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Sunday 8 November 2020

Scilly Sojourns - September/October, 2020 - Pt.3

This is the third, and final, part of my report on our excellent stay on the Isles of Scilly this autumn. You can find Pt.1 here:- http://peglerbirding.blogspot.com/2020/10/scilly-sojourns-septemberoctober-2020.html, and Pt.2 here:- http://peglerbirding.blogspot.com/2020/11/scilly-sojourns-septemberoctober-2020.html

It had been a mixed start to our stay weather-wise, which even led to our arrival being delayed by a day. Sadly, the poor weather was to continue up to the time of our departure. Here is an account of our last days of the break.

Saturday, 3rd October

The forecast was for continuing very windy weather, but with some sunny spells. Scillonian III was not sailing that day, due to the weather, neither was the Gry Maritha which brings supplies from the mainland to the islands, but flights were back in action. 

My plan was to start with visiting some inland locations before taking a coastal path and braving the high winds. 

As I set off, I was delighted to see a Wheatear on the beach below our base. I was seeing more Wheatear on the beaches than I was inland during this visit! 


Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - Littleporth
I then made my way up Buzza Hill, turning left at the top to gain the Old Town road. As I reached the entrance to the road to Carn Gwaval, I noticed a group of three people looking intently into a field. They kindly informed me that they had been looking at a Spotted Flycatcher. It soon re-appeared and I was quite surprised to see it catch a Red Admiral butterfly which it took to a tree on the far side of the field.

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) - Carn Gwaval
After a while, it came a little closer and I got a better shot.
 
Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) - Carn Gwaval
There had been a Jack Snipe reported visible from the screen beside the ISBG hide on Lower Moors, so I thought that I'd take a look. As I arrived, a gentleman who was coming away said that it was just about visible just to the right of the rock opposite the screen. 'Just about visible' was an accurate description but I did manage a few record shots. On examining my shots, however, I am fairly well convinced that this was a Common Snipe rather than a Jack Snipe as the bird appears to have a pale stripe along the top of its crown, and no dark line above the eye. I do not know whether this bird had been mis-identified or I was looking at a different bird, but it was exactly in the place as described!

Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) - Lower Moors
I set off back to Old Town and took the road that heads round the eastern side of Old Town Bay and then the path round Porth Minick, stopping at the eastern end to photograph a Speckled Wood butterfly, before heading up to Church Point where, on the edge of the airport runway turning circle, I found another Wheatear - this one wan't on a beach! It seemed to be feeding well and has a caterpillar in the second image.

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - Airport Turning Circle

A Goldcrest on the loop trail at Higher Moors managed to avoid my camera and I passed through without spotting anything else of interest.

Beside the road opposite the northern entrance to Higher Moors, I found another Speckled Wood ssp. insula to photograph. I had never noticed how, under certain lighting conditions, this species shows a blue-greenish colour in the wings - parhaps it is a feature of the subspecies?



Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria, ssp. insula) - by entrance to Higher Moors
From here, I set off for Old Town, noticing a Grey Heron on the far side of a field by the airport turn.  My initial thought was that it was a long way from water, but I see that it was probably only around 200 metres from the water in Lower Moors. It's a pity that that fence wire was there!

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) - near Airport turn

I called in at Lower Moors once more, and the Snipe was still there in the same place, but had moved its head. My record shots do nothing to convince me that it was anything but a Common Snipe.

Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) - Lower Moors

I had been out walking for a few hours by now, and was getting tired and hungry so it was time to head back to base.

In the field before the road to the Medical Centre, there were Rabbits. I photographed one before realising that it was in an extremely poor state through Myxomatosis, so I will not present an upsetting image of it here.

I took the Buzza Tower route back to base, stopping by the end of Littleporth beach to photograph a Chiffchaff.

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) - Littleporth
I didn't feel up to doing much more that day, having been out in a strong wind, carrying camera gear, and without a sit-down for just over four hours. However, I did pop out onto the sea wall path at Littleporth for half an hour later that afternoon, when the tide was in. 

It was good to see the Porthcressa Three cruising past.

the Porthcressa Three - Littleporth
I also took more shots of Rock Pipit, and was surprised at how vertiginous a rock face the Rock Pipit can cling to.

Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) - Littleporth

Sunday, 4th October

This was to be our last full day on the Scillies, with us taking a flight back to the mainland the following morning. The morning was forecast to be very windy with showers, with the afternoon being cloudy but extremely windy. Transport between the islands and the mainland does not operate on Sundays, but even if it did, it would not be operating this Sunday!

