A brown booby.
“Brown Booby”by D-Stanley is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Bird watchers have been flocking to St Ives Bay and The Lizard in recent days hoping for a sight of the rare Brown Booby.
Looking a bit like a gannet, the birds are more at home off the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean.
One was spotted in Carbis Bay a week ago Sunday, while there have also been sightings at Kennack Sands.
Mermaid Pleasure Trips noted on Facebook: “It didn’t appear at all on Friday despite nearly 400 birders searching from Godrevy to St Ives, and I had not seen it in six trips until this Saturday morning when it finally gave it’s self up, feeding with gannets and shags off Godrevy lighthouse!
“It moved around St Ives Bay, eventually feeding off Clodgy Point where it seemed to head offshore and out of sight. Luckily however, it was discovered sitting with shags and cormorants on the rocks a mere 20m off Porthgwidden Beach and stayed for almost an hour, obliging a steady stream of panic-stricken birders and an even greater number of bemused holiday-makers!”
