Pennington Marsh - 7th April

This first half of April has been fantastic, like mid-summer come early, after an early morning breeding bird survey where the highlights were a couple of Song Thrush and a Willow Warbler I spent a couple of hours at Pennington Marsh. Spring really is here and there were Blackcap singing from the scrub, fair numbers of Chiffchaff and at least six Willow Warbler. On Efford Lagoon the Little Ringed Plover have returned and one bird gave good views on the near shore as it ran amongst the Black-headed Gull - now in their spring finery. I walked out past Shoveler Pools but it was fairly slow going. A while scanning out to sea produced none of the hoped for returning tern but around 150 Dunlin, 30 Grey Plover and six Knot kept me interested. The Bearded Reedling were still frantically nest building on Butts Lagoon and there were at least four male and two female present. On Fishtail Lagoon there were two Spotted Redshank, still in their winter plumage, three Ruff and a fine, but skulky, summer plumaged Water Pipit.

Little Ringed Plover- Pennington Marshes

Black-headed Gull and Little Ringed Plover- Pennington Marshes

I wandered out to Keyhaven Lagoon but there was little to be seen, 15 Shelduck and a single Greenshank while in the scrub a Dartford Warbler sang and a Willow Warbler showed fairly well.

Dartford Warbler - Pennington Marshes

Willow Warbler - Pennington Marshes

Willow Warbler - Pennington Marshes

It was time to head back to the car, the gorse is just starting to flower in full fervour and the heady coconut aroma filled the air. Chaffinch and Linnet were singing from the golden fronds of the gorse while Cetti's Warbler gave only brief glimpses as at least four birds chased one another in territorial dispute. A single Swallow flew rapidly north but it was the only hirundine of the morning. As I wandered back to the car a pair of Mediterranean Gull flew over calling, always fantastic birds but particularly stunning against the deep blue sky. A final look at Efford Lagoon produced a pair of Great-crested Grebe in display, they swam to the shore side and it was evident tha,t as the female flattened her body, they were about to copulate but unfortunately the local Coot disturbed them but they went back to displaying fairly close to the shore but unfortunately a little distant for the camera.

Chaffinch - Pennington Marshes

Linnet - Pennington Marshes

Chaffinch - Pennington Marshes

Mediterranean Gull - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe, this display seemed to be the female encouraging the male to copulate - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe, the male was a bit sheepish when the female adopted this obvious 'come-on' pose - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe, the pair went back to this head shaking display before heading back into the centre of the lake - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe - Pennington Marsh

Great-crested Grebe - Pennington Marsh

Wren - Pennington Marsh

After grabbing some lunch and a coffee at Waitrose I headed to Denny Wood for a short wander and to see if the Redstart were back. There were at least four Redstart on territory but all were very elusive at the tops of the trees. It was time to head into the office but it had been a lovely morning out birding.

Treecreeper - Denny Wood

Pennington Marsh - 30th April and 2nd May

May Bank Holiday weekend and not much planned, apart from a family event on Sunday so Saturday and Monday were free, fantastic! Sarah needed some home time so I used the mornings of Saturday and Monday for some birding although I was aware that I needed to not push my luck and stay out too long!

Saturday morning (30th April) dawned early at I was up for 05:00, I need my breakfast and at least two coffee before I am ready to leave the house! A Cuckoo called outside and was a garden tick - nice start. I was down to Pennington Marshes for 06:30 and another Cuckoo called near to the carpark.  The winds were north-west and so I was not hoping for too much but it is always great to be out birding especially on a sunny mid-spring morning. I started by birding Efford Lagoon, the water levels here have started to recede exposing a little shoreline and now attracting a few waders, I had 35 Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plover and four Common Sandpiper here plus my first Whitethroat, five in total, of the year and a singing Dartford Warbler. A fly over Yellow Wagtail was my first of the year.

Common Sandpiper - Efford Lagoon

Chaffinch - Efford Lagoon

I then wandered out past Shoveler Pools and to the sea beside the jetty, it was evident that many of the breeding Whitethroat (15), Reed Warbler (12) and Sedge Warbler (6) were now on territory. Two Spoonbill, now a familiar site here, were on Jetty Lagoon and a single male Common Scoter was offshore. 

