St Marys 12-20/10/2021
Tuesday 12th was Bens last full day with us on this years' Scilly trip. The weather continued to be fine and we saw a Serin well at Parting Carn.
Wednesday 13th we had another walk around St Marys and saw Ben off on the Scillonian.
Wednesday 13th we had another walk around St Marys and saw Ben off on the Scillonian.
Thursday 14th continued to be quiet for birding, but brilliantly sunny and fine for enjoying walking around St Marys.
The Red-rumped Swallow stayed quite high for most of the time and was flying with a Barn Swallow (which has essentially the same shape but with a dark rump) and a House Martin (which has a fairly similar pale rump but a shorter tail). Probably the best feature for identifying a Red-rumped Swallow when seen from below is the black "trousers" appearance due to the dark tail and undertail coverts - the undertail coverts of Barn swallow being white.
On our way back we saw a Spotted Sandpiper in Watermill Cove. Saturday 16th was another good day for birds. This time they were all at our (north) end of the island in Pungies Lane. First a Dusky Warbler turned up at Newfford Duck Pond, then a Red-backed Shrike was found just around the corner in Bourough Farm and then a Red-throated Pipit was found in a field opposite the duck pond. We could have spent most of the day within a few 100m of our accommodation, but unfortunately I had to head off to town to get some milk.
|
On Friday 15th the birding began to pick up. First a Cattle Egret was seen to fly in to an inaccessible field in the middle of the island. Whilst some were viewing it very distantly from The Garrison and Town Beach, we thought Harrys Walls was the place to try - and this proved to be the case - closer but still a distant view. Then a Red-rumped Swallow that had been seen the previous day on both Tresco and St Martins, turned up at Porth Hellick.
|
Sunday 17th turned out to be another fine day for walking, with little in the way of avian activity to impede our progress.
The winds were from the south. Usually this would be expected to produce some scarce migrant moths, but this proved to be even more disappointing than the lack of birds.
|
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 18th-20th were wet and windy. We did get out for walks in the occasional breaks in the weather. On 18th I saw a Woodlark through the murk, in a field on Pungies Lane but, this was the relatively low birding highpoint of some quiet days.
|