Isles of Scilly - 17th - 23rd September 2022

 

I thought I would mix things up a little this year and go to Scilly in the third week of September.  I saw no major rarities but some top birding and a nice selection of common migrants plus a very interesting pelagic.

The Saturday afternoon was mostly gentle birding but I finished up on the airport when the planes had finished and connected with an Ortolan Bunting albeit quite distantly and I saw a Lapland Bunting briefly.

Goldfinch

                                                    

Northern Wheatear

Ortolan Bunting

On the Sunday I had a nice walk around Bryher, where I had a Wryneck briefly, but it went into deep cover and despite watching the area from several angles I never saw it again. I also had Pied Flyctacher, Whinchat and Willow Warbler before getting the boat back to St. Mary's. As the airport was closed I thought to give the Short-toed Lark another bash.  I met Martin Goodey there who was watching the bird, but with the light in the wrong place. With his blessing, I walked a wide semi circle around the bird and approached it carefully with the light behind me.  When I had got to within a very respectful distance, I got on my belly and shuffled towards the bird until I was within 10 metres and watched the bird feeding and dust bathing, while getting a few nice shots.

Short-toed Lark

The Monday was an unusual day and apart from a pre-breakfast walk I spent the morning paying respect to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and watched the funeral with friends. Some nice coffee and sandwiches were supplied and I left to go birding at around 1pm in the hope of seeing Greenshank from the hide at Porth Hellick.  In the event one dropped in but quite a way back and only came closer when it flew towards the beach. 

Common Snipe

Little Egret

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On the Tuesday I spent all morning around Lower Moors beginning in Standing Stone Field where I had cracking views of a male Whinchat. I sat in the ISBG hide for four hours, where I had either three Tree Pipits or a Tree Pipit three times, a Grey Wagtail and a Green Sandpiper.

Whinchat

Grey Wagtail

Tree Pipit

Green Sandpiper

In the afternoon walked around the boat park at Porthloo, where a Wryneck had settled and had been showing on and off.  I had obtained some decent record shots the previous evening in failing light but now in perfect mid afternoon I decided to chance my arm again.

The bird wasn't flight if you showed it respect and had a habit of spending much of its time in deep grass or hidden under a boat before perching up in the open for 10 minutes and then going to ground again.  I watched the bird on and off and saw the bird well several times but briefly and on the one occasion when I might have got a decent photo it was flushed by a workman.

When I had resolved that I was going to be content with my photos from the previous day the Wryneck landed about two feet in front of me!  It fed in the open apparently unconcerned with my presence and I reeled off some nice shots.

Wryneck

On the Wednesday, I saw an adult Mediterranean Gull in Tregarthen's Bay and then got on a boat to Tresco where there were some waders on offer for my trip list.  I saw another Whinchat near the heliport and from the Swarowski hide there were three Curlew Sandpipers and Dunlin and from the David Hunt hide a single Wood Sandpiper, but as is often the case on the Great Pool all the birds were too distant or the the light was wrong for a photo.

Walking around the end of the Great Pool, overlooking the large reedbed I located the Pectoral Sandpiper that had been there on and off for the last few days.  However, this was so distant I couldn't even get a record shot.

Returning to St Marys, I walked around the Lower Moors and Rocky Hill areas, where I saw several Spotted Flycatchers and Pied Flycatchers and one of each species showed beautifully in perfect late afternoon light.

Pied Flycatcher

Chiffchaff

Spotted Flycatcher

Thursday was pelagic day organised by Joe Pender and expertly guided by Bob Flood.

After an unpromising start, we had a flurry of birds after a couple of hours, firstly with two distant Sabine's Gull, which didn't linger, a few Great Shearwaters and then two star birds - an adult Pomarine Skua with full spoons and a Leach's Petrel, which unfortunately didn't hang about.

Great Shearwater

Pomarine Skua

European Storm Petrel

On my last day I had a walk around St Mary's but it seemed there had been a clear out, although I did have another Tree Pipit and a Pied Flycatcher at Newford Duck Pond. 

Sparrowhawk