randombirder

After the excitement of yesterday, today was a little more serene. The glorious warm sunny weather continued halting any significant movements across the Isles but there are still a few interesting things to catch up with. A quick walk around Penninis gave me the opportunity to connect with the dapper male common redstart present in a ploughed field along King Edwards Road. A really smart bird. Deciding to visit Bryher today, a good look around Popplestones didn't produce the hoped for melodious warbler so I took the coast path toward Shipman Head and without much searching managed to see the juvenile dotterel that was still present. The views weren't great as I was looking straight into the light so walked round and sat down on the spongey heather to enjoy the bird feeding along the crest of the ridge. Keeping still, the bird began to walk slowly in my direction, pausing briefly and then again, in staccatoed movements. It was an incredible moment to have this bird walk with...

These were slower days after the initial flurry of activity.  Days that allowed time for tea and cake which is essential for trips to Scilly.  Just strolling around in beautiful autumn sunshine that felt more like summer than the slowly diminishing remains of yet another sidereal year. Views like this from the old town cemetery never tire. The 6th returned a confiding snow bunting that after a bit of a search, re-appeared along King Edwards Lane barely a couple of metres away. A quick decision to head down to the quay for a trip across to St. Agnes for my annual visit to see my dear friend David Bradshaw which is always a Scilly highlight for me.  A quick coffee and scone at the Coastguards Cafe and we were off to catch up with two dotterel that had made landfall on Wingletang Down.  A merlin flashed by but the buff-bellied pipit had moved on. The light radiated across the islands. The 7th was a real treat.  The tide was sufficiently low to allow safe pedestri...

A Tawny Pipit had been present on Bryher for at least a week so the first full day on the Isles started with a boat trip across to see this little beaut. And what charisma, darting around the tops in very Wheatear-like fashion, running circuits around the few that were privileged to see it. A flava Yellow Wagtail  paused briefly in a horse field during a walk round the island. Back on St Mary's and a lovely walk back to hold haunts, tea and cake at the Old Town cafe, then onto the cemetery where a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen almost immediately. The walk round Penninis was spectacular where a pod of Porpoise lazily drifted past off the point. This juvenile Merlin was a surprise late in the day seen perched up on her headland overlooking Porthcressa having recently devoured a local House Sparrow. It looked rather bedraggled but was later seen flying well across the coastline.

We went to Bryher and what a stunning island.  The wind was up and the waves crashing against the rocky coastline made for a spectacular sight. The boat then took us over to Tresco where we spent a couple of hours walking round the Great Pool, where we chanced across this beautiful Red Squirrel .