Andrew
wibble wibble
01-10-05
Location : Scillonian Crossing & St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SW320150 & SV915110.
An early morning drive down to Penzance ensured we got the boat with ample time to spare. I was keen on the crossing as strong westerly winds had been forecast and I had hopes of a Grey Phalarope, a Great Shearwater or even a Sabine's Gull. About an hour into the crossing an European Storm-petrel flew round and dropped in the choppy seas close to the boat for half a minute. Year tick! The sea and the weather was fierce and some people on board were spewing their guts out but I was happy up on deck in a little cubby hole watching for birds. Just reward came half an hour after the petrel as a birder called out a super Grey Phalarope that had dropped close to the boat too before flying around briefly displaying the classic white W bars on the upper wings. Lifer number one! This was also my bona fide three hundredth lifer since switching to a BOU list. I had hoped my three hundredth would be a top drawer rarity but this was good enough for me. The rest of the crossing saw a couple of Bonxies and a Sooty Shearwater. After sorting out the shopping and checking into the flat at Sunnyside I was off to Lower Moors where the Sora was showing extremely well to a packed Hilda Quick hide. Lifer number two! It was almost like a Spotted Crake except for a black eye mask, chunky yellow bill, buff under tail coverts, dark central crown stripe flanked by orangey stripes and a lack of zigzag markings on the wing feathers. Next up was a short stroll to Carn Leh on the east side of Penninis Head for an extremely showy Spotted Sandpiper. Lifer number three! I could distinguish some pink in the bill but without a Common Sandpiper next to it, it was hard to tell the difference between the two species if it was not for the yellow legs. There were a lot of birders watching it and little space to set up a tripod so I could not examine the mantle markings well enough through my bins. Anyway, I had another target bird to go for. Up on Penninis Head a Common Rosefinch had settled in a quinoa field by the King Edwards Road. The fields along this road seem to be excellent for pipits, larks, buntings and finches. The winds were too strong and buffeting the weeds making the finches dive down for cover. As a result, the Rosefinch did not show today. A pity as it would have been the fourth lifer in a day. Nipping into Hugh Town allowed me to pick up a pager from Dick Filby for the week and enjoy a pint of ale to toast the lifers seen so far. After some tea, I was out again to Newford duck pond up to last light trying vainly to see a Yellow-browed Warbler. The first day had gone extremely well with three top quality lifers and a year tick safely in the bag.
02-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
After a lie in we headed over to the Garrison where a smashing Long-eared Owl was roosting in a small pine tree by the tennis court. That was another quality year tick sorted. Bob Flood came to look at the owl and discussed the possibility of a pelagic later in the week. We made slow progress to Penninis head with a snack stop on the Porthcressa beach front. Scanning a few fields along the King Edwards Road was futile until a couple of birders informed us that the Rosefinch was still showing well in the quinoa field in calmer conditions than yesterday. Setting up the scope at the northern end of the field and scanning the mobile Common Linnet flock eventually bagged good views of the Common Rosefinch feeding atop a stalk for a few minutes. It was a disappointingly drab bird but still a morale boosting lifer all the same. We popped into Lower Moors on the way back but in the half hour we spent there, the Sora did not show. It was still present though according to the birders in the hide. A nice Water Rail was feeding close to the hide. After a cup of tea at the flat, I carried on solo to Newford duck pond. Despite a long stake out, I failed to see the Yellow-browed Warbler again. The evening was rounded off with a nice fry up and a good episode of Monarch of the Glen on the telly.
