THE ISLES OF SCILLY- OCTOBER 2007

by Paul Heaton and Judith Smith

Judith Smith's version of events (all images by Judith)

My 23rd autumn visit to Scilly began at the heliport on the morning of the 6th, greeting many old friends – there is a faithful band of devotees numbering perhaps 100-200 who return every year, so it’s great to meet up again, even though we are all getting older and greyer, and sticks are more in evidence! We soon had our CBs working and were tuning in to the latest news.

A quick dash to the flat to dump the luggage, then it was down to the quay to catch the morning boat to Tresco (second largest island) to catch up with Dotterel and a rare visible Quail on Castle Down, accompanied by a very grey Golden Plover; Pectoral Sandpiper on the Great Pool as well as the assorted duck that always make a good start to the Scilly year list. Two Ravens at Gimble Port croaked their way across to Tean. The weather was warm and sunny, and sun cream was the order of the day!

Sunday 7th, and after catching up at the previous night’s log, despite the noise from rugby on the TV in the Scillonian Club, we set off up to Pelistry at the E end of St Mary’s to see the juvenile Woodchat Shrike. Nearby there was a Yellow Wagtail following 3 cows which looked to have definite flava characteristics. Red-backed Shrikes were found at Lower Moors and Peninnis, both St Mary’s (saw the former and got a half-decent photo), excellent views of an obliging Hobby, then up to Buzza Tower in Hugh Town to see a Barred Warbler in a nearby garden.

Monday saw me after the Osprey, which I needed for my Scilly List. This elusive bird had been touring the islands, but was just viewable on a rocky headland off Tresco, from the golf course on St Mary’s. Tick, but I could do with better views…Peninnis’s weedy field with the remnants of last year’s quinoa crop, for Skylarks and Siskins.

On Tuesday we were again at the wrong end of the St Mary’s when a Blackpoll Warbler was called on Lower Broome platform, on the Garrison. Realising there would be a stampede and knowing how limited the space is there, we decided to have a cream tea at Carn Vean as our legs were giving out! Then we got a taxi to the Duchy Offices on the Garrison, to where the bird had flown, and, just as we arrived, permission was granted to go into the private garden at the back – we were almost the first in and had brilliant views as the rain started! A collection by the owner of the garden for the lifeboat raised £300. We needn’t have worried – this bird was still present when we left, having moved over to the Garrison pottery. Other goodies that day included Firecrest, Yellow-browed Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, all in Carreg Dhu gardens near Longstones, and all three flycatchers (in Scilly that means Red-breasted, pied and Spotted) in a fir tree at Carn Friars, with 2 Whinchat nearby. With the Brown I’d seen at Flamborough the previous Thursday that was 4 in a week.

Wednesday 10th saw a second Blackpoll Warbler found at Porth Hellick, giving excellent views; a Yellow-browed Warbler was also in the same copse.  A second visit to Tresco gave better views of the Osprey fishing between there and Bryher, with Marsh Harrier and Little Grebe being added to the list.

11th saw us on St Agnes, most south-westerly of the islands. We dipped on the Rosefinch, always sulkers in weedy fields (of which there are many on this island) but saw a Ring Ouzel well. Then a Radde’s Warbler was found on Castella fields, so we trudged back there – where we had previously searched fruitlessly for a Richard’s Pipit – only to find it had dived into a clump of gorse and bramble. We just had to wait patiently for it to emerge, but only got one-second flight views as it shot over into the next field out of view.

Friday 12th was perhaps the best day of the holiday, with a visit to Bryher being an inspired choice. A visit to some abandoned fields and tall hedges in the centre of the island found Firecrests and Yellow-browed Warblers, and then we had excellent views of the Osprey perched at Great Porth and the photos I wanted.

A Blyth’s Reed Warbler was confirmed by two birders who thought they’d had it the previous day and had come back to confirm it. I was able to see this well before the boats of birders arrived from St Mary’s – it being a British tick for me, last seen at Moscow sewage works! The 12th also saw a massive arrival of Siskins, Chaffinches and Redwings, with birds being pushed south in front of a depression moving slowly south from Scotland and Ireland.

The 13th saw a Grey-cheeked Thrush, another Yankee boat-hopper, at Rose Hill, St Mary’s, which was extremely elusive at all times, though still there when I left on 20th. I managed a 10-second view as it perched in a hedge at Rocky Hill, probably as good as most people got. Mistle Thrushes were much in evidence – this is an uncommon bird in Scilly – and a littoralis Rock Pipit was in the Peninnis field.

Halfway through the holiday on 14th, and a Short-toed Lark settled on the airfield, with a Jack Snipe on Port Hellick Pool. The legs were suffering by this point!

The incinerator and its heaps of soil, close to Lower Moors marshes, is always a good spot, if smelly, and a Little Bunting turned up here on 15th in a bare field.

