Scillies - Day 3 - Red-eyed Vireo on Bryher & morning bonus

Red-eyed Vireo (Simon J Slade)

Vireo Hangout

Great White Egret past us on return

Happy twitchers

Vireo twitch in full swing

An amazing Long-eared Owl

Peeking Owl watching us closely

Sunset over Portcressa

The Scillies had a decent amount of overnight rain which also brought a significant change in the wind speed. From being t-shirt weather the day before, it was a case of bunging on the layers as we left for our pre-breakfast walk.

Our target bird was a Dusky Warbler however just as we landed a Long-eared Owl had been discovered just a hundred yards from where we were looking for the Dusky Warbler. The Owl was perched in the willows just 12 feet from the boardwalk giving amazing views. The Owl had picked his roost spot well as there was little chance of anyone getting close because of the natural barrier of the undergrowth.  This was a stunning bird to see at close quarters. What an amazing start to the day.

After a quick breakfast & coffee we headed down to the Quay to get the packed boat to Bryher, which would be our first trip to the island. The crossing was quite rough but the skipper just took his time to get us there safely.

The target was a Red-eyed Vireo which had been present for two days and we were hopeful that the previous nights weather might have done us a favour in keeping the bird grounded.  This theory proved correct as after about twenty minutes the Vireo was picked up by a birder high then flew to a central location before dropping out of view. Whilst over the moon with the view I wanted to see more of the bird so spent a good deal of time searching for it, seeing it in flight another twice.

I then returned to what seemed to be it’s favoured area by the tennis courts. My patience was extremely tested as I didn’t get another sighting for over an hour. Then it did return to get me the views I really wanted of this seriously smart individual.  The bird was olive green above and white below, dark through the eyes and a white stripe above, grey legs & a stout bill. This species breed in the wooded areas in Canada & America. This particularly bird was caught out by the strong westerlies on its migration to South America.

We recorded a Reed Bunting before the journey back & the Great White Egret was observed in flight on the boat back to St Marys. After a quick cuppa it was straight back out and up to Lower Moors where we saw the Long-eared Owl again, heard a Water Rail and then I picked up the Dusky Warbler that had gone quiet for a period of time.