It had just been published that various trails on St Mary's were now open. These trails are a feature of the migration season when landowners give permission for birders to follow set routes, clearly marked out by the Isles of Scilly Bird Group, across their land. I had never experienced these routes before, so resolved to try one, and also to visit the Standing Stones field which was also open under the same arrangements.

In the morning, I stayed close to base, just spending time along the path at the bottom of the garden. The Stonechats were busy at the western end of the beach. Yes, we've managed to get all this way on this blog post without a Stonechat until now!

Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (female) - Littleporth
Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (male) - Littleporth
I took a shot of a gull without paying much attention to it, and now find that I am uncertain of its identity. My feeling is that it's a Black-headed Gull, and that the light conditions are stopping the black 'ear-smudge' from showing. The long red legs and the bill colouration seem to indicate this. The head and bill seem very slim and elegant, however, but I am not used to looking at Black-headed Gull at this sort of angle. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) - Littleporth
Oystercatchers were at the waterline.



Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) - Littleporth

I had only had a couple of very distant sightings of seals during this stay but, on this occasion, one did come a little closer to enable me to identify it.

Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) - Littleporth

A Grey Heron put in an appearance.
 
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) - Littleporth
At mid-day I went back to base to get myself an early light lunch and then set off in the afternoon with waterproof equipment in case of rain.

I set off up Buzza Hill and then turned towards Old Town, stopping at Carn Gwaval Lane to see if the Spotted Flycatcher was still there - it was, but it was not very cooperative before it flew over the road and down towards the School.

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) - Carn Gwaval
A quick look from the screen at ISBG hide on Lower Moors showed nothing of interest, so I turned round and wandered over Standing Stones Field to the gate by the school playing fields. By the gate I spotted a tiny bird flitting around in a rather dense tree, and felt sure that I had found another Goldcrest. It then suddenly showed and flew off, distinctly showing the head markings of a Firecrest! I tried for some time to relocate the bird but failed.

I returned to Old Town Bay, where I found a Pied Wagtail.

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba ssp. yarrellii) - Old Town Bay
I had a quick look at Porth Minnick in extremely windy conditions and was not surprised to see nothing. I then returned to Old Town Bay and took the path in front of the church towards Carn Léh. From by Carn Léh, the Peninnis Trail starts and takes a twisting route up the hillside through cattle fields to a point on King Edward's Road on Peninnis. The trail yielded absolutely nothing of interest, but it was very windy on the trail.

I then decided to go onto Peninnis Head, but this turned out to be an uncomfortable experience in the gale. I did, however, take a shot of a sheltering Meadow Pipit.

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) - Peninnis
It started to rain again, which was rather unpleasant on Peninnis and I headed for home, taking the King Edwards Road - Buzza Hill route rather than the exposed western Peninnis path. 

My last photos of the holiday were, appropriately, of Stonechat, back at Littleporth!

Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (female) - Littleporth

Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (male) - Littleporth
The rest of the day was spent sorting out ready for our departure the following morning.
 
Monday, 5th October
 
We were booked on the 10h10 flight to Land's End, which meant a relatively early start so that we could have breakfast, and dismantle bedding, etc. in line with the request of the property owners. It was good to know that they too were being extremely cautious about exposure to the Covid virus. Paulger's Transport came to pick us up at 09h10 and we arrived at the airport in good time and found ourselves in a queue to check in at a desk that was unmanned.
 
When the check-in opened, it was a speedy and painless process, but Lindsay and I were a little disappointed at being given boarding tickets for seats Nos. 16 and 17. On this 17-seat plane, seats 15,16,and 17 are in a back row of three seats and it meant, so we thought, that one of us would have someone sat right beside us. When called to the briefing room, we were pleasantly surprised to find that there were only six passengers on the plane and the nearest person to us was two rows away on the opposite side of the plane!
 
We took off on time and had a pleasant flight back to the mainland. Baggage was soon reclaimed and we were back in our car and on our way home. The journey was uneventful and relatively pleasant, with comfort stops made en-route. Home was reached by 16h30.
 
Weather-wise, it had probably been our worst stay on the Scillies, and the birding hadn't been brilliant compared to previous visits either - again through weather conditions affecting the birds and limiting my own excursions to see them. However, Lindsay and I both agreed that it was probably our most enjoyable stay there as it was a much-needed change from the relative drudgery of the year since our visit there in March this year, just days before lock-down.
 
