randombirder

It was chilly but glorious in bright sunshine walking along the vast sandy beach at Old Hunstanton where these paragliders were making the most of the moderate breeze across the clifftop. Thankfully, the juvenile glaucous gull wasn't too much of a challenge to find, a stunning gull in this plumage and incredibly striking against the marine backdrop. The dead seal was the primary reason for the gull's presence along this stretch of beach. Other highlights were five shore lark and nine snow bunting, and a  merlin powering through along the beach. Dropping into Titchwell produced the usual assemblage of wintering waders and waterfowl including a notable sighting of velvet scoter on the sea.

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 rai...

More ramblings today heading first to Penninis where after a couple of attempts, the Snow Bunting was feeding close to the lighthouse showing really well, and a lovely one too. Bumping into Rob Stonehouse, we heading down toward Porth Hellick checking the airfield for anything that may have dropped in but it was all very quiet.  A lone Wheatear was present along the coastal path near the airfield. Heading down toward the pool, a Lapwing was seen flying north over the downs - a bonus bird as this was my first ever on Scillies in six years.  We also saw it fly during the afternoon. An area of bracken near Camel Rock where the Little Bunting had been frequenting the previous day  popped out briefly onto the path after a short wait, disappearing again into the long grass. A lot of walking and very little of note, missing out on the Barred Warbler above Watermill that inconveniently decided to bunk off for a bit. Back at Porth Hellick, two Jack Snipe were bobbing by Steph...

Normal service had resumed today after the highs of yesterday.  It was hard work covering a fair bit of St.Mary's with very little to show for the effort put in. The day did start well with only my second wryneck for the UK seen in the Old Town cemetery, never keeping still for more than a few moments. We then slogged it round the island with a firecrest seen within the Carreg Dhu Gardens.  The day was punctuated by sunny spells and some hefty showers that became more prolonged by the end of the day. Porth Hellick held very little other than a handful of Teal, and two each of greenshank and common snipe . The rain teemed down as I made my way along the coastal path back to the Old Town where a brief hiatus in the rainfall allowed me to see the continuing spotted flycatcher in the churchyard. The rain began to fall again with increased force. Heading up to Penninis, the snow bunting seemed oblivious to the elements busily feeding in one of the paddocks at the end ...

Grateful for a bit of survey work in challenging conditions.  A decent site with a good selection of wintering common waders. Oddities included a Red-throated Diver , Guillemot , and a female Marsh Harrier . The real stars were the seven Snow Bunting that were typically confiding, feeding along the beach opposite the Martello Towers.