03-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
Just as we started walking to Hugh Town, a Blackpoll Warbler was reported from the campsite on the Garrison. Immediately, we ditched our plan to go to St Agnes for the Greenish Warbler and phoned for a taxi to take us straight to the Garrison. The taxi driver was wonderful as she even drove across the football field to drop us off amongst the birders. No more than a couple of minutes later, I followed a few birders' glances to a bird high up in a sycamore and was amazed not to see a Blackpoll Warbler but a stunning Red-eyed Vireo! It did not hang about for long and flew over to the eastern side of the Garrison. Bonus lifer number five! I only had time to note the greyish blue crown, white eye stripe, thick bill, olive upper parts and white under parts. Not too sure about the eye but I falsely convinced myself it was reddish, the bird's name was probably leading me to believe so. It was a good job I had decided to fork out for a taxi, a worthwhile investment! There was no sign of the Blackpoll Warbler but a lot of birders were searching the campsite for it. There was suggestion of two Red-eyed Vireos being present with some birders seeing them in different places and heading in different directions. Eventually, a group of birders were marching out of the campsite pointing their way to the Lower Broome Platform on the east side of the Garrison for the Blackpoll Warbler. I adopted Nicholas Crane's (BBC1's Map Man) walking technique of walking upright and fast which got me there ahead of the pack and at the same time as Bob Flood and Bryan Thomas who drove there. The Blackpoll Warbler showed elusively in the trees and scrub behind the wall but soon offered excellent close and open views to all. Amazingly, this was lifer number six in just three days and yet another Yankee vagrant. It was a very likeable bird with a yellowy wash over most of the body, dark eye, a streaky mantle, pinkish legs, dark wing feathers with white fringes and two prominent white wing bars. Among the crowd watching the bird were a few more locals I could catch up with. As soon as we returned down to Hugh Town, I had to walk back up to the Garrison again to look for a Yellow-browed Warbler. By the time I got there, it had long since flown. Once again, as soon as I got back down I was back up again as a Trumpeter Finch was reported drinking from puddles by the entrance to the campsite. A long search by several birders failed to yield the bird at all. As we were waiting for the bus back to the flat, it was reported again so I was up the hill to the Garrison again like a loony. This time a large gaggle of birders watched the puddles for a couple of hours until a European Greenfinch showed up with some pink food on it's bill. That was a real depressing let down but I could not grumble with what I had seen today at all. A bonus while watching for the finch to show was one of the Red-eyed Vireos showing unbelievably well close to the central track through the campsite. The day ended well as I discovered The Scillonian Club had a back room with many casks of real ale for just two quid a pint and sampled one with views over Hugh Town Bay.
04-10-05
Location : Scilly Pelagic (Seven Stones Reef). Isles of Scilly. SW050250.
After stocking up on food and drink I boarded Alec Hicks's boat, the Kingfisher, for a pelagic trip to the Seven Stones reef north east of St Mary's. I was a bit worried as none of the local birders were on the boat but seventeen other dudes. Not long into the trip there was a welcome foursome of Grey Phalaropes close to the boat. It was then a very long wait before anything happened, a super Leach's Petrel passed about a hundred yards from the boat. Another quality year tick from Scilly! This was closely followed by a Sooty Shearwater and a few more Grey Phalaropes. At least one more Leach's Petrel headed south, possibly two. Late in the afternoon a distant dark morph Arctic Skua rested on the sea. A Common Tern passed over the boat on the way back. An adult Black-legged Kittiwake flew over high up and the most of the boat were far too eager to make it a Sabine's Gull. I had enjoyed myself despite the lack of birds and the poor company. I attempted to speak to a few but sadly they were useless with deaf people, all I could muster off one or two were nods and grunts. Only one birder was keen to talk to me now and then. All the other birders were also getting excited about every passing bird including Guillemots, Cormorants and Kittiwakes. This and the poor company massively encouraged me to sit on the bow of the boat and do my own thing. One small flock of Guillemots passed by distantly and for some strange reason one or two were unusually very happy with seeing them. I later learnt they may have mistaken them for Sooty Shearwaters! My sightings on the board back at St Mary's were altered which was a bit disappointing as the facts were distorted as a result but I thought it best to let it lie as it is not the end of the world. I now know not to board a pelagic for hours if there is no one that I know on it.
05-10-05
Location : St Agnes. Isles of Scilly. SV880080.
