Scilly 2023 week 3+ - 30th September - 9th October
The weather during the third week was generally more settled and provided fine walking conditions. The birding week started with a major twitch as 2 Bobolink were found together in the same field on St Mary's. This is the first occasion on which there has been more than a single bird of this rare American species. We saw the birds well every time a plane flew over the field they were in - they would fly up onto the top of a pittosporum hedge, providing good if somewhat brief and distant views. 2 Common Rosefinch were found in the same field.
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On Tuesday 3rd we visited Bryher and found a Melodious Warbler and a very obliging Dotterel.
Wednesday 6th to Saturday 7th were quiet days for birds and moths but the weather was fine and we enjoyed walking around St Mary's We had planned to leave on Saturday but because the forecast was for good weather with southerly breezes we decided to extend out stay by 2 days. |
This proved to be an excellent decision as somewhat unbelievably the Red-footed Booby was back on the Bishop Rock lighthouse on Sunday 8th. This sighting prompted the biggest twitch of our stay with 4 boats soon filled with over 200 birders destined to go and see it. Fortunately it remained and although viewing conditions were not ideal from a boat with a moderate swell, everyone saw it well and there was a general buzz of excitement.
How gutting it would have been had we stuck with our original plan to depart on the Saturday - the Booby would have been last seen the day before we arrived and next seen the day after we left following a 3 week stay. It is very many years since I last had more than one new British bird during my stay on Scilly. |
The return Scillonian trip on 9th October was very calm. Again we saw large numbers of Cory's Shearwater as well as several Sooty, Great and Manx Shearwaters, Storm-petrels, Great Skua and 1000s of Gannet. There were also several pods of Harbour Porpoise, Common Dolphin and the highlight was a small group of close Risso's Dolphins.