Scillies - Day 4 - Tresco tickage

 

Lesser Scaup

Turnstones

Drake Eider

Whooper Swans

Greenshank

Golden Pheasants

Spotted Redshank

                                                    Red Squirrel

Coastal walks

                                      View towards Abbey Gardens

 

Tresco always offers a great variety of birds whatever the season and day 4 proved to be no exception.

The Great Pool had plenty of birds to study, the star attraction was a Lesser Scaup discovered the day before. The bird was always distant making photography impossible in poor light. Other sightings included 2 Pink-footed Geese, 4 Whooper Swan, 20 Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Shoveller, Pintail and a few more common species.

Walking to the southern shoreline we stopped to watch a very pale Stonechat and the shoreline held a flock of Turnstone and a White Wagtail. Paul then picked out a drake Eider swimming east so we edged round the shoreline to get some pretty good views.

A juvenile Red Squirrel posed lovely for us close to the Abbey Gardens when we called in for a cuppa and from there ran into some of the local Golden Pheasants up on the ridge. Whilst released they we enjoyable to watch so well.

Evening meal was fish and chips from the shop two doors up, organised by Adam.

Asian Desert Warbler on Holy Island ends quest to 400

Asian Desert Warbler (@zuriag)

Mostly views were like this

Asian Desert Warbler

                                              Asian Desert Warbler

Further into cover

Cracking footage from YouTube

                                                Captain on patrol

                                                   Vipers Buglos

                                              Eider at Seahouses

                                                    Holy Island

                                            Leaving the causeway

                                                Bamburgh Castle

                                               Yes, that tree there!

                                                Set up & ready to go

Nice welcome back home
 

Last Thursday was supposed to be my first day of a long weekend but due to shocking weather I switched the day back until the following Tuesday. Sometimes things just happen for a reason. Fast forward to Monday evening when news of a Asian Desert Warbler broke on Holy Island in Northumbria. I knew it would be too far to drive on my car and we couldn't organise a car full due to social distancing. With no real plan hatched I went to bed thinking, oh well, would have been nice but you can't see them all.

Refreshed after a good nights sleep my phone was busy with messages with one from the captain saying drive to mine and I'll drive the rest of the way. With Rolly not able to do any joint twitching & Squire at work this solution would be perfect. I made up a bag of lunch before setting off at 7.30am. The Captain was looking like Lewis Hamilton on the grid, all set for the big push north. The good thing about the current situation is that the roads are much quieter enabling us to get to locations much quicker than normal.

The causeway to Holy Island was due to be passable at 2.15pm however when we arrived at 2.10pm it was clear to our surprise so over we went and found a parking bay very easily. We both expected to see total carnage but this was not the case at all. We made the short walk to the Snook where the bird was reported. Again, there weren't the numbers we expected. Perhaps sixty people at most all spaced out except for those from family groups.

Now for the warbler. For the first few minutes you only saw a flick of movement or branch twitch, until that increased to a bit of tail then body and then finally a full view of Britains 13th Asian Desert Warbler. The last UK sighting was in 2012 in Hampshire & only seen by one person and the previous one was back in 2000 at Easington. This distant migrant breeds in semi desert on central Asia so I bet the bird couldn't believe where it had ended up.  The birds behaviour was best described at restless, staying low and skulking then would climb up occasionaly giving good views. I did get a few record shots but it cetainly wasn't easy. One of the locals kindly sent me a close up. The warblers bill was very slender whilst the eye ring was a distinctive yellow.

It's been a pretty good week seeing my first Caspian Tern, Greenish Warbler & now this great bird which took me to my target of 400 which I wanted to do before my 50th birthday next July. To end up doing it 13 months ahead of target and to see my 400th at such an iconic place gave me great satisfaction.

On the way back we called in at Seahouses for a chip butty before making the very long trip home. Many thanks to Captain for driving and making it a memorable day.
On arrival at home Mrs D had gone the extra mile to prepare a congratulations banner which was pinned to the door.

Ferry to South Uist - Scotland trip (Day 2)

As we packed the car in Stontain the Black Duck swam past heading towards the shoreline behind the local shop & petrol pump. Had we just been very lucky ? Next stop would be Mallaig where we would need to cross to Lochboisdale, South Uist by ferry. The roads were quite difficult and the crossing was a bit rough. We had hoped to find a white winger in the dock but we had to be content with a smart pair of Eider's, Great Northern Diver and a Great Black-backed Gull.

From South Uist we drove up through Benbecula, the central island, before reaching North Uist in fading light & driving rain. These Red Deer were visible from the bed & breakfast bedroom window. One of the ferryman tipped us off to try the Stepping Stones restaurant (one of only two places to eat in winter months) which was excellent and set us up for a big days birding for day three.