Linnet - Butts Lagoon

Black-tailed Godwit - Fishtail Lagoon

I spent a little time at Fishtail Lagoon, Keyhaven Lagoon and Keyhaven Quay and it was evident that there were good numbers of Dunlin around with approximately 350 birds present. Scanning through the flock at Keyhaven Quay I found a near summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper which I spent some time watching but it was too distant for photographs. At Fishtail there was a fine summer plumage Spotted Redshank, again a little too distant for decent shots, and five Swift appeared low over the lagoon. There were approximately 12 Whimbrel around the area, some feeding in the salt marsh while others were flying overhead giving their distinct bubbling often heard at the marshes in the spring. A single Common Sandpiper plus two Greenshank were also on Fishtail Lagoon. On the salt marsh there were still 15 Dark-bellied Brent and amongst them two Pale-bellied Brent. A fishing Common Tern was joined by two Little Tern on Fishtail, my first of the year.

Turnstone - Fishtail

Spotted Redshank, summer plumage bird - Fishtail Lagoon

Shelduck and nesting Lapwing - Keyhaven Lagoon

Shelduck - Keyhaven Lagoon

Common Tern - Keyhaven Lagoon

Whimbrel - Keyhaven Quay

I walked back along the Ancient Highway seeing a few more Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler, 10 Swift. My total number of Lesser Whitethroat for the morning crept to five after. Finally, there were two Little Ringed Plover,  a female Wigeon and a male Shoveler on Pennington Marsh.

Monday the 2nd May dawned a classic Bank Holiday Monday, overcast, heavy rain and a cold north-west wind. Still, I was up early and decided to head down to Pennington Marsh. It was miserable and so I birded with just scope and bins and birded there Ancient Highway and back past Keyhaven Lagoon, Fishtail Lagoon and Shoveller Pools. It was pretty slow going, a few straggling Wigeon, a female Pintail, 15 Whimbrel, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 300 Dunlin, six Dark-bellied Brent Goose, eight Sandwich Tern, four Little Tern, eight Swift, a female Marsh Harrier, six Willow Warbler, and a briefly singing Grasshopper Warbler were the highlights. But, perhaps the oddity of the day was a group of five Black Swan which I first saw distantly off Iley Point and then later flew overhead and landed on Butts Lagoon - a very odd sight with their black bodies with white flight feathers and rakish heads and necks. I headed home early to gain some birding brownie points for another day.

Isles of Scilly - 24th-28th September

Sarah, Tobias and I were back on the Isles of Scilly for a four night stay on my favourite archipelago. We travelled down on 23rd, a five hour drive from Hampshire, to our cottage at Trowan and just to the west of St. Ives. After getting some supplies we went for a short stroll at Godrevy Point where we went to show Tobias the Grey Seal colony. There were 14 animals on the beach including at least one bull and three young animals, presumably from the earlier breeding season. There were few birds to be seen, four Stonechat, Rock Pipit and good numbers of Meadow Pipit. We headed to the cottage and spent the evening relaxing and catching up with some of the Rugby World Cup.

On 24th we were on our way to St. Just Airfield at 08:30 for our 10:15 flight to St. Mary's. I did a little birding around the airport but saw nothing and now the airfield has been resurfaced and the flower rich runways seemingly lost the numbers of pipits and finches seem to be a great deal lower than in previous times. After landing we transferred to the Star Castle, gathered our stuff and went for a walk around the Garrison seeing little. Lunch was calling and so we headed out to Juliet's for a seafood much. After lunch we walked through Lower Moors to Old Town Bay, around Old Town Church Yard and up over Penninis Head head. In the warm sunshine and fairly stiff north-westerly wind there was little to be seen, 4 Wheatear, 2 Willow Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, a couple of Blackcap, Kingfisher and a Spotted Flycatcher were the highlights.

Peninnes Head from the Garrison

Hugh Town - St.Mary's

The 25th dawned early, it was my birthday and as always I try and maximise my birding time so I was up at 05:45 and was out early onto the Garrison. A Bonelli's Warbler had been reported yesterday evening and I was hoping to see this but it was not to be. Still, it was a beautiful morning, an early Redwing over the Star Castle, a Willow Warbler, eight Siskin east, three Chiffchaff, two Blackcap and 15 Sandwich Tern were the highlights. After breakfast we were off to St. Agnes, the targets here were a Red-eyed Vireo at the church which was found yesterday and an elusive Grey-cheeked Thrush at Warna's Cove. I decided on the vireo considering that I didn't want to spend an age waiting for the thrush if it had gone, so see the vireo, hopefully the thrush will be reported and then head there. I bumped into an old friend from Fair Isle, Keith Pellow, and had a bit of a chat and then we began looking for the vireo. Keith one side of the church, myself another. Birding on Scilly in recent years has all but died with very few visitors now. At the vireo there were four of us looking, okay, its not a mega bird but you would expect more - Spider suggested that there were probably only eight visiting birders on the islands currently. Anyway, enough waffling, eventually the Red-eyed Vireo showed very well in the now brilliant sunshine and sunny conditions. We watched it sunbathing and flycatching in the beautiful weather. This was my sixth Red-eyed Vireo in the UK, all on Scilly, three of which i have found myself. They are fantastic bird with their silky white underparts and their grey crowns neatly edged black.

