Red-eyed Vireo, Kenidjack Valley, Cornwall

A short clip of Red-eyed Vireo. A first for me anywhere on planet earth. I was incredibly lucky to be in the right place at the right time. A bird I've waited 30 years to see in West Cornwall after spending nearly every autumn here.

Weirdly, as I walked into the valley I had this species on my mind, little knowing I was about to find out one was just a 20 minute walk away near the bottom of the valley. Then after searching for some time, I managed to be standing a few meters away from the person who relocated it. Many spent all day there without seeing it as it spent most of its time in the cover of a large garden.

There are about 150 records of Red-eyed Vireo (about 2 a year) in Britain, almost all in the western extremities of these islands - unsurprising for a species which breeds across North American and winters in South America.

Firecrest, Cot Valley, Cornwall

Been in West Penwith for nearly two weeks now and after some very good seawatches early on the persistent heavy NW winds have kept the birding fairly mundane (while the east coast and Scotland in particular have been having a bumper autumn). I've been checking out the Cot Valley most days and turned up a fair few Firecrests (and the odd Yellow-browed Warbler). Today there were perhaps as many as five with some clearly arriving during the morning along with a few Chiffchaffs as Siskins and Meadow Pipits passed over. This was a particularly showy individual right at the top of the valley.