-13: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2013-14: No sightings
2014-15: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2015-16: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2016-17: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2017-18: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2018-19: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2019-20: France in October, then Poole Harbour, Dorset
2020-21: France in October, then Poole Harbour, Dorset
2021-22: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2022-23: Poole Harbour, Dorset
2023-24: Poole Harbour, Dorset and Roiver Lynher, Cornwall on 16th January

So this bird is pretty faithful to a wintering area, but does wander a little and really does highlight the value of reading colour rings on birds.

Spoonbill – Rick Napp

Many thanks to the colour ring coordinators for their feedback on the reports and of course to the photographers who reported them. If you see any colour-ringed birds, the Bird News team can always help track them down so do let us know.

Record-breaking year for Cornish Choughs

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Mark Grantham

Alongside many partners, we are thrilled to announce that Cornwall’s Chough population has had a record-breaking year, with 39 breeding pairs fledging over 100 young. This is a 60% increase in the number of fledged chicks compared to last year and a real milestone for a bird that was once extinct in Cornwall, but even greater against a backdrop of decreasing Chough populations elsewhere in the UK.

Cornish Chough Breeding figures 2021-23:

2021 – 23 successful pairs fledged 66 young
2022 – 25 successful pairs fledged 71 young
2023 – 39 successful pairs fledged 112 young

Choughs, Peter Crumpler

After more than 20 years of conservation efforts to bring them back to their Cornish home, Cornwall’s Choughs are now well on their way to becoming a healthy and resilient population. Choughs are spreading around the Cornish coast with a pair breeding on the Roseland again this year, which is the first time since 2016 (which was the first time in almost 200 years), and they are continuing to spread north of the Camel Estuary.

Paul St Pierre, RSPB Conservation Officer, commented: “We want to thank everyone involved in surveying and providing the conditions for Choughs to flourish. It has taken a while, but finally the tide has turned for Choughs in Cornwall. One of the primary goals has been to re-establish a link between the Chough population in Wales and Britany, and this year brings us closer than ever to achieving that objective. By continuing to implement effective land management practices and safeguarding suitable nesting and roosting areas, we can ensure a bright future for Choughs in this region, while also witnessing their expansion along the coast into Devon and other areas beyond.”
Not all of this year’s young will survive to adulthood and raise families of their own, but the higher the number of fledglings that survive each year, the more robust the birds become against extinction in the future. Cornwall’s oldest Choughs continue to show the youngsters the way to do it, with the oldest, a male who is 18 years old, fledging five chicks with his mate for the third time in four years. And a pair breeding since 2011, which includes one of the oldest breeding females at 14 years old, doubled their fledglings this year with four chicks.

It has taken decades of close partnership work to get Cornwall’s Choughs back to this positive result. From the conservation expertise of the RSPB, to the passion of Cornish nature-friendly farmers and land managers who have brought back grazing to the cliffs, the vital funding for this land management from Natural England, the coordination and cooperation of conservation organisations like National Trust, and the dedication of volunteers who monitor the birds, plus those that report the valuable sightings to Cornwall Birds (CWBPS), to make this a conservation success story.Kate Evans, National Trust Senior Visitor Experience Officer for West Cornwall, added: “’We are thrilled to be celebrating a nature conservation success in Cornwall, as numbers of Choughs go from strength to strength each year! It’s with great thanks to the dedicated volunteers who give their time to monitoring Choughs, helping us to build a picture as the population grows in number and range.”

Hilary Mitchell from Cornwall Birds (CBWPS) said: “We would like to thank everyone who has sent us their Chough sightings this year. It’s been an unbelievably successful breeding season. All the records we received by email and to our bird news website meant we could identify new nests for volunteers to monitor. It also made a big difference when chicks started to fledge with lots of reports of Chough families coming in. Keeping track of our Kernow Chough population has been a real challenge this year, but it’s a nice problem to have! To put it into context, in 2013 we only had five successful breeding pairs (fledging 14 chicks), compared to 2023 with 39 successful pairs and 112 chicks, numbers well beyond our wildest expectations.”

The next chapter of the Cornish Chough story is in everyone’s hands – if you see Choughs in Cornwall please email your sightings to choughs@cbwps.org.uk

Cornwall Birds (CBWPS) are keen to receive all records; some people have been lucky enough to see Choughs in their gardens so please let us know if you see this happening and what they are eating, so the team can find out how common this behaviour is.

