Alan Hannington

Friday’s birds were:

St. Mary’s – After not been seen on Thursday, the 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers were again on the airfield. A Green Sandpiper, the Pectoral Sandpiper and another Citrine Wagtail were on Porth Hellick Pool. This the 3^rd Citrine Wagtail of the autumn and was there until dusk when it roosted with 50 White Wagtails. A Kingfisher was at Watermill, a Merlin & a Lesser whitethroat were on Porthloo Lane and a Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whinchats & a Grasshopper Warbler were in Lower Moors.

Tresco – The Baird’s Sandpiper, the Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and 22 Greenshanks.

Bryher – A Baird’s Sandpiper was with 2 Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin on Great Porth. If this proves to be a different bird to the Tresco individual, there will also have been 3 Baird’s Sandpipers this autumn.

Saturday’s birds were:

St. Mary’s – A Common Sandpiper and the Citrine Wagtail were again on Porth Hellick Pool, the latter again roosting with 50 White Wagtails at dusk. A Wryneck was on the Garrison near the Steval, a Lesser Whitethroat was at Borough Farm, a Bar-tailed Godwit was on Porthcressa Beach and a Spotted Flycatcher & a Whinchat were at Carn Friars.

Tresco – Baird’s Sandpiper, now 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, a Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Dunlins and a Shoveler.

Bryher – No sign of yesterday’s Baird’s Sandpiper but there was a count of 98 Oystercatchers, 57 Ringed Plovers, 32 Curlews, a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper. Also seen were 3 White Wagtails, a Whinchat and a Sedge Warbler.

Inter-island waters – 9 Little Egrets & 3 Mediterranean Gulls were in Tresco Channel and another Mediterranean Gull was in the Roads.

At sea – 2 Great Skuas, 10 Great and a Sooty Shearwater were seen from the Scillonian III between St. Mary’s and the wolf Rock, i.e. within the Scilly recording area. (more…)

Saturdays birds were:

St. Mary’s – A Barred Warbler was in the sallows where Holy Vale meets Higher Moors and 2 Spotted Flycatchers  where in Holy Vale itself. A Common Sandpiper was on Porth Hellick Pool and nearby 3 Spotted Flycatchers  where at Carn Friars. 3 Whinchats were in Lower Moors, 3 Common Scoter flew past Porth Hellick Down and 3 Mediterranean Gulls were in Porthcressa Bay.

Bryher – A Wryneck and a Spotted Flycatcher were at the campsite.

St. Agnes – 5 Whinchats and 3 Spotted Flycatchers.

Tresco Channel – 4 Mediterranean Gulls.

Sunday’s birds were:

St. Mary’s –  A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was seen briefly flying over Peninnis before being located on the Airfield. An Icterine Warbler was in a hedge near Newford Duck Pond and a Grey Wagtail, a Whinchat & 2 Spotted Flycatchers were in Lower Moors.

Tresco – A Pectoral Sandpiper and the second Baird’s Sandpiper of the year were found on the Abbey Pool. Also seen on the island were a juvenile Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Dunlin, a Yellow-legged Gull, 4 White Wagtails, 6 Yellow Wagtails an a Whinchat.

St. Agnes – 7 Dunlin were on the pool.

Bryher – 2 Whinchats. (more…)

Wednesday’s birds were:

St. Mary’s – The Citrine Wagtail was seen again in Lower Moors, where there were also 4 Common Snipe and a Teal, nearby 2 Whinchats and a Common Whitethroat were in the Standing Stones Field. A Wryneck was on the Garrison and a Water Rail was at Longstone. A Common Sandpiper, 2 Common Snipe, 2 Teal, a Grey Heron & a Water Rail were on Porth Hellick Pool and 2 Tree Pipits, a Spotted Flycatcher & a Pied Flycatcher were along the Carn Friars Farm track.

St. Martin’s – 2 Spotted Flycatchers.

St. Agnes – A Barred Warbler.

At sea – 5 Great & 10 Sooty Shearwaters, a European Storm-petrel and 2 Great Skuas were seen from the Scillonian III between St. Mary’s and the Wolf Lighthouse. (more…)

Sunday’s birds were: Still lots of common migrants with many Pied & Spotted Flycatchers and Tree Pipits across the islands with smaller numbers of Wheatears, Whinchats, Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroats & Yellow Wagtails. Also an Osprey visited Tresco, St. Mary’s and St, Agnes at various times in the day. Other Read more…

Wednesday’s birds were:

St. Mary’s – A Pied Flycatcher was in Rosehill Gardens and a Wood Warbler, 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Tree Pipits, 4 Pied Flycatchers & a Spotted Flycatchers were in the pines near the sunken garden at the junction of Telegraph Road and Porthloo Lane.

St. Martin’s – A Melodious Warbler was in fields behind Tobaccoman’s Point.

Bryher – A Wryneck, a Whinchat and 2 Tree Pipits.

Thursday’s birds were:

St. Mary’s – Up to 15 Pied and 11 Spotted Flycatchers were on the island. 5 Whimbrels were on Peninnis & 2 were in Lower Moors and 2  Green Sandpipers were on Porth Hellick Pool. Also reported from various locations arounf the island were 20+ Willow Warblers, 12 Tree Pipits, a Common Whitethroat, 3 White Wagtails, 6 Wheatears and a a female Merlin.