Winter Cornish Capers (Day 2) - Peaky Divers

Sea-watching at Penzanze

 Pacific Diver (File Photo)

Top sea watching stop

Eider

Rock Pipit

Eastern Black Redstart

Eastern Black Redstart

Eastern Black Redstart

Drift Reservoir

Pendeen

With the wind having dropped on our second day in Cornwall we were hopeful for much improved views of the Pacific Diver. We headed straight to Jubilee Pools and set up ready for a what could be a lengthy session. There was no need to worry as we found the Diver inside fifteen minutes and it was 100% the same bird we had seen the previous day.  The bird was generally in a line from the right edge of the Mount back to Jubilee Pools. All very satisfied we watched the waders below us including a superb count of 84 Sanderling, 20 Purple Sandpipers, 47 Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin and we also added Shag, Common Scoter, Mediterranean Gull & Eider to the trip list. 

The Eastern Black Redstart round the bay at Mousehole was our next stop which was a place I'd not been to previously. As we arrived we saw the bird fly into the garden above the steps but it only took a couple of minutes before it returned. The bird had been reported as very confiding however he did keep his distance clearly he wasn't happy we hadn't brought the meal worms which he seems to have grown accustomed to. A Rock Pipit and a Grey Wagtail were both recorded in the vicinity.

The drive to Nanjizal valley left Paul rocking with travel sickness leaving him looking whiter than the Eider duck and he did well to keep up as we tried our luck to find a rare Bunting. No buntings but we picked up a hunting Merlin & a short tailed Peregrine. A rain shower caught us just before we reached the car but we did pick up a Brambling on the edge of the farm. 

Drift Reservoir held a surprise when we found two Cattle Egrets in the field behind. Other scoped views we obtained were a Wigeon flock , two Mandarin (inc an albino) & two Great Crested Grebes.

Before wrapping up our morning we had a quick look at Pendeen before heading back to Hayle where our final trip bird was a Bar-tailed Godwit. 

Wild about Mull - Day 2

White-tailed Eagle (Pete Walkden)

White-tailed Eagle (Pete Walkden)

White-tailed Eagle distant shot

Unique signage on Mull

Otter delight (Pete Walkden)

Grey Heron being closely watched by Otter

Great Northern Diver

Golden Eagles soaring high

Tawny Owl

Yet another Wheater

Before breakfast I had my first explore of the islands towards Lochdon and in very windy conditions I recorded a Spotted Flycatcher, good numbers of Wheater, Red-brested Meganser, Rock Pipit, Wood Wrabler, Shelduck and Whimbrel.

After breakfast we travelled west for about 30 minutes taking in some amazing scenery and finding our first pair of Hen Harriers gliding around looking for prey. Our day was spent with Bryan Rains (Wild about Mull) who was recommended to us by midlands photographer Pete Walkden. Bryan drove us around the local area trying to find us exactly what we wanted to see. We were quickly seeing Great Northern Divers, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank, Dunlin and Ringed Plover before we travelled higher up the moors. After stopping at a quiet location and setting up the scope we had views of our first White-tailed Eagle sitting on the nest. This is one of 30 pairs on the island. These giants of the sky have settled in very well to Mull since their re-introduction which generates must needed income for the island.

After a session searching for Otters unsuccessfully we headed upland on the other side of the loch. We did stop at the local seal colony that also had Eiders and Mergansers. This secluded road gave us perfect views of the valley below us. Whilst waiting for birds of prey we watched a newly arrived female Cuckoo, Wheatears, Crossbills and a Tree Pipit close to the mini bus. The slight bit of drizzle then stopped and the temperature seemed to increase. As if by magic a male Hen Harrier came out to fly about the woodland below us. Buzzing from this moment, two Golden Eagles came into view and displayed right above us for about 30 minutes. Absolutely amazing. The downside of seeing a pair together probably indicated that their own nest had failed. The recent snow has made it difficult for the nesting birds.

Bryan had another treat us for by showing us a Tawny Owl in a barn on the hillside before we returned to the loch for more Otter searching. This time we hit the jackpot with a mother playing with her two cubs and another Otter enjoying the sun watched by a Grey Heron.  Before wrapping up for the day we returned to our first Eagle spot where we found the male White-tailed Eagle that treated us to a fly past. The size of the bird was amazing, the eight foot wing span seemed to take ages to get going as it drifted upwards. A brilliant moment.

On our journey home we found yet another pair of Hen Harriers and 30 Pink-footed Geese. Quite a day……………

Many thanks to Pete Walkden for his superb images that really helps my blog.