More Scilly

 With the warbler and thrush in the bag, the quiet start was forgotten. On the 11th I headed over to Tresco where the American Golden Plover showed distantly, hiding in the heather. A jog back from the quay gave me brief views of a Radde's Warbler by the Abbey Garden cafe.

American Golden Plover

The 12th was a pretty quiet day spent on St Mary's with good views of the Snow Bunting on Peninnis, but the day was saved by a superb Red-breasted Flycatcher on the Garrison.

Snow Bunting

Red-breasted Flycatcher

The 13th was spent on Tresco with Cliff. A Pectoral Sandpiper was on Abbey Pool, but the nearby Little Buntings failed to show. We did however see a couple of Firecrest and a pair of Crossbill.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Crossbill

A transfer over to Bryher at half time failed to give Cliff the Radde's he was craving, but the American Golden Plover flew over us calling. With late news and a sprint up the hill just before the boat home gave a Buff-bellied Pipit.

Buff-bellied Pipit

Back on St Mary's a lazy cab up to Porthellick gave a Little Bunting by Camel Rock. Shy initially, but a real performer after half an hour of skulking.

Little Bunting

The 14th was again spent on St Mary's with more of the Snow Bunting and the first Black Redstart of the holiday.

Snow Bunting

Black Redstart

Swainson's Thrush

 Yesterday was spent staring fruitlessly at various bits of the Standing Stone Field and Dump Clump with nothing to show for the effort except more mosquito bites. With no further sightings of the Swainson's Thrush we decided to call it a day.

This morning I was just wandering back from the Garrison when I got news of a Swainson's Thrush on Bryher. At Popplestones with acres of deep cover it seemed a long-shot, but with many others I hurtled to the Quay. The walk across Bryher suddenly broke into a run when we realised that the birders on site had their bins up. Mega-blindness kicked in as, despite excellent directions and being dragged into position by Jake, I couldn't pick it up on the ground. Luckily it flicked up onto a low branch to give tickable views, before flitting through the hedge. Standing in the next field, the bird flew (flashing its underwing) on to a branch, where it spent the next few minutes giving fantastic views to the appreciative crowd. Later even closer views were had as it hovered, taking berries from a hedge.

Swainson's Thrush

A bit of under-wing.

Ecstatic we returned to St Mary's, where a Scilly tick Great White Egret flew over Porthcressa, giving distant views from our flat.

Great White Egret

Black & White

 Times have been hard. Wild, wet and windy weather, combined with a lack of birds has made for long days. Yesterday the pain was wiped away with one bird.

Our third day on stake-out for the Swainson's Thrush at the Standing Stone Field was becoming tedious so we took a wander to Porthloo. The radio crackled into life with a typically garbled message. The words Black and white...Tresco were enough to have us running for the quay. Luckily making the first boat we were off to sea and unfortunately, due to the low tide, dropped at the wrong end of the Tresco. A lung bursting run followed, past bemused tourists to Pool Road. A line of birders were strung out between the hides, lying, kneeling, sitting and standing, all peering through the thick vegetation. A minute or two of panic then I was on the Black-and-white Warbler. Incredible views as it crawled Treecreeper-like round lichen covered branches. As a male it was strikingly black and white, almost shining against the drab surroundings. As one of my most wanted birds this made my holiday. Views were far better than my photos suggest...

Black-and-white Warbler

A few other bits have been seen.

Snow Bunting

Pectoral Sandpiper

Pink-footed Goose

Wash those blackberries.

Barred Warbler

Scilly

 A challenging first three days on Scilly. The Scillonian crossing was very rough and wet, seabirding action curtailed by covid restrictions and weather, but I did manage to pick up a Sooty Shearwater. On land I shamelessly twitched the two Greylag for my first Scilly tick of the trip. Distant scope views of the Red-backed Shrike at Longstone were had, but little more of note until a Turtle Dove on the way back to town. There was still time for late dips of Common Rosefinch and Nightingale.

Greylag

Turtle Dove

The 1st started with a walk out to Penninis where a Yellow Wagtail was feeding amongst Cattle and a roaming flock of Meadow Pipit. All were scattered by a hunting Merlin.

Yellow Wagtail

News that the Nightingale was showing got me down to the Dump Clump and after a 15 min wait the bird popped out to give fantastic views, sitting out in the open on the incinerator bank.

Nightingale

On to Tresco, where despite some very wet rain and a bit of wind we notched up some good birds. A good selection of waders including 8 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Grey Plover, 13 Pale-bellied Brent and 2 Mediterranean Gull were all seen within minutes of landing. Two Pochard were on Abbey Pool and a very vocal Yellow-browed Warbler showed nearby. The Spotted Crake took a few minutes from the David Hunt hide. but then showed well, feeding out in the open on the mud.

After sheltering from some torrential rain we headed up to the north of the island in fairly grim conditions, kicking up a Lapland Bunting from the path.

Lapland Bunting

We did fruitless circles of the wind-swept north with no sign of the two Dotterel, only for them to turn up just outside New Grimsby. A fresh young bird and a very pale adult.

Dotterel

A quick dash before the boat got us brief views of a skulking Wryneck. A bit of Barred Warbler dipping followed back on St Mary's.

Today has mostly been dominated by 50+ knot wind from the north and heavy rain this afternoon. Difficult birding all day and only saved by 5+ Balearic Shearwater from Porthellick Down. Roll on tomorrow...

Seawatch

 With strong northerlies forecast I stuck in a last minute day's holiday. Arriving at first light to a wild sea and a strong north-westerly blowing, the birding didn't really pick up until the wind strengthened and swung round to due north. No rarities, but an excellent cast dominated by wild fowl and Sooty Shearwaters. Full results here.

Scaup

Velvet Scoter

Pale-bellied Brent

Barnacle Geese

Lap

 Yesterday a quiet seawatch led to a look round Whitburn CP where 4 Yellow-browed Warbler were vocal and showing occasionally. Mark's garden Arctic Warbler failed to reappear.

In the afternoon I popped down to Blackhall Rocks to see the supposed tame Lapland Bunting. I arrived to news that they had been repeatedly flushed by joggers and cyclists, not being seen for 30mins. Luckily I picked them up just a short distance away feeding on the edge of the path. Just time for a few photos before they were flushed by a pig-ignorant walker.

Lapland Bunting

Buffy

 A flyer from work on Friday 18th September got me up to Boulmer (again) for a smashing Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Always excellent, but up-close, all to myself and a Northumberland tick made the trip worth while. Feeding at the top of the beach, at high tide with 300 Dunlin, a Little Stint, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Ruff a bit of patience gave excellent views. A Merlin made a few attacking runs, scattering the waders, but they all dropped back down to continue feeding.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Little Stint