Horse Point, at the end of Wingletang Down on St Agnes, is the most south-westerly point of Britain. Standing here and gazing out at the waves crashing on to the Western Rocks, you can truly believe that you are right on the edge of the world. And it is the edge of the world for many migrant birds too. Whether they've strayed too far out into the Atlantic, and return to find first landfall here, or whether they just keep heading west beyond Cornwall until they simply run out of land, birds arrive here in amazing variety. Although birds are never found here in great numbers, the excitement of birding on the islands is that of simply not knowing what you may find.
Every habitat is worth investigating, and every bird worth looking at.
Mid May is an excellent time for spring migrants. Although it is impossible to predict the more unusual birds, the most likely source of these will be the south, with continental birds overshooting their destinations. Wryneck and Bluethroat seem to turn up with some regularity, though. Spring seabirds here include Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin - the latter best seen on some of the boat trips. We hope to take a boat trip out to Annet one spring evening for the impressive Manx Shearwater gatherings that occur here.