I'd set out with just four prime wildlife objectives for the visit, and am more than happy that I achieved three of them - I just failed on Wryneck. Three out of four ain't bad (as someone once said) and it's always good to be left with something that needs to be achieved in the future!
 
My thanks to all concerned for a great stay, with particular mention for Jenny Hicks, the Isles of Scilly Bird Group, the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, Hugh Town Co-op and Becky's Scilly Cakes! We are booked to return twice next year, and hope that we will be able to take up those bookings - time will tell! 
 
 
My next post will be a catch up on things back at home since my last post on local matters up to 27th September. I suspect that it will be a thin one, as not much has been observed wildlife-wise since then, due to other activiteies and poor weather.
 
We are now in full lockdown once more, and only permitted out locally in order to take exercise or go shopping. We do not intend to do much of the latter!
 
Until the next time, take great care and stay safe, but make the most of any wildlife opportunities that come your way.
 
 

23 comments:

  1. I've never been there before but your sightings and photos are certainly make me think what I could see there. Maybe one day. A lovely report Richard and sounded like a great stay. Take care.

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    1. It's a great place to visit, Marc, although the dragonfly scene is not that special! You'd never find yourself short of something to photograph there unless the weather was dire, but it tends to be somewhat warmer than the rest of UK. You should give it a try sometime!

      Stay safe - - - Richard

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  2. Hi Richard! You had a wonderful holiday! Incredibly beautiful photos, and wonderful findings.

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    1. Thank you, Anne, we are very much looking forward to returning next year.

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  3. I have never been there either and your photographs are brilliant and just makes me want to go there. Have a great week ahead and stay safe

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    1. You should try to visit some time, Margaret. It's a wonderful place and the birds, scenery, and flowers are fabulous. Take great care, it's not safe out there - - - Richard

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  4. Hi Richard,
    the series of photos of the Wheatear are really beautiful. Sharp, beautiful in color and delightful in the details. Funny that the snipe was hiding so hahahaha ..... the rotten pipit is very beautiful to see and difficult to photograph.
    Your Stonechat is fantastic. Nice that you also saw a seal :-) I've never seen a Pied Wagtail. These are also not in the Netherlands. Nice to see this with you. I enjoyed this beautiful series again.

    Greetings, Helma
    Do stay safe and healthy.

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    1. Thank you, Helma. I was surprised when you said that you do not get Pied Wagtail in the Netherlands. As a subspecies of Motacilla alba (ssp. yarrellii) I hadn't realised that it is almost totally confined to UK and Ireland, and you only get ssp. alba.

      I think (hope!) that something went wrong with the translation when you talk of 'rotten pipit'. I am not sure whether you are referring to Anthus petrosus or Anthus pratensis?

      Take great care, even though we seem to be getting some hopeful news about vaccination. Best wishes - - - Richard

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    2. hahahahahahaha .... the translation with a machine remains unpredictable.
      I meant the rock pipit and not a rotte piep

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  5. Hello Richard: It is great that you returned home in good spirits despite the poor weather during your stay, and that you are resolved to return if the pandemic permits. The pictures of the Rock Pipit are quite fabulous. Pied Wagtail is a bit of a mystery to me. When I was in Britain the time before I stayed with you, and mentioned White Wagtails, people would ask me whether it was a Pied Wagtail or a White Wagtail. Pied is only shown in the literature as a subspecies, but birders seemed to speak of it as a full species. Wheatear, a species I have seen many times, but only once in Britain, is an enchanting little bird and appears to be quite common in the Scillies. Great report all round. And I am still deriving a good deal of pleasure from the Scilly Reports you sent me. Wonderful publications.

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    1. It would take a monumental disaster to put me off the Scillies as a favourite destination, David. The birds are great, but the whole place is absolutely delightful.

      I'm hopeless at identifying White/Pied Wagtails. According to the Collins Bird Guide, both are subspecies of Motacilla alba with White being ssp. alba and Pied being ssp. yarrellii. Birders will, therefore, want to give them a separate 'tick'.

      The Wheatears do occasionally breed on the Scillies, but I tend to see them on passage. Our March stays are approximately at the time of the spring passage - in previous years they have arrived part-way through our stay, but this year they arrived just after I left.

      Pleased to hear that you are finding interest in the IOSBG Annual Reports - they really are excellent, and I like the fact that they are not totally focussed on birds.

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  6. Part 3 of your Scilly Sojourns was as fascinating as the first two! I especially like your summary which exudes optimism in the face of negative weather, pandemic, fewer birds than hoped, etc. A very healthy attitude.