Meanwhile, nearby, one Snipe amongst a small group was paler and greyer and was generally considered to be Wilson’s, the American form. Mid-morning saw us on the community bus up to Telegraph, the highest point in the islands, to look at the Rustic Bunting, only to find it had flown and it was never seen again!  The Osprey toured St Mary’s on its farewell visit before finally departing south – it wasn’t seen again but this Swedish juvenile bird was greatly appreciated during its long stay.

Rain set in on 16th – the only wet day we had. I looked forward to a day of resting my aching legs, but it was not to be. A Blyth’s Pipit was found at Old Grimsby, Tresco, to it was off to that island again, and the tides being low, a walk of about a mile and a half to the bird in intermittent rain. Luckily it was possible to watch it from the shelter of the extended roof of the community hall! Again, this was a bird still there when I left. A quick visit to the Great Pool on the way back to the boat to tick off Pintail, and an obliging Black-throated Diver near Samson on the way back – we had already had 2 summer-plumaged Great Northern Divers off the beaches of St Mary’s. Still fairly fresh, we ventured up to the pottery to look at the Blackpoll again and saw 2 Short-eared Owls fly from the golf course across to Bryher from the vantage point of the Garrison.

Wednesday 17th and time to mop up a few species to boost our yearlist. A Garden Warbler on the Garrison had the pulses racing when someone called it as an Olivaceous but clear views easily ruled that one out…then a walk to Bar point to tick off Whimbrel. Five Kittiwakes were off Porth Hellick (I don’t do pelagics so invariably miss out on the offshore seabirds) and on the way back we were able to look at a distant Short-eared Owl perched up on a wall at Telegraph.

Thursday 18th and desperation was setting in – only 2 days left! A Cormorant at Porth Mellon was added to the list (outnumbered 50-1 by Shags here), 2 nice Firecrests on Pungies Lane and a super Red-breasted Flycatcher at Newford duck pond, still with his red breast. Much better views of the Woodchat as it chased Scilly shrews.

Friday, and my last day – off on a trip by boat around Samson, then Tean, St Helens and Round Island – all uninhabited islands. Time to pick up a few last ticks, with Arctic Tern, 3 Shelduck and Bar-tailed Godwits on rocks near Samson, 3 Common Scoter near St Helens, and a family of Peregrines around Round Island. On the CB, we heard of 1000-2000 Gannets off Peninnis Head, following cetaceans, and this massive flock was still there when we got there in the afternoon. An unidentified auk (Guillebill) flew through them but far too distant to be identified. A Brambling in the weedy field up there was the last tick, as we dipped on the Woodlarks, Richard’s Pipit and Radde’s Warbler which were all called on St Mary’s that afternoon. Still, with 114 on my Scilly list this year, the aching legs were worthwhile – I’ll be back next year!

Yes, folks, it really is like this!

The Greater Manchester contingent this year:

Judith Smith, Paul Heaton, Simon Warford, Andy Makin, Kath Butterworth, Phil Kenyon, John Headon (and four members of Wigan RSPB)

Judith Smith, November 2007

Paul Heaton's version of events (all images by Paul Heaton)

How can I add to Judith’s report, yes indeed The isles of Scilly are a truly magical place, I have been returning for many a year and will go back again and again, even though This year I moved up into the senior club? That is for the first year ever I did not get a tick, because I seen them all before, But what a fantastic time I had saw everything the isles had to offer and you just have to go to appreciate it.

For those that have heard of large crowds pushing shoving etc yes it an be a pain but you can also stay away from them find your own birds then get back to the twitch when the crowds die down.

For me it’s the escape from normal life no cars no timetable just birding and enjoying some of the finest scenery in the British isle…oh and the madness…………

THE MUSHROOM TWITCH.

Only on the Scillies can this happen, whilst on Tresco watching the BLYTHS PIPIT we had to go into the primary school grounds, a pager message had come on while we were on the boat informing us that the children would not be having a playtime in case they disturbed the bird, how mean is that, the green army approach the School surrounding the pipit, which did not show straight away, then the doors of the school opened. Oh no kids.. But armed with buckets, they were not shy and I believed we raised £400 for the school, after we had all emptied out pockets a cat appeared, a birder tried to move it on and in doing so flushed the bird, excellent views were had.

But then people began to move off towards a field behind the school had I missed a message… off we go.. The photos speak for themselves a mushroom twitch yes warfys there in the front, proud of the lad twitching a mushroom, it was an impressive collection of mushroom……

And only on the Scillies can this happen; I have twitched butterflies moths and dolphins.

The Grey cheeked thrush was a very hard bird to see and as the photos show warfy made a Stirling effort to see it??

Out Lapland Bunting showed very well, even scoped it from the pub while having a pint of Guinness, yet the next day, crying in my pint at the Turks head the news of one at Audenshaw has Sparrows flocking to our pagers telling us to go.

So I will go back because birding is my life and I love it, I urge you all to visit one day, and take a friend, I sadly took warfy… we all learn our lesson in life….stay happy keep birding, roll on Scillies 2008.

Paul Heaton, November 2007.

BACK TO THE TRIP REPORTS HOMEPAGE

BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING HOMEPAGE