Look out for this long-beaked wader round the Lizard coastline in winter, or on passage in spring and autumn.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Also known as the Ghost Owl, this nocturnal bird of prey can sometimes be seen hunting during the day. An early evening or dusk walk through the National Trust’s Penrose estate or Windmill Farm may well be accompanied by a Barn Owl’s screeching, or perhaps even a glimpse of its ghostly flight.
Photo: © Richard Birchett

Some Black Redstarts do overwinter in the relatively warmer south-west of the UK, but this is primarily a migratory species. 
Photo: Ray Surridge

Black-headed Gulls form large flocks in the autumn and winter months.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Blackbirds can be seen throughout the year on The Lizard.
Photo: © Julian Dowse/Natural England

We are more used to seeing Blackcaps in the summer months, but increasing numbers now overwinter in the UK.
Photo: Ron Knight (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Blue Tit is one of our most familiar birds, and a frequent visitor to bird tables.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt 

The Buzzard is the most common bird of prey in the UK.
Photo: Richard Birchett

Carrion Crows can be seen throughout the year. All too often maligned in popular culture, these are amazing and intelligent birds.
Photo: © Richard Birchett

Mainly a summer visitor to the UK, a small but increasing number of this small warbler with its familiar song now overwinters here.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Choughs have been breeding at Southerly Point for many years now.
Photo: Ken Billington

Look out for Coal Tits in conifer and mixed woodlands.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Common Sandpipers are often spotted on the Helford, on their migration. Read on to find a video showing its characteristic, and very endearing, bobbing motion as it forages for food. 
Photo (and video): Ray Surridge

Cormorants are expert fishers: they can be seen round the coast of The Lizard and on the Helford.
Photo: Ray Surridge

Cuckoos migrate back to the UK in the spring.
Photo: Aviceda (Wikimedia Commons)

Watch out for Curlews in July and August as they start to move to the coast.
Photo: © Natural England/AllanDrewitt

Dunlins can be spotted in estuaries and salt marshes in the autumn and winter. 
Photo: Amanda Scott

The Dunnock is an unassuming small brown bird, easily confused with but unrelated to the Sparrow. Watch out for it sidling about in the undergrowth. 
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Flocks of Fieldfares can be spotted out on The Lizard through the winter.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

A flash of fiery bronze – watch out for flocks of beautiful Firecrests in the spring.
Photo: Dougy Wright

Fulmars look superficially like gulls but are, in fact, related to Albatrosses. They can be spotted near to coastal cliffs, such as at Lizard Point.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Gannets do not breed on the Lizard, but can be seen flying past over the sea as they hunt far and wide for food.
Photo: © Natural England/AllanDrewitt

This beautiful wader used to be considered a vagrant, but is becoming a more common, if still occasional, migratory visitor. Croft Pascoe Pool, on Goonhilly Downs is a good place to spot one.
Photo: Freddie

Golden Plovers hang out together in flocks on grasslands and marshy areas in the winter. Windmill Farm is one of the best places to see them on The Lizard.
Photo: Amanda Scott

Who doesn’t love a Goldfinch?
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

In winter, Great Black-backed Gulls will often venture inland to hunt for food: look out for them near inland pools or scavenging at disposal sites. 
Photo: Amanda Scott

Great Northern Divers are winter visitors to the seas of the Lizard.
Photo: by P199

Great Skuas breed far to the north, but keep an eye out for them at sea as they migrate south in the late summer.
Photo (of bird at breeding grounds on Shetland): Amanda Scott

Great Spotted Woodpeckers often turn up at the birdfeeder at the Natural England offices on The Lizard.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

If you feed your garden birds, you probably won’t need to go far to see Greenfinches, a regular garden visitor, on The Lizard.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Croft Pascoe Pool on Goonhilly Downs is a great place for spotting migratory and overwintering waders in the autumn, including Greenshanks.
Photo: Ilya Maclean

Grey Herons can be spotted fishing at places such as the Helford River or Windmill Farm. 
Photo: Ray Surridge

Grey Wagtails are found near upland streams in the summer, but move to lowland habitats in the winter. 
Photo: Dougy Wright

Did you know the Herring Gull is a red-listed species in the UK?
Photo: Amanda Scott

Hobbies fly with such agility and speed, they can even snatch swallows and swifts on the wing. This one was catching a dragonfly over Goonhilly.
Photo: © Richard Birchett

House Martins arrive back in the UK in the spring.
Photo: Ken Billington

House Sparrows are in decline, but rural areas are less affected than cities. Look out for this gregarious bird in noisy flocks.
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

A flock of Jackdaws used to be called a 'clattering' - for obvious reasons!
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Kestrels, with their narrow wings and long tails, can often be seen over The Lizard.
Photo: © Richard Birchett

Kittiwakes live far out at sea during the winter, but can be spotted round the coast in the breeding season, from March to August.
Photo: © Natural England/Neil Pike

Numbers of resident Lapwings are increased by birds migrating from northern Europe in the winter. Watch out for them in pastures and wetlands.
Photo: © Julian Dowse/Natural England

This distinctive bird is an occasional vagrant visitor to the UK in the autumn.
Photo: Wwcsig

Look out for the smart chestnut breasts of male Linnets in their summer plumage.
Photo: © Allan Drewitt/Natural England

The bright yellow feet of the Little Egret make it look as though they’ve been dipped in paint. 
Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

The Long-tailed Tit lives up to its name, with a tail that is longer than its body. 
Photo: Ray Surridge

In autumn, Meadow Pipits migrate southward and to lowland areas. Watch out for them on The Lizard.
Photo: © Allan Drewitt/Natural England

Some Mediterranean Gulls overwinter round the Lizard coast, before returning to their summer breeding grounds.
Photo: © Allan Drewitt/Natural England

The Merlin is our smallest bird of prey, but it makes up for its size with lots of grit and steely determination.
Photo: © Richard Birchett

Watch for graceful Mute Swans on The Lizard. The creeks of the Helford River are a good place to look.
Photo: © Allan Drewitt/Natural England

Nuthatches fiercely defend their nesting sites. A bird of broadleaf woodlands, it is also a frequent visitor to garden birdfeeders.
Photo: © Richard Birchett