23rd October 2019
This Spotted Sandpiper at Watermill is believed to be the same individual that was last seen on St Agnes two days ago
Good ole birds keep on turning up every day and yesterday, the 5th RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL found by Alan Heyden on St Agnes and on Tresco, Marcus Nash turned up the 8th ISABELINE WHEATEAR for Scilly on Castle Down. However, the star bird was a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE with Grey Phalarope and 3 Sabine’s Gull, on a pelagic out to the Western Rocks. Today, the wheatear was still present with the Waxwing nearby but no sign of the bluetail and a boat load of birders dipped out on the phalarope. As work gets in the way, there was no chance of me twitching any of the above birds and instead Jo and I had to make do in the early afternoon with goin to see a Spotted Sandpiper that was co-found by Phil Wallace and David Campbell. The sandpiper showed well briefly in the hot sun but proved mobile. As a result we went in search of the wader following the coastline towards Innisidgen and came across the Great Northern Diver very close inshore that’s been present for the last few days.
Before we went to see the Spotted Sandpiper, we were observing 4 Black Redstart, including this individual, at the airport after dropping some guest off
Not often you see a Great Norther Diver a close range on Scilly like this stunner off Innisidgen
Wood Pigeon
At 16.00, Jo and I were in two to go and see the Citrine Wagtail at Salkee or the Spotted Sandpiper at Watermill. We thought we would like to see the sandpiper a little better and twenty minutes later, while we watching the it, news broke that Adam Hutt had found a Blyth’s Reed Warbler at Rose Hill. The warbler proved difficult to see as it fed in the canopy and after catching glimpses, Jo and I gave up and decided to go see the ducks at Porthloo where there was a single Wheatear. Just before dark, we had 2 Wheatear, 1 Skkylark and flushed by a dog walker, a Lapland Bunting flew of west.
I couldn’t even get a record shot of the Blyth’s Reed Warbler. So I’ll have to do with a record shot of the birders instead.
Yesterday, we had 2 Yellow-browed Warbler, 2 Firecrest and a possible Siberian Chiffchaff at Newford Duckpond
There were also 5 Chiffchaff in the area and 2 Siskin flew overhead
Three nights ago, Jo and I went mothing and had this late Cabbage Moth..
A new one for us was this Brick Moth. We also had 6 Whitespeck and 4 Rusty Dot Pearl.
SCILLYSPIDER 2 