Isles of Scilly - 6th October 2019

Dawn over St. Mary's spread hues of orange and blue across the morning sky.  It was particularly quiet on the Garrison but it felt great being up and about across the headland at this time of day.

The plan to head to Tresco didn't happen until midday after a lazy morning on St. Mary's.

Arriving on Tresco, we bouldered over to the Heliport where the greater short-toed lark showed reasonably well associating with a skylark and a meadow pipit.

Having decided on leaving my scope back at the apartment, it made connecting with the Ortolan extremely difficult is this was feeding a lot further away.

We decided to head back on the next boat and proceeded to the site of the Cuckoo.  It was carnage.  Birders everywhere and with the bird skulking deep in cover, it was difficult to pin it down with many including me leaving a little disappointed at not having seen it.

This was however alleviated in part by a ridiculously confiding spotted crake that fed within a couple of meters from the path, and a surprise flyby honey buzzard, only my second sighting in the UK.  A peregrine was purposeful in flight as it headed toward the airfield.

A spotted flycatcher sallied for insects in the Old Town Cemetery.