As we waited for the ferry to set off for St Agnes, there was a timely report of a Radde's Warbler on Gugh which was easily accessible by walking across the sand bar. That was a lifer nicely laid on for me, or so I believed. As soon as we disembarked, we made a beeline for Gugh and found a small group of birders already there watching for the bird in the extensive bracken cover. To cut a long story short, the extensive bracken gave up a really good looking possibility that some ticked as the Radde's but it was not good enough for me at all. I felt no pressure to secure a tick as some time sooner or later I am bound to come across a Radde's Warbler showing well. The cover was too large and I expected the bird would not show for the rest of the day so returned to my original plan of looking for the Greenish Warbler in The Parsonage on St Agnes. Moving around the Lighthouse area and The Parsonage failed to produce the Greenish but earned me two worthy year ticks in the form of a couple of showy Yellow-browed Warblers and a Red-breasted Flycatcher. The Greenish would have only been a year tick but being elusive made it a bird that I just had to see, I did not like being beaten at all. I made a stupid mistake as I suggested we leave a bit early to sample a couple of ales from The Turk's Head before the boat back. Unsurprisingly, while supping my delicious ale some birders walked by saying they had seen the Greenish well after I left. An evening stroll to Lower Moors produced excellent views of the Sora and a Water Rail plus a silhouette of a Jack Snipe.
06-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
Scilly was covered in a blanket of mist this morning so we decided to stick to St Mary's today and headed for Higher Moors and Porthellick via Holy Vale. Close to Four Lanes End a ploughed field was full of Meadow Pipits and a good multiple scan of them failed to find any goodies among them. I had hoped for a Red-throated or even, dare I say, a Pechora Pipit. The hides at Porthellick were far too busy with the 'Pelagic Dudes' so we skirted the coastal edge of the airport coming across two Northern Wheatears. Two Sandwich Terns passed by Church Point. Continuing through Old Town and on to Lower Moors gave us good views of two Jack Snipe from the ISBG hide. As usual, the Hilda Quick hide was full of birders struggling to see the Sora. Mum carried on into Hugh Town while I made a short diversion down Moor Well Lane for a look at a second Red-breasted Flycatcher between the Dump Clump and the Primary School. After a pint in the Porthcressa Inn, we got some shopping done and returned to the flat. It was good to have a decent long walk today. Having forgotten to get some milk, I had to walk back to town again but this allowed me to pop into Lower Moors again for some more good views of a Jack Snipe on Shooter's Pool and the Sora close to the Hilda Quick hide.
07-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
Earlier in the year, I failed to see a Hawfinch in Norfolk (Lynford Arboretum) so when one was reported by the pumping station this morning I was glad of the opportunity of 'regaining' a year tick I should have had. After walking down via Holy Vale it was disappointing to find no sign of it at all after a good search. There was no suitable food source so I suspect it had long since moved on. While we were in the seaward hide at Porthellick Pool, I was delighted to find my own Yellow-browed Warbler in the trees around the hide but amazed to see it drop into a small reed bed briefly. A Little Egret was the best on offer on Porthellick Beach. At Carn Friars a birder yelled to us to look up at a bird flying over. Hoping to be told it was something good like a Red-throated Pipit or the Hawfinch, it was disappointing to learn it was only a Common Crossbill. A good bird in it's own right but not as a silent fly over silhouette. A good walk round the coast ended up at Carn Vean cafe for the traditional Ham and Brie baguette which we devoured at Higher Newford. Near the Higher Newford junction, there was an early Fieldfare on top of a small windswept berry laden tree. While checking out Newford duck pond with some other birders for a Yellow-browed Warbler I called out a very late Common Swift passing overhead. It caught our interest for a good few minutes. I suppose the others, like myself, were examining it in hope of a Pallid Swift. The Fieldfare and the Swift provided an uncanny overlap of summer and winter migrants. A brief look at the golf course only produced a couple of Northern Wheatears at best. I had not even bagged a year tick today but I enjoyed myself all the same. After all, there is no such thing as a bad day on Scilly.