At sea – Seen on the evening Sharrking/birding trip were

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Fridays birds were:

St. Mary’s -11 Pied Flycatchers  & 12 Tree Pipits were reported from around the island. Single Wrynecks were at Normandy & outside Porthloo Farmhouse, the summering female Merlin & a Spotted Flycatcher were at Pelistry Farm and another Spotted Flycatcher & a Common Whitethroat were at the junction of Porthloo Lane & Telegraph Road. A Garden Warbler & a Whinchat were in Lower Moors and 2 more Whinchats were on High Lanes. (more…)

Monday – On St. Mary’s 2 Pied Flycatchers were at Rosehill, with another opposite Porth Hellick House and further bird in the sunken garden at the corner of Porthloo Lane & Telegraph. 3 Great & 2 Sooty Shearwaters were seen from Peninnis Head. On Tresco the resident Common Buzzard had Read more…

Tuesday – The Citrine Wagtail and a Kingfisher were at Lower Moors. 2 Green Sandpipers and the Spotted Sandpiper were at Porth Hellick Pool, the Spotted Sandpiper was joined briefly by the Citrine Wagtail, typical Scilly East meets West! The Solitary Sandpiper was still on Tresco. The evening sharking/birding trip produced a Balearic, 6 Sooty & 20 Great Shearwaters, a Sabine’s Gull, a Black Tern, 5 Arctic Tern, 4 Minke Whales and 5 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna.

Wednesday – The Citrine Wagtail & 5 Common Snipe were at Lower Moors & the Spotted Sandpiper was still at Porth Hellick Pool. The Solitary Sandpiper was still on Simpson’s Field Tresco and elsewhere on the island were 14 Knot, 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Dunlins, 100 Sanderlings, a Yellow-legged & 2 Common Gulls. 60 Sandwich Terns and 2 Mediterranean Gulls were at Porthloo. 30 Great Shearwaters were seen from the Scillonian III near Seven Stones. A brief 2 hour pelagic trip with a More4 camera team yielded a Wilson’s Storm Petrel, 40 European Storm-petrels, a Cory’s, 20+ Sooty, 80+ Great & 1000+ Manx Shearwaters, 3 adult Sabine’s Gulls, a Great Skua, 2 Blue Sharks, 4 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna and 10 Common Dolphins.

Thursday – The Citrine Wagtail a Tree Pipit & 2 Common Whitethroats were at Lower Moors and 3 Green Sandpipers, a Dunlin, a Redshank and the Spotted Sandpiper were at Porth Hellick Pool. A Spotted Flycatcher, a Whinchat & 5 Wheatears were on Porth Hellick Down and a Tree Pipit was at Longstone. A Garden Warbler was on Bryher and the Solitary Sandpiper was still on Tresco. The evening pelagic was quiet by recent standards but still managed to produce 3 Wilson’s Storm-petrels, and singles of Sooty, Great & Cory’s Shearwater. A Blue Shark was also caught, tagged and released. (more…)

Wednesday – A Solitary Sandpiper found on the Great Pool, Tresco was re- identified by local birder John Higginson, after it was initially reported as a Lesser Yellowlegs.

Thursday – The Solitary Sandpiper was still on the Great Pool, Tresco. 9 Greenshanks, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Common Snipe were on Porth Hellick Pool and a Little Egret was on Annet. On the return crossing  of the Scillonian III from St. Mary’s to Penzance a feeding frenzy of birds was seen 40 minutes out, amongst them were 15 Cory’s, 6 Great and a few Balearic Shearwaters.

Seen on the evening birding/sharking trip, which was mainly drifting & chumming, were: 50 European Storm-petrels, 10 Wilson’s Storm-petrels, a Great Shearwater, a Balearic Shearwater and 3 Cory’s Shearwaters. Also a Blue Shark was caught, tagged and released. (more…)

Friday – The Baird’s Sandpiper was still on the Great Pool, Tresco, a Pied Flycatcher was at Longstone and the female Merlin was at Buzza.

The first night of the birders’ special pelagic weekends produced lots of European Storm-petrels, 2 Wilson’s Storm-petrels, 1200 Manx, 200 Great, 75 Sooty & 3 Cory’s Shearwaters, a Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Great Skuas, 3 Grey Phalaropes and 200+ Common Dolphins.

Saturday – A Common Whitethroat was at Mount Todden, 3 Common Sandpipers were on Porthcressa Beach, 8 Greenshanks & a Redshank were at Porth Hellick, 10 Great Shearwaters & 6 Sooty Shearwaters flew past Peninnis Head and 2 Great Skuas were odd Deep Point. Birders who braved a very wet & windy daytime pelagic trip were rewarded with 50+ European Storm-petrels, a Wilson’s Storm-petrel, 200+ Great, 75 Sooty, a Cory’s, a Balearic & 100s of Manx Shearwaters, a Great Skua ,lots of Common Dolphins and a Blue Shark. (more…)

Tuesday – 50 Sandwich Terns and 2 Mediterranean Gulls were on rocks in Porthcressa Bay. A Common Snipe and a Sanderling were in Lower Moors. Wednesday – 9 Greenshanks were on Porth Hellick Pool and 3 Golden Plover flew past Giant’s Castle, where there was a Whimbrel on the rocks. Read more…