Bryher 09/10/2021
On arrival on Bryher it started to drizzle so we started by stopping for coffee at the Fraggle Rock. Conditions improved and we set off around Shipman Head Down. At Shipman Head a novice birder gave us a good description of a Black Redstart he had just seen on the rocks. We looked for it and did find it, but first we found the above (more scarce) Red-breasted Flycatcher. We spent a good deal of time following the flycatcher from Shipman Head into Hell Bay, while we tried to make certain it was not a Taiga (Red-throated) Flycatcher (very rare). The crucial difference in 1st winter plumage is that in Red-throated the uppertail coverts are a paler shade of black than the central tail feathers, while in Taiga they are jet black - darker than the central tail feathers. Later on we also found Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, making it a 3 species of flycatcher day. Later on we visited the south end of the island and found a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling that had been present for several days.
Sunday 10th was another quiet day on St Marys