08-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
After cleaning up the flat and finishing our packing we left our luggage for the carriers to pick up and strolled down to Lower Moors. The overnight rains had raised the water levels such that the margins around the small 'island' in front of the hide were under water. This made the Sora very elusive and we did not even see it but some birders assured us it was still there. A bobbing Jack Snipe was still showing well on Shooter's Pool. In Hugh Town we could not locate the reported Little Gull on the Porthcressa beach before continuing to the Lower Broome platform on The Garrison for some more excellent views of the Blackpoll Warbler. The winter plumaged Little Gull was showing well among a small gull flock just on the south side of Morning Point. We carried on round the battery walls of The Garrison and arrived near the Star Castle Hotel to find a group of birders that had been watching a Grasshopper Warbler briefly. Sadly, I had come too late to see it. After handing the pager back to Dick Filby we boarded the Scillonian to return to Penzance. Sea watching on the deck only produced close views of one Manx Shearwater. It had been a very good week that started off with a bang and settled down. Hopefully there will be several top drawer birds waiting for Peter, Sue and I next Saturday. For now my next target was an extremely confiding Squacco Heron in Newton Abbot tomorrow.
09-10-05
Location : Newton Abbot. Devon. SX866712.
When we parked up close to Courtenhay Park next to Newton Abbot railway station, a few dude birders told us the Squacco Heron had flown and offered to show us the way to the River Teign by the B&Q store assuring us it would be there. After searching a large stretch of the river with no sign of the bird I got extremely frustrated. There was only one thing for it and that was to return to the park and wait for it to come back. Imagine my mild resentment when I found the Squacco Heron was in a cherry tree close to the concrete pond all this time and that the dudes were there watching it! It showed now and then in the cherry tree as it moved about within it. Occasionally it was hard to see the bird at all but more often than not there were super views of most of it's body including it's head. The heron's reddish buff and streaky plumage provided good camouflage among the autumnal red leaves but when it stretched it's white wings it stuck out like a sore thumb. I had brought my camera in the hope of some good pictures. During the week the bird had spent some time on the concrete walls of the pond offering ridiculously close views to those that had twitched it. Digiscopers had to step back to get a picture or dispense with the scope altogether! Being a Sunday, there were more people here today and too many were stupidly standing between the tree and the pond so it refused to come down. I still managed a few decent shots though. Happy with this British lifer, we carried on to Tucker's Maltings close by to try and pick up some real ale and view the breweries but sadly it was closed today. Unfortunately, I had to be in Exeter so could not go back to the park to wait for the heron to come down to the pond but I was happy enough to have seen this super bird.
Location : Scillonian Crossing & St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SW320150 & SV915110.
An early morning drive down to Penzance ensured we got the boat with ample time to spare. I was keen on the crossing as strong westerly winds had been forecast and I had hopes of a Grey Phalarope, a Great Shearwater or even a Sabine's Gull. About an hour into the crossing an European Storm-petrel flew round and dropped in the choppy seas close to the boat for half a minute. Year tick! The sea and the weather was fierce and some people on board were spewing their guts out but I was happy up on deck in a little cubby hole watching for birds. Just reward came half an hour after the petrel as a birder called out a super Grey Phalarope that had dropped close to the boat too before flying around briefly displaying the classic white W bars on the upper wings. Lifer number one! This was also my bona fide three hundredth lifer since switching to a BOU list. I had hoped my three hundredth would be a top drawer rarity but this was good enough for me. The rest of the crossing saw a couple of Bonxies and a Sooty Shearwater. After sorting out the shopping and checking into the flat at Sunnyside I was off to Lower Moors where the Sora was showing extremely well to a packed Hilda Quick hide. Lifer number two! It was almost like a Spotted Crake except for a black eye mask, chunky yellow bill, buff under tail coverts, dark central crown stripe flanked by orangey stripes and a lack of zigzag markings on the wing feathers. Next up was a short stroll to Carn Leh on the east side of Penninis Head for an extremely showy Spotted Sandpiper. Lifer number three! I could distinguish some pink in the bill but without a Common Sandpiper next to it, it was hard to tell the difference between the two species if it was not for the yellow legs. There were a lot of birders watching it and little space to set up a tripod so I could not examine the mantle markings well enough through my bins. Anyway, I had another target bird to go for. Up on Penninis Head a Common Rosefinch had settled in a quinoa field by the King Edwards Road. The fields along this road seem to be excellent for pipits, larks, buntings and finches. The winds were too strong and buffeting the weeds making the finches dive down for cover. As a result, the Rosefinch did not show today. A pity as it would have been the fourth lifer in a day. Nipping into Hugh Town allowed me to pick up a pager from Dick Filby for the week and enjoy a pint of ale to toast the lifers seen so far. After some tea, I was out again to Newford duck pond up to last light trying vainly to see a Yellow-browed Warbler. The first day had gone extremely well with three top quality lifers and a year tick safely in the bag.
02-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
After a lie in we headed over to the Garrison where a smashing Long-eared Owl was roosting in a small pine tree by the tennis court. That was another quality year tick sorted. Bob Flood came to look at the owl and discussed the possibility of a pelagic later in the week. We made slow progress to Penninis head with a snack stop on the Porthcressa beach front. Scanning a few fields along the King Edwards Road was futile until a couple of birders informed us that the Rosefinch was still showing well in the quinoa field in calmer conditions than yesterday. Setting up the scope at the northern end of the field and scanning the mobile Common Linnet flock eventually bagged good views of the Common Rosefinch feeding atop a stalk for a few minutes. It was a disappointingly drab bird but still a morale boosting lifer all the same. We popped into Lower Moors on the way back but in the half hour we spent there, the Sora did not show. It was still present though according to the birders in the hide. A nice Water Rail was feeding close to the hide. After a cup of tea at the flat, I carried on solo to Newford duck pond. Despite a long stake out, I failed to see the Yellow-browed Warbler again. The evening was rounded off with a nice fry up and a good episode of Monarch of the Glen on the telly.
03-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
Just as we started walking to Hugh Town, a Blackpoll Warbler was reported from the campsite on the Garrison. Immediately, we ditched our plan to go to St Agnes for the Greenish Warbler and phoned for a taxi to take us straight to the Garrison. The taxi driver was wonderful as she even drove across the football field to drop us off amongst the birders. No more than a couple of minutes later, I followed a few birders' glances to a bird high up in a sycamore and was amazed not to see a Blackpoll Warbler but a stunning Red-eyed Vireo! It did not hang about for long and flew over to the eastern side of the Garrison. Bonus lifer number five! I only had time to note the greyish blue crown, white eye stripe, thick bill, olive upper parts and white under parts. Not too sure about the eye but I falsely convinced myself it was reddish, the bird's name was probably leading me to believe so. It was a good job I had decided to fork out for a taxi, a worthwhile investment! There was no sign of the Blackpoll Warbler but a lot of birders were searching the campsite for it. There was suggestion of two Red-eyed Vireos being present with some birders seeing them in different places and heading in different directions. Eventually, a group of birders were marching out of the campsite pointing their way to the Lower Broome Platform on the east side of the Garrison for the Blackpoll Warbler. I adopted Nicholas Crane's (BBC1's Map Man) walking technique of walking upright and fast which got me there ahead of the pack and at the same time as Bob Flood and Bryan Thomas who drove there. The Blackpoll Warbler showed elusively in the trees and scrub behind the wall but soon offered excellent close and open views to all. Amazingly, this was lifer number six in just three days and yet another Yankee vagrant. It was a very likeable bird with a yellowy wash over most of the body, dark eye, a streaky mantle, pinkish legs, dark wing feathers with white fringes and two prominent white wing bars. Among the crowd watching the bird were a few more locals I could catch up with. As soon as we returned down to Hugh Town, I had to walk back up to the Garrison again to look for a Yellow-browed Warbler. By the time I got there, it had long since flown. Once again, as soon as I got back down I was back up again as a Trumpeter Finch was reported drinking from puddles by the entrance to the campsite. A long search by several birders failed to yield the bird at all. As we were waiting for the bus back to the flat, it was reported again so I was up the hill to the Garrison again like a loony. This time a large gaggle of birders watched the puddles for a couple of hours until a European Greenfinch showed up with some pink food on it's bill. That was a real depressing let down but I could not grumble with what I had seen today at all. A bonus while watching for the finch to show was one of the Red-eyed Vireos showing unbelievably well close to the central track through the campsite. The day ended well as I discovered The Scillonian Club had a back room with many casks of real ale for just two quid a pint and sampled one with views over Hugh Town Bay.
04-10-05
Location : Scilly Pelagic (Seven Stones Reef). Isles of Scilly. SW050250.
After stocking up on food and drink I boarded Alec Hicks's boat, the Kingfisher, for a pelagic trip to the Seven Stones reef north east of St Mary's. I was a bit worried as none of the local birders were on the boat but seventeen other dudes. Not long into the trip there was a welcome foursome of Grey Phalaropes close to the boat. It was then a very long wait before anything happened, a super Leach's Petrel passed about a hundred yards from the boat. Another quality year tick from Scilly! This was closely followed by a Sooty Shearwater and a few more Grey Phalaropes. At least one more Leach's Petrel headed south, possibly two. Late in the afternoon a distant dark morph Arctic Skua rested on the sea. A Common Tern passed over the boat on the way back. An adult Black-legged Kittiwake flew over high up and the most of the boat were far too eager to make it a Sabine's Gull. I had enjoyed myself despite the lack of birds and the poor company. I attempted to speak to a few but sadly they were useless with deaf people, all I could muster off one or two were nods and grunts. Only one birder was keen to talk to me now and then. All the other birders were also getting excited about every passing bird including Guillemots, Cormorants and Kittiwakes. This and the poor company massively encouraged me to sit on the bow of the boat and do my own thing. One small flock of Guillemots passed by distantly and for some strange reason one or two were unusually very happy with seeing them. I later learnt they may have mistaken them for Sooty Shearwaters! My sightings on the board back at St Mary's were altered which was a bit disappointing as the facts were distorted as a result but I thought it best to let it lie as it is not the end of the world. I now know not to board a pelagic for hours if there is no one that I know on it.
05-10-05
Location : St Agnes. Isles of Scilly. SV880080.
As we waited for the ferry to set off for St Agnes, there was a timely report of a Radde's Warbler on Gugh which was easily accessible by walking across the sand bar. That was a lifer nicely laid on for me, or so I believed. As soon as we disembarked, we made a beeline for Gugh and found a small group of birders already there watching for the bird in the extensive bracken cover. To cut a long story short, the extensive bracken gave up a really good looking possibility that some ticked as the Radde's but it was not good enough for me at all. I felt no pressure to secure a tick as some time sooner or later I am bound to come across a Radde's Warbler showing well. The cover was too large and I expected the bird would not show for the rest of the day so returned to my original plan of looking for the Greenish Warbler in The Parsonage on St Agnes. Moving around the Lighthouse area and The Parsonage failed to produce the Greenish but earned me two worthy year ticks in the form of a couple of showy Yellow-browed Warblers and a Red-breasted Flycatcher. The Greenish would have only been a year tick but being elusive made it a bird that I just had to see, I did not like being beaten at all. I made a stupid mistake as I suggested we leave a bit early to sample a couple of ales from The Turk's Head before the boat back. Unsurprisingly, while supping my delicious ale some birders walked by saying they had seen the Greenish well after I left. An evening stroll to Lower Moors produced excellent views of the Sora and a Water Rail plus a silhouette of a Jack Snipe.
06-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
Scilly was covered in a blanket of mist this morning so we decided to stick to St Mary's today and headed for Higher Moors and Porthellick via Holy Vale. Close to Four Lanes End a ploughed field was full of Meadow Pipits and a good multiple scan of them failed to find any goodies among them. I had hoped for a Red-throated or even, dare I say, a Pechora Pipit. The hides at Porthellick were far too busy with the 'Pelagic Dudes' so we skirted the coastal edge of the airport coming across two Northern Wheatears. Two Sandwich Terns passed by Church Point. Continuing through Old Town and on to Lower Moors gave us good views of two Jack Snipe from the ISBG hide. As usual, the Hilda Quick hide was full of birders struggling to see the Sora. Mum carried on into Hugh Town while I made a short diversion down Moor Well Lane for a look at a second Red-breasted Flycatcher between the Dump Clump and the Primary School. After a pint in the Porthcressa Inn, we got some shopping done and returned to the flat. It was good to have a decent long walk today. Having forgotten to get some milk, I had to walk back to town again but this allowed me to pop into Lower Moors again for some more good views of a Jack Snipe on Shooter's Pool and the Sora close to the Hilda Quick hide.
07-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
Earlier in the year, I failed to see a Hawfinch in Norfolk (Lynford Arboretum) so when one was reported by the pumping station this morning I was glad of the opportunity of 'regaining' a year tick I should have had. After walking down via Holy Vale it was disappointing to find no sign of it at all after a good search. There was no suitable food source so I suspect it had long since moved on. While we were in the seaward hide at Porthellick Pool, I was delighted to find my own Yellow-browed Warbler in the trees around the hide but amazed to see it drop into a small reed bed briefly. A Little Egret was the best on offer on Porthellick Beach. At Carn Friars a birder yelled to us to look up at a bird flying over. Hoping to be told it was something good like a Red-throated Pipit or the Hawfinch, it was disappointing to learn it was only a Common Crossbill. A good bird in it's own right but not as a silent fly over silhouette. A good walk round the coast ended up at Carn Vean cafe for the traditional Ham and Brie baguette which we devoured at Higher Newford. Near the Higher Newford junction, there was an early Fieldfare on top of a small windswept berry laden tree. While checking out Newford duck pond with some other birders for a Yellow-browed Warbler I called out a very late Common Swift passing overhead. It caught our interest for a good few minutes. I suppose the others, like myself, were examining it in hope of a Pallid Swift. The Fieldfare and the Swift provided an uncanny overlap of summer and winter migrants. A brief look at the golf course only produced a couple of Northern Wheatears at best. I had not even bagged a year tick today but I enjoyed myself all the same. After all, there is no such thing as a bad day on Scilly.
08-10-05
Location : St Mary's. Isles of Scilly. SV915110.
After cleaning up the flat and finishing our packing we left our luggage for the carriers to pick up and strolled down to Lower Moors. The overnight rains had raised the water levels such that the margins around the small 'island' in front of the hide were under water. This made the Sora very elusive and we did not even see it but some birders assured us it was still there. A bobbing Jack Snipe was still showing well on Shooter's Pool. In Hugh Town we could not locate the reported Little Gull on the Porthcressa beach before continuing to the Lower Broome platform on The Garrison for some more excellent views of the Blackpoll Warbler. The winter plumaged Little Gull was showing well among a small gull flock just on the south side of Morning Point. We carried on round the battery walls of The Garrison and arrived near the Star Castle Hotel to find a group of birders that had been watching a Grasshopper Warbler briefly. Sadly, I had come too late to see it. After handing the pager back to Dick Filby we boarded the Scillonian to return to Penzance. Sea watching on the deck only produced close views of one Manx Shearwater. It had been a very good week that started off with a bang and settled down. Hopefully there will be several top drawer birds waiting for Peter, Sue and I next Saturday. For now my next target was an extremely confiding Squacco Heron in Newton Abbot tomorrow.
09-10-05
Location : Newton Abbot. Devon. SX866712.
When we parked up close to Courtenhay Park next to Newton Abbot railway station, a few dude birders told us the Squacco Heron had flown and offered to show us the way to the River Teign by the B&Q store assuring us it would be there. After searching a large stretch of the river with no sign of the bird I got extremely frustrated. There was only one thing for it and that was to return to the park and wait for it to come back. Imagine my mild resentment when I found the Squacco Heron was in a cherry tree close to the concrete pond all this time and that the dudes were there watching it! It showed now and then in the cherry tree as it moved about within it. Occasionally it was hard to see the bird at all but more often than not there were super views of most of it's body including it's head. The heron's reddish buff and streaky plumage provided good camouflage among the autumnal red leaves but when it stretched it's white wings it stuck out like a sore thumb. I had brought my camera in the hope of some good pictures. During the week the bird had spent some time on the concrete walls of the pond offering ridiculously close views to those that had twitched it. Digiscopers had to step back to get a picture or dispense with the scope altogether! Being a Sunday, there were more people here today and too many were stupidly standing between the tree and the pond so it refused to come down. I still managed a few decent shots though. Happy with this British lifer, we carried on to Tucker's Maltings close by to try and pick up some real ale and view the breweries but sadly it was closed today. Unfortunately, I had to be in Exeter so could not go back to the park to wait for the heron to come down to the pond but I was happy enough to have seen this super bird.
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