    All of your photographs, naturally, are top-notch, so picking a "favorite" is not possible. I do admit being partial to "birds in action" images and I really like the Spotted Flycatcher and Wheatear with prey. An Oystercatcher photo, for me, is always special.

    The Speckled Wood is absolutely lovely. Your capture of the Snipe resting in the reeds is really keen as it shows this bird as we would normally find it, concealed nicely by its plumage.

    Of course, ending your pictorial extravaganza with the scintillating Scilly Stonechat is absolutely brilliant!

    We know you were both tired from such a vacation, but we also know it is a "satisfying exhaustion". Rest, recuperate and report on garden happenings once you feel like it. We'll wait here.

    Gini and I wish you and Lindsay all the best in challenging times.

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    1. If you had ever experienced the Scillies, Wally, you would fully understand why such inconveniences would not even begin to tarnish a wish to return. If we could afford a suitable property, I expect that we would up-sticks and live there.

      I have started working on the next blog post, but am rapidly realising that it will be a bit thin.

      Looks like there's a glimmer of hope out there with the news of a possibly successful vacine being available relatively soon. Lindsay and I shall, however, continue to be ultra-cautious. I don't know what your political leanings are but, for us on this side of the pond, there seems to be other good news from your side too.

      Hoping your week has got off to a good start, and continues that way. Stay safe - - - Richard

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  7. Richard Just thought you would like to know I found out about the fountain in my post today and we were all wrong - not a whale! In the centre is a fountain with a bowl in the shape of a flax flower. It is called a twister twisting and has a tongue twister carved in the surrounding base. The water rising up from the fountain twists, but this is only visible in photographs as it happens so rapidly.

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  8. Some great sightings here and many I would have had problems with ID as I have never seen them before. I did recognise the wagtail though :-)
    Driving into the local supermarket yesterday I saw a Grey heron in the field quite close to the road but sadly no place where I could stop - sigh.

    I wish I could spend more time watching the birds in the garden, I am sure I am missing the odd visitor. I always seem to rush out and take a few shots and that is it. Walking, I can generally find insects but seldom birds! Of couse now I am limited to only a 1 km diameter from the house which is very restrictive!

    Take care and stay safe. It must all end eventually, but not this year I fear. Diane

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    1. Hi Diane. Absolutely all my garden bird photos are taken through window glass - either from within my study (which tends to give me my better photos as the window is shaded from direct sunlight) or from in the conservatory (where I have to be careful of lots of reflections in the glass). If I ever have to build a conservatory again, it will be constructed of dark materials, with dark walls behind in the room that it issues from. All my insect photos, however, are taken in situ in the garden, except for catches from the moth trap, which I place on a piece of green card to photograph in the conservatory.

      Our restrictions on travel are far from as strict as yours, but I find myself wondering if we'd be better off ultimately if we followed France's example?! We're hoping that the current indications come to fruition and that immunisation is available to all by mid-summer next year. Then, the problem will be all the idiots that deny the problem and refuse the immunisation. In the meantime, take great care. Best wishes to you both - - - Richard

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  9. Hello Richard
    the weather can spoil a lot but what is bad weather here in Germany, there is a saying that goes there .. there is no bad weather just wrong clothes ... ;-))
    Good that you didn't mind the weather and were able to show us these beautiful pictures, a nice change in this crazy world
    Stay healthy
    Greetings Frank

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    1. That's a great saying about the weather, Frank, but sadly it doesn't cover the weather's influence on the wildlife, which has very limited (seasonal) ability, at best, to change its 'clothes'! ;-}

      When on the Scillies, it would have been criminal to let the weather conquer the situation and have stayed in and not taken all the opportunities available - as long as there was no danger to life or limb, as they say.

      Take great care - - - Richard

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  10. Hi Richard,
    Most enjoyable selection. I wish I was in a position to do the same. My time will come.
    Stay safe.
    Mike.

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    1. I'm so sorry, Mike - somehow I managed to miss your kind message. I hope that you soon get the photo opportunities you seek. In the meantime, take great care and stay safe - - - Richard

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  11. Hi Richard
    Beautiful images of birds, I love everyone, special the Wheatear, it is a winner.

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    1. I agree that the Wheatear is a super bird, Bob, but in my book it doesn't trump (can I still use that word?) a Stonechat, although Stonechat is rather more common. Thank you for your kind words - stay safe - - - Richard

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