As I left the flat my new addition, namely my GXT Midland radio informed me of a 1w Med Gull on Porthcressa beach. That's handy. I made my way down there and found the bird almost immediately amongst the Black-headed's...
I also picked out an adult that had just left the beach...unfortunately.
I then made my way up onto the Garrison again and plopped myself between the Broome platforms again. Maybe the Arctic Warbler would re-appear? It didn't, but the Yellow-browed Warbler was still present, toing and froing along a 30 meter stretch of trees. The BIG plus here was that at times it was at eye-level or below. With patience (I wasn't going anywhere and louise was still driving them home) it was possible to obtain crippling views (as they say) of this generally elusive species.
I'm going to buck a trend here. I'm going to post more photos than normal as I want to mark the best ever experience that I've ever had with this bird in 25 years of birding. They're of varying quality and in no particular order...but I feel they portray the character of the species. I hope you enjoy them...
Mid-afternoon news broke of a Short-eared Owl on the rocks off Penninis Head. A Scilly tick in the offing! I'd missed out on this species on more than one occasion over the years. I succumbed to my first taxi of the trip on this occasion. We walked down from the Garrison and waited by the chemists...
The driver kindly drove us the majority of the way down. When we reached the end we soon found the group looking at the bird on an offshore rock...
Congrats to the birder who picked this out!!
As we were making our way down to view the Owl news came over the radio of a "large pipit" in one of the fields on the western side of Penninis. I'd just been telling Louise how sometimes something else gets found in the area with so many birders around...honest! It was then confirmed as a BLYTH'S PIPIT and the MEGA alert sounded. Decision? It had to be the Owl first as I'd seen the Tresco BP at Old Grimsby in 2007. The pipit was mobile but we didn't have difficulty locating the group...
Unfortunately at my reduced rate of knots the bird had flown north down the headland by the time we got down there. I did pass a birder from Cheshire called Ian Barber who informed me he read my blog! I'm flattered Ian. I noticed he had a Magee Marsh hat on, a prime US migration hotspot and somewhere I haven't been...yet. We exchanged thoughts on our forthcoming trips stateside and said farewell. The group was now dispersing as most had seen the bird.
It was then I noticed a single bird fly high south over the fields and land briefly in a hedge before disappearing? I was stood with Louise a fair way from the remaining birders but something made me start scanning for it in the corner of the field. I couldn't locate it but a few minutes later someone else did and we all enjoyed albeit distant views of the bird as it fed at the far side of the field.
This is definitely a record shot/dot in the increasing gloom! It was 6.40pm.
Another mighty fine Scilly day.
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News broke mid-afternoon of a WILSON'S WARBLER on Lewis, Outer Hebrides. A mighty MEGA indeed! It's obviously always a possible scenario in October...it happened last year with the YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO at Porthgwarra. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me BUT I am compelled to visit Scilly EVERY year because I/we love the islands and will always return. I've managed to break the 500 now and I'll still add new birds when I can. You can't see 'em all.
...and I've still got 4 days for something BIG to turn up HERE!
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