Can you help the West Country’s Cirl Buntings this spring?

Posted on April 21, 2022April 21, 2022 by Mark Grantham

The RSPB are appealing for volunteers to help carry out this year’s Cirl Bunting Survey across Devon and Cornwall between April-August
Last year volunteers recorded Cirl Buntings in almost 60% of the 2km by 2km survey squares
Six of these survey squares recorded Cirls for the first time
This year extra volunteer support is especially needed in the South Hams and South Teignbridge area
Just over 30 years ago Cirl Buntings were in a state of serious decline and had already vanished from Cornwall and Somerset. With the support of the RSPB, farmers and landowners have been able to bring the Cirls back from the brink.

The RSPB are appealing for volunteers across Devon and Cornwall to help them carry out their annual Cirl Bunting Survey, between April-August of this year. People can register to take part in the survey on the Cirl Bunting Action Hub, visit: bit.ly/RSPBCirlHub

Here volunteers can select a 2km by 2km survey square local to their home on the RSPB’s map and plan a survey route through their chosen patch along Public Rights of Way and covering the areas that cirl buntings are likely to make their homes. No specialist skills are needed to take part other than an interest in birds and a pair of binoculars. The Cirl Action Hub offers guidance on how to identify cirls by sight and sound.

Volunteers will be asked to visit their chosen survey square twice; first visit before the end of May and second visit anytime from June to the end of August, leaving two weeks between visit one and two. They will then record information about any cirl bunting they see or hear and submit their findings either online or via post.

This year the RSPB are putting a special shout-out for surveyors in the South Hams and South Teignbridge area, which had low coverage last year.

Just over 30 years ago Cirl Buntings were in a state of serious decline and had already vanished from Cornwall and Somerset. With the support of the RSPB, farmers and landowners have been able to bring the Cirl Bunting back from the brink.

Cath Jeffs, RSPB Conservation Officer, said: “Taking part in the Cirl Bunting Survey is a fantastic opportunity to get to know the amazing wildlife on our doorstep. As well as hopefully spotting a cirl or two, volunteers will discover the other farmland bird species they share their local patch with. And most importantly, survey volunteers will be contributing directly to science. The data that volunteers help us gather over the coming years will allow us to spot trends in Cirl numbers, so that we can identify any early warning signs and act quickly to help to help ensure the Cirl Bunting population does not become in danger of being lost from UK again.”

Cath continues: “The volunteer support we received for last year’s survey was fantastic and with the results just in we’re pleased to say that nearly 60% of the survey squares which returned their data, recorded cirls in them. In fact, six of these locations recorded Cirls for the first time since surveys began in the late 1980s; this is really positive news”.

Eighty years ago, Cirl Buntings were widespread across southern England and parts of Wales, but by 1989 they were down to only 118 pairs mainly confined to Devon. These plummeting numbers were due to changes in farming practises, which made it hard for the cirls to find food and suitable nest sites.

In 1992 the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (a government-funded agri-environment scheme, CSS) launched a Cirl Bunting ‘special project’ option for farmers. Under guidance from the RSPB, farmers provided low input spring barley crops which, after harvest, were left as weedy stubbles until the end of March. This created an important source of winter seed food for the birds.

In 1993 the RSPB employed a Cirl Bunting project officer in the south west to work directly with farmers and landowners to encourage them to provide more homes for the Cirl Buntings. By 1998 numbers increased to 450 pairs and in 2016 they passed the 1000 pair mark.

During last year’s survey, volunteers Tracy and Simon Gould, made the fantastic discovery of the very first Cirl Bunting on farmland at Shillingford Organics on the outskirts of Exeter. Owner Martyn Bragg, has been carefully managing this field, with guidance from the RSPB, to give Cirl Buntings a home for the past 23 years and finally they have arrived. Martyn is “over the moon”.

Tracy and Simon said: “We signed up to carry out the RSPB survey initially for the 2sq km square containing both our home, and our local veg box grower – Shillingford Organics. We were delighted to encounter our first singing male Cirl Bunting at Martyn’s farm, announcing his presence after all these years of waiting, in ‘bold as brass’ fashion, from the dip of a telegraph wire above a wide hedge line.”

Author: Mark Grantham