Featuring the
“Stu Cru”:
Stuart ‘dull’ Davenport
Carl ‘invisible’ Cornish
Nick ‘man up’ Crouch
Day 1 – 5th October
The as-yet
un-named Stu Cru arrived on St Mary’s after an uneventful, but woefully
overpriced flight from Land’s End. After dumping our bags, we headed out onto
Peninnis Head and on to Old
Town, then Newford
Duckponds, before heading back to Hugh Town via Porthloo. After a quick pit
stop, we went out again, looping round through Lower Moors and the Dump Clump.
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| Old Town Bay from Peninnis |
Best birds
were Arctic Warbler at Newford
(pretty elusive), a couple of Spotted
Flys at Maypole, and the Purple
Heron in flight over Lower Moors, but we couldn't find the Bluethroat at
Higgo’s Pool. Other birds during the day included Redstart, Whinchat, Lesser and Common Whitethroat, plenty of Wheatears,
and a Med Gull.
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| Distant Purple Heron over Lower Moors |
That night
saw the first of several/many visits to the Mermaid; it was here that the Stu Cru
acquired its name after discussions about birding on Shetland and inappropriate use
of the word ‘crew’, and then had a fateful encounter with some local
Scillonians (who will remain nameless for the sake of all concerned). It was
during said encounter that the members of the Stu Cru then acquired their
pseudonyms, and yours truly beat a reigning world champion gig racer at an arm
wrestle (we’ll ignore the fact she was a girl).
Day 2 – 6th October
We began our
day at Old Town Church,
where Carl found a Yellow-browed Warbler, I dipped a Firecrest, and we also had a Pied Fly. We pulled in the Purple Heron, decked in a field next to the school, and then headed towards Porth Hellick, ticking the Turtle
Dove at Porth Minnick and a Lapland
Bunting on the airfield. At Higher Moors, I had a heard-only Yellow-brow on the Loop Trail, but the
little blighter remained hidden.
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| Purple Heron lurking |
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| Entertainment during a stop at the Old Town cafe |
Me and Stuart then worked our way slowly up
Holy Vale (I think Carl had gone home for a snooze by this point – hardcore),
which paid dividends, first for me with a ‘new’ Yellow-brow, and then better for Stuart with a Red-breasted Flycatcher, which he beckoned me over for whilst I was
trying to pin the Yellow-brow down for a photo. The RBF was extremely elusive,
but eventually showed briefly for the assembled crowd which materialised surprisingly
quickly, given that we’d barely seen another birder over the preceding couple
of hours.
Continuing
on, we found another flycatcher, this time a Pied, between Holy Vale cottages and Maypole, and then had brief
views of the Wrynecks at Borough
Farm. A Spotted Fly on Telegraph Road made
it a three-flycatcher day. Lower Moors produced a Jack Snipe from the ISBG hide, and as we passed by Old Town Church
we had what was probably another Red-breasted Fly zip past us, but it quickly vanished
– one had been seen in this area earlier.
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| The boys in Lower Moors |
Our evening
meal was taken in the Bishop and Wolf, where fate saw us pitch up on the table
next to three of the group we had encountered the night before – all looking slightly
sheepish. A more civilised conversation ensued, where they realised that Stu
wasn’t actually that dull. We also went to the log.
Day 3 – 7th October
Beginning at
Lower Moors (no sign of the Spotted Crake on Shooters), Carl located a Whinchat on Standing Stones field (bird
of the trip for Carl), and we then had Pied
and Spotted Fly at Old Town Church. There were a few waders at
Porthmellon, and on the golf course we found a new Lapland Bunting (gripping off a fellow Notts birder in the process
who’d just come from that way), and for Carl’s benefit, two more Whinchats.
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| Lapland Bunting checking out the greens |
Another amble
down Holy Vale produced what was presumably yesterday’s Yellow-brow again, which soon melted into the willows, and a
tree-feeding Acro only seen briefly
(no doubt a Blyth’s Reed). What was a rather quiet day was completed at Higher
Moors, where we had another Yellow-brow
at the pumping station end.
