The Yanks are flooding into scilly !!

13th October 2019

The first image of the ROSE-BREASTED GROSEBEAK that Jaffa (Chris Townend) discovered on St Martins today http://creamteabirding.blogspot.com/

This morning I managed to get the Short-toed Lark with 2 Whinchat at Pungies Lane and a look at Content found 2 Northern ‘type’ Willow Willow Warbler feeding together. It was at 11.00 that I picked up two Belgium birders who were visiting Scilly on a line cruiser that was travelling around the British Isles. We dipped on the Spotted Crake at Lower Moors and we dipped on the White-rumped Sandpiper at Tolls Porth after being told that it had just flown off as we arrived. As we made our ways to Old Town Church for the Red-eyed-Vireo, which we also, you guessed it, dipped on, we stopped for the crake again and got cracking views this time round. On the airfield there were single Whinchat, Yellow, 11 Pied and 6 White Wagtail, 70+Meadow Pipit and 14 Wheatear. When we left the airfied 2 Lapland Bunting and a Richard’s Pipit turned up. We finished day off at Carreg Dhu Gardens where 2 Firecrest put on a very good show. Jo and I had a great time showing our two Belgium friends around but if only the birds showed up, it could of been slightly better.

Record shot of the Short-toed Lark at Pungies Lane.

2 different Northern ‘type’ Willow Warbler feeding together at Content. This is the third time in the past that I’ve come across two feeding together.

There were up to 14 Wheatear on the airfield

And 11 Pied Wagtail and including this one, 6 White Wagtail

Later in the evening, we went mothing for half an hour and all we got of note were 11 Whitespeck and above, a Private Hawkmoth caterpillar in the garden

On the 9th, Nick Godden found a BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT on St Martins.Later in the day, Ian Grant stumbled upon another BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT on St Mary’s at Borough Farm before flying towards Newford. The following day, out of the blue, Graham Gordon turned up an Arctic Warbler on St Agnes then an hour later Will Scott continued the yank theme with a brief SWAINSON’S THRUSH at Carreg Dhu Gardens. On the 11th, Will Wagstaff made a visit to Tresco and in order he found a female BLUE-WINGED TEAL, followed by a Red-eyed Vireo and if that wasn’t enough, a Rustic Bunting!! Back on St Mary’s, a possible BLACKPOLL WARBLER was at Holy Vale. It was the next morning that Nick Godden confirmed it as such and later in the afternoon, Will Scott, for all his hard work, got everyone a White-rumped Sandpiper feeding at Tolls Porth. Today, I got a call from Jaffa, (Chris Townsend) who is staying on St Martins, with a mega find, ROSE-BREASTED GROSEBEAK!! Those twitching it also got a Little Bunting and a fly over American Golden Plover and this evening a Subalpine Warbler was on St Agnes. So what is it goin to be tomorrow???

Ian Grant and Rob Stonehouse co-found this BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT at Borough Farm Rob took the record shot before it flew off towards Newford, 9th. http://gatesheadandbeyond.blogspot.com/

After playing hard to get, the YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, that was first seen at Lower Moors a week ago, finally gave itself up next door in Doily Woods where Chris Lewis took this image yesterday.

While this was all goin on, you could also see the male BLUE-WINGED and possible Green-winged Teal, Red-eyed Vireo and for it’s third week, BLUE ROCK THRUSH with other goodies like Red-breasted Flycatcher, Little Bunting, Yellow-browed Warbler and Richard’s Pipit thrown in.

On the 11th, I heard a American Golden Plover over the airfield just as it was almost dark and yesterday, the twenty minutes that I had off from work payed off with finding a Red-throated Pipit at the Standing Stones Field.

Record shot of the Red-throated Pipit that I found at the Standing Stones Field yesterday.

This is the best that I good do of the White-rumped Sandpiper at Tolls Porth in the poor light yesterday.

Jo and I did some more Ivy bashing around the garden area on the Garrison in the drizzle and was rewarded with this Pale Pinion..

1 Black Rustic

1 Dark Swordgrass

And 28 Whitespeck. We also got 5 Angleshade, 9 Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Lunar Underwing and Turnip Moth and a single Squar-spot Rustic.