Firstly, a late mention to what was quite possibly the most unexpected visitor to the Island in the final week of 2018! The American Royal Tern spent a day with us on Boxing Day happily fishing in Hugh Town harbor and the roads allowing the majority of the resident birders to add it to their Scilly List!
A fairly quiet start to the new year with highlights being three American Wigeon on Great Pool, Tresco that were unfortunately disturbed by the shooting fraternity (along with everything else on the pool!) never to return again. Tresco also held 2 Cattle Egrets, a drake Pintail and 5 Great Northern Divers offshore. The wintering Rough-legged Buzzard was still on Bryher. An obliging party of initially seven, then eight Glossy Ibis were seen around the islands before settling on St Mary’s and at least three remained at the months end.
The Eastern Yellow Wagtail was accidentally relocated by a film crew mid month and remained fairly mobile but showed extremely well in a cow field at Pelistry. The Common Rosefinch was on St Mary’s on the 3rd and the Desert Wheatear was reported intermittently from St Agnes.
A cold blast from the North saw the arrival of the first white-winged Gulls of the year on St Mary’s where an Iceland Gull and the American form, Kumlien’s Gull were at Morning Point.
Kumlien’s Gull (M.Goodey) 
Iceland Gull (M.Goodey)