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| The only picture I could manage all week of a Yellow-brow |
During the
day there had been a brief sighting of a Grey-cheeked Thrush at Old Town
Church; apparently the bird was seen on a gravestone, but by the time the
observer had turned to reach for his camera, the bird had gone (and wasn’t seen
again during our time on the island... although it has subsequently been
relocated!).
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| Not a Grey-cheeked Thrush on a gravestone |
The Mermaid
was our pub of choice for tonight’s meal, which passed without event, excepting that on
the walk home Stu’s wookie got a high-five.
Day 4 – 8th October
I made an
early start at Shooters Pool, later joined by Carl who’d failed to set his
alarm correctly (which I had guessed was the case as I left the flat judging from
what sounded like the distant thunder emanating from his room). We eventually
enjoyed decent views of the Spotted
Crake, although not before we’d witnessed some good stringing of Water Rails in its place. Onwards to
Old Town Church, we had Red-breasted,
Pied and Spotted Flys in the space of an hour.
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| Porthcressa |
Leaving Carl
in the flat (I can’t remember what the reason was this time?), Stuart and I had
a walk onto the Garrison, seeing the Yellow
Wag on the football pitch but not much else of note. Whilst we were there,
news came through of an Olive-backed Pipit at Porthloo Duckpond. We were in no
rush to see this, but Carl (once he’d stirred himself), made his way
expectantly there, looking forward to a tick.
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| A black bird on a white wall |
When we
arrived, the bird hadn’t been seen for a while, and Carl expressed his doubts
about the bird’s identity. Having a look on the back of a photographer’s
camera, it was clear that if it was an OBP, it had a very plainly marked head… Over
the next hour and a half or so, the bird showed briefly once, and then again
(albeit partially obscured for much of this time). By now Filby had arrived,
and as soon as the bird did show in the open, it was a relief that he
proclaimed it over the radio as… a Tree
Pipit, a conclusion which I think Carl had already come to about two hours
earlier.
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| The 'Porthloo Pipit', looking very unlike an OBP |
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| Carl meditating on the finer points of pipit ID |
After all
that excitement, we had a saunter through Lower Moors (Purple Heron in flight again), before finishing at Old Town
Church. Another fairly
quiet day…
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| Purple Heron, closer this time |
Supper was
taken in the Atlantic, where I had a lasagne to celebrate my 33rd
birthday, followed by the log, where much hilarity ensued when it came to Tree
Pipit.
Day 5 – 9th October
We decided to
have an off-island trip today, choosing Tresco, despite the fact that it was
apparently ‘dead’. However, I pulled out a Red-breasted
Fly in the woodland next to the Abbey; unfortunately neither Stuart or Carl
(or anyone else) managed to get onto this, and I had to make do with a 5 second
view - which was a shame, as this individual had a nice orange wash on its
breast. However, the other two did hear a Yellow-brow
in this area.
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| Bryher from Tresco |
News then
came through that a Sora had just
been found on the Great Pool, from the Swarovski hide. We high-tailed it round
there, and after a tense few minutes, the bird wandered out of the edge of the
reedbed, and showed fairly well to the 10 or so of us who were on the island.
We then vacated the hide before boats from the other islands started to arrive,
failing to locate anything else of great note during our remaining time on the
island, although 3 Whinchats got
Carl excited, and we also had the resident Garganey,
a Black-wit and 2 Skylarks.
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| Sora behind some reeds |
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| Sora behind some more reeds |
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| Sora almost not behind some reeds |
Despite this
being our one night in of the week, two of our number did make it out for the
log – you can probably guess which of the Stu Cru didn't make it.
Day 6 – 10th October
Starting on
Peninnis with a fly-over Lapland Bunting,
Stuart then kicked a Short-eared Owl
out of the heather, which promptly flew straight out to sea, where it was lost
it in the light. Another was reported at about the same time in-off at the
airfield, so hopefully this was the same bird – otherwise Stu is responsible
for it having a long journey down to Spain (although it did have a nice
tail-wind, as the wind had gone round to the north today after
south-westerlies).
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| The back end of a SEO |
Lower Moors
produced the Purple Heron, again,
and continuing on to the gardens at Carreg Dhu, Stuart remarked that we needed
a Firecrest to make up for the one I had missed at Old Town
Church previously. Right on queue, a Firecrest
hopped out into foliage above the track in front of us. We then had this, and a
second bird, in Carreg Dhu, which caused a mini influx of
Firecrest-twitchers.
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| Firecrest trying to avoid being photographed, which it mainly succeeded in doing |
Continuing
on, we dropped onto a twitch for a Richard’s
Pipit in a field next to Pungies
Lane. The bird showed fairly well, although
bizarrely when it flew off, most people were still watching something in the
field… presumably a Meadow Pipit!
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| Dick's Pipit |
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| Twitchin' |
On the way back down the island, we came across a very loud cricket, which Stu zeroed into on a bracken frond - a huge Great Green Bush Cricket.
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| What a monster! |
We
then decided to give the Bluethroat
another go, enjoying close views of this confiding bird on the muddy path down
to Higgo’s Pool. The light was poor so my pics don’t do it justice (high ISO, slow shutter) – it was a
super-smart little thing.
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| Spot the Bluethroat |
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| Bluethroat from the back... |
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| ... and from the side... |
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| ... and from the front |
So, a better
day, and with lots more Goldcrests around things were looking up?
After another
meal in the Mermaid, we went to the Atlantic so Stu could catch the end of the
quiz, and terrorise some local girls by feeding them answers and berating their
spelling of English counties. Lincoinshire?!
Day 7 – 11th
October
Our last full
day; it was now or never for that Grade A Mega. Things looked promising as we
made our way up onto Peninnis, with small flurries of Redwings overhead. Carl then almost stepped on the Snow Bunting which was feeding on the
track – I think his words were something like ‘bloody hell it’s just here’. This
bird, located yesterday, was completely fearless, allowing approach to just a
few yards (yet I still failed to get most of my pics of it in focus).
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Having a stretch |
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| It was even close enough for phone cameras |
Further
on, we had a Lapland Bunting and 5 Skylarks, our highest count of the
week. News came over the radio of a Woodcock flushed at the northern end of the
island. It looked like new birds were in.
At Porth
Hellick there was a Jack Snipe on
the pool, and a young Arctic Tern
in the bay. Onward to Carn Friars, I had a Yellow-brow briefly, but Watermill was quiet. A Yellow-brow at Newford Duckpond was
comparatively vocal (with most other birds this week being silent, or almost
so).
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| Stu, on-it at Newford |
Carl then headed home (this time to do some gift shopping), leaving me and
Stu to find a Firecrest at
Trenoweth. Heading back home via the golf course, we then located a Redstart feeding along the northern edge;
having hardly seen another birder over the last couple of hours, it was
surprising that seven people popped up within seconds of Stu putting this bird
out on the radio.
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| A male Redstart which tried to look rare |
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| And some Redstart twitchers |
In Lower Moors, a Jack
Snipe showed well on Shooters, and brief, final excitement came in the form
of another tree-feeding Acro. Based
on brief and obscured views, it looked like nothing more than a young Reed, but
no doubt it was another Blyth’s Reed.
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| A Jack on Shooters |
Our final
night on the island was spent, once again, in the Mermaid (with a band in the
Slip Bar), where we met our local friends once again, and made some new ones
too.
And that was
that. The Grey-cheeked Thrush came on the pager on our drive home, although having all seen at least one before we weren't too distraught - although where it had been hiding since monday is puzzling. Although that said, I for one never checked the overgrown path behind the monument...
Oh, and one last thing: check your vox button!