Red-eyed Vireo in the Pittosporum behind the church on St.Agnes

Linnet - St. Agnes Churchyard

After the vireo I decided to head to the thrush even through it had not yet been seen, I decided that I would give it 30 minutes and then head off birding. I walked via Troy Town and spent some time looking in the beet fields, some pishing produced 4 Willow Warbler and the usual Wrens and Dunnocks. At Warnas Cove there were four birders, one of which had been waiting for the thrush for  two hours with no luck so I gave it 30 minutes, there were 6 Blackcap and a Reed Warbler but no sign of the thrush. I birded back along Barnaby Lane and towards the Turks Head to meet Sarah and Tobias for lunch. Beer in the sun. After lunch we wandered the island, we didn't see a great deal but had views of a Yellow-browed Warbler in the beet fields at Troy Town and had another look at the vireo. Back on St. Mary's I had a wander around the Garrison before dinner but saw little.

Willow Warbler - Troy Town, St. Agnes

Yellow-browed Warbler - Troy Town, St. Agnes

On 26th I was up early for a pre-breakfast walk around the Garrison, again, I didn't see a great deal but for a Willow Warbler, 22 Sandwich Tern, a Whinchat and around 40 Swallow.

Kestrel - Garrison, St. Mary's

Kestrel - Garrison, St. Mary's

Whinchat - Garrison, St. Marys

Today we decided to head to Tresco, there had been a Glossy Ibis on the island but I was not to fussed by this and was not fussed when we didn't see it. It was pretty slow going with around 25 Goldcrest, Peregrine, 32 Greenshank, 3 Willow Warbler and 2 Whinchat the highlights. While a bit of rock pooling with Tobias produced a Squat Lobster and a fine Edible Crab.

Goldcrest - Tresco

Squat Lobster - Tresco

Great Green Bush-cricket - Tresco

Great-green Bush-cricket - Tresco

On 27th I decided to head to the golf course for a pre-breakfast walk and to see if I could catch up with a Dotterel that had been present for three days. I spend 1.5 hours wandering the golf course, no Dotterel but I did have a Short-toed Lark on the golf course which I only saw well in flight and alas no photographs were obtained - I put the news out but don't think it was seen again. Otherwise there were 6 Wheatear and small numbers of Meadow Pipit and Linnet.

Wheatear - St. Mary's Golf Course in the early morning light

Our plan today was to head to St. Martin's but Sarah wasn't feeling well so Tobias and I decided to head up St. Mary's. We birded Lower Moors, Old Town up past the airport and to Porth Hellick but saw relatively little, a couple of Whinchat, Snipe, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and that was about it. A bit of rock pooling produced quite a few Mauve Stinger jellyfish in the shallows. We finished the day at the Garrison but again saw little.

Mauve Stinger - St. Mary's

The 28th was the final day of our time on Scilly and I headed up to the airfield pre-breakfast to look for 3 Lapland Bunting and a Richard's Pipit that were reported here yesterday evening. As I approached the airfield I saw the distinctive flight silhouette of the Lapland Buntings which fortunately pitched down and showed well by the wind sock.  These seemed to be a female, male and a 1st winter bird, the male was quite a stunning looking bird with a good chestnut collar and dark throat and upper breast. It was not long before i heard the Richard's Pipit and it circled above me but unfortunately pitched down in the middle of the airfield so views were poor. Other birds included many Meadow Pipit and 6 Wheatear.

Lapland Bunting, a female I think - St Mary's Airfield

Lapland Bunting, 1st winter in foreground and female behind I think - St Mary's Airfield

The three Lapland Bunting, the male is the middle bird - St. Mary's Airfield

Richard's Pipit - St. Mary's Airfield

Richard's Pipit - St. Mary's Airfield

Rock Pipit - Porth Minnick, St. Mary's

Ringed Plover - Porth Minnick, St. Mary's

I walked back via Porth Minnick and Old Town Churchyard and then back for breakfast. We packed our bags and decided to walk to the airport via Peninnis Head for our 12:30 flight to Land's End after a very enjoyable stay on Scilly, the weather was a little hot and settled for anything major but Scilly is always very enjoyable. We spent the afternoon at Marazion wandering on the beach and watching Tobias dodge the waves, 22 Pale-bellied Brent in the breakers just offshore were noteworthy. We spent the evening in the cottage and headed for home at midday on the 29th.