Caspian Stonechat on St Agnes

First-winter male Caspian Stonechat at Warna's Cove, St. Agnes - the fifth for Britain

Dan and I had been keen to do something this weekend, toying with the idea of S France before settling on Cornwall earlier in the week. Our plans were cemented with news that a 'Siberian' Stonechat on St. Agnes was in fact a Caspian (hemprichii). As such, we teamed up with John Pegden and spent Saturday on Scilly, where I was finally able to lay to rest my penchant for dipping Sibe Stonechats in Britain. Irrespective of splits and ticks, it was an absolutely cracking little bird that showed to within three metres - yet another highlight of 2013 for me. I know I keep saying it, but I must buy an extender for my lens!

With negative news on the Pacific Diver from the Cornish mainland, our plans to stick in the far south-west over the weekend were all too easily abandoned and we went our separate ways on arriving back in Bristol. Perhaps we should have showed an ounce of perseverance - the diver was seen again today and there's a very smart male Marsh Hawk down there, too! Schoolboy error.