Isles of Scilly - 12th October 2023

Another dismal day in dull conditions that later turned into a soggy affair with heavy rain during the early part of the evening. With the rustic bunting and arctic warbler having been found on St. Martin's the previous day, we were obviously drawn to the prospect of catching up with these two scarcities but neither were present on arrival. After 90 minutes of searching for the arctic warbler, I decided to head back to Mary's. Of course it showed an hour or so later but by then I had transferred to Longstones which provided an opportunity to see the confiding snow bunting at Giant's Castle.

Further along from the turning circle at the airfield, a buff-breasted sandpiper (presumably the Aggy bird) was present with a flock of 20 golden plover and a single dunlin. They flew a little closer providing great views of the wader assemblage. A peregrine was seen flying through over the airfield.

An impressive group of at least 70 common snipe also circled the airfield. The rain increased in intensity but a quick walk through Carreg Dhu was rewarded with a showy firecrest in the teeming rain.