There is always a spring in your step when you stride out down to the quay knowing there is a possible yankee lifer just a short ride on the boat. The short ride was somewhat bumpy but Squire didn't seem too bad. We all filed out and turned left to Gugh. Gugh is attached to St Agnes by a sand bar and was one of two islands I’d not visited. (St Martins remains on this list)
Around fifty birders spread around the island looking for the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a cracking looking american passerine. It’s only a tiny island and yet the bird was sadly not discovered. Oh well…….Our visit was time limited as the sand bar was becoming covered by the tide. Time to do some birding around St Agnes….Then as if by magic a Red-eyed Vireo was seen just around the corner. We got a perfect viewing spot to watch the stunning bird from the path. It was in a private garden so it was far from ideal but it’s never a bad day when you see a yankee.
From here we did some birding around the pool and coast recording a few waders and playing seals, not forgetting a Troytown ice cream & cream tea! Passing the lighthