randombirder

Another productive day with plenty of interest. The feeling of Winter was palpable today with a real changing of the guard.  Wigeon numbers were slightly higher today with 42 counted on the pit. Five Common Snipe and a paltry nine Lapwing were the only waders of note.  Gull numbers have increased with 85 Black-headed Gull and two Common Gull resting on the exposed mud. There was plenty of activity over the fields with encouraging numbers of at least 40 very flighty Skylark , three Stonechat present in the tall ruderal, a single Yellowhammer , and 19 Fieldfare over. A Grey Wagtail flew onto the muddy fringes. Stonechat

It's been a few weeks since visiting my new patch and it was interesting to see an increase in wildfowl. At least 45 Wigeon were present on the pits with six Shoveler .  There were some real highlights that included 120 Lapwing and 70 Golden Plover passing overhead. A Common Snipe and Little Egret were present on the islands. The main highlight was a juvenile Peregrine that flew in at speed and pinned a Teal, tearing chunks out of it while it despairingly attempted to wriggle free.  Nature at its savage best.

Great Northern Diver - one drifting off Porthcressa Bay Gannet - common offshore Cormorant - 1 off Porthloo, and 1 off Penninis Head Shag  - Common around the islands Little Egret - 1 in Old Town bay and a few offshore Grey Heron - a few around St. Mary's Mute Swan - 2 on Great Pool - Tresco Mandarin - female on Porth Hellick Blue-winged Teal - 1st winter on Porth Hellick Pink-footed Goose - 2 flying over Porth Hellick Gadwall - Great Pool - Tresco Teal - present on Porth Hellick and Great Pool Tresco Green-winged Teal - dodgy putative juvenile on Newford Duckpond Mallard - common around the island Honey Buzzard - one over Telegraph while attempting to locate the YB Cuckoo Sparrowhawk - a couple of sightings on St. Mary's Kestrel - 1 or 2 seen daily Peregrine - a couple of sightings on St. Mary's and one on St. Martin's Pheasant - a couple seen on St. Mary's Water Rail - a few heard and one seen from ISBG hide Lower Moors Spotted Crake - incre

An interesting marked change in the weather with the moderate south-westerlies replaced by a cool northerly breeze.  This was the final morning of the trip and there was real interest in the air with the first proper arrival of winter thrushes.  Large flocks of Redwing coursed overhead emitting their diagnostic 'seep' calls as they moved over Penninis Head.  Pipits and Larks were also conspicuous with this Skylark hitting ground with a couple more passing through. You just felt that if these northerlies persisted, the coming week could be an interesting one.  It makes it so frustrating to leave. These islands definitely have a hold on me.  I cannot emphasise more just how magical they are. Skylark flocks of Redwing passing over Penninis Head View from Penninis

The weather was still lively on the final full day.  Watching the storms pass by the Isles always provides a sense of vulnerability of how exposed the archipelago is to the weather systems that power along the south-west corridor. View from Penninis Head Highlights of the day featured a Common Redstart along the Penninis Trail still present from the day before.  The long-staying Red-backed Shrike was also in the same area, flying from the trail and later viewable from the coastal path near the Old Town. Two Yellow-browed Warbler were noted, one in the dump clump where the Red-breasted Flycatcher was giving typically fleeting views with the other by the Cricket pitch. A Chiffchaff at the dump clump, two Kestrel , and 56 Herring Gull on Porthcressa were other noteworthy sightings. View from King Edwards Lane - Penninis Hugh Town beach View from Penninis Trail

A much slower day yesterday with a lot of distance covered with very little seen over the course of the day. A Common Redstart was seen along the Penninis Trail first thing - one of my favourite birds. Common Redstart The Spotted Crake was again showing to a couple of metres along the boardwalk through Lower Moors. The Blue-winged Teal was roosting at Porth Hellick with a Grey Wagtail present toward the back of the pools. Three Swallow wheeled over the lake and four Chiffchaff were seen at various points during the amble. A flight view of the Blue Rock Thrush was all I could manage on the walk around Penninis Head in the late afternoon. Stonechat View from ISBG Hide Lower Moors More artwork created by students from Five Islands School

A nice assortment of things today but it really feels like things are winding down now unless there is a final twist in what has been a great few weeks on the Isles. Heading through Lower Moors, the Spotted Crake continued to show ridiculously well, totally non-plussed by the movement of people barely a couple of metres from the track. I headed up the Sunnyside Trail where around four Chiffchaff were present in the elms.  A bit of an increase of this species today with a further five seen at the Newford Duckpond. The weather was glorious and with the air temperature a modest 14C, in the sun and light winds, it felt lovely. There were two Whinchat dashing around for insects at the bottom of the Holy Vale trail. At Porth Hellick, the Blue-winged Teal was still present, swimming up toward Stephen Sussex hide before scooting off again.  Just wish my camera hadn't had a hissy fit just at that moment.  A female  Mandarin  was new in, only the fourth r

A great day walking around St. Martin's where the day started with bright sunshine and light winds and ended up wet and windy.  We walked up from the Lower Town quay up to Daymark with great views out to sea. There were slim picking birdwise with only a single Whinchat , two Northern Wheatear , a male Blackcap and Raven seen during the walk. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak was seen briefly flying over the fire station toward the cricket pitch.

A lot of ground covered today with little reward but the day list still looks quite good. The weather was distinctly changeable throughout the day but at least we were able to enjoy a decent spell of sunshine. Heading up from Rocky Hill at the lower end of Holy Vale, a Pied Flycatcher was present in elms with a Chiffchaff . I made my way into Carreg Dhu Gardens and spent a while in there.  There was hardly anyone around but it was generally quiet with two Blackcap , at least four Siskin in pines, a Firecrest and this lovely Hummingbird Hawkmoth . We then headed round the island.  Again, it was quiet birdwise but three Bar-tailed Godwit , nine Whimbrel , a Sparrowhawk and a Small Copper butterfly were noteworthy.  The views are always magical around the coastline. I made a short diversion to see the continuing White-rumped Sandpiper that was still present at Toll's Porth. The heavens opened and the deluge halted proceedings for a while before I head

What a bonkers day.  Invariably when a rare bird gets sighted, I generally lounge around for a couple of days before deciding whether or not to go and see - that's if it's still around of course. On Scillies, you go. Having heard the news of the latest mega rare on the Isles, I legged it to the quay and boarded a totally rammed boat toward St. Martin's. A typically frantic chase ensued, the bird was inconsiderately mobile, disappearing for lengths of time before being refound and charged down by around 200 birders.  You wonder why sometimes. It wasn't until around 3pm that I clapped eyes on the Rose-breasted grosbeak  sheltering under a line of trees.  It then flew into the adjacent field and I flew off to the quay to get the early boat. The bird was then seen to fly in our direction by some standing on the slipway.  It finally settled in a nearby tree with all the boats occupants able to view it from their offshore positions.  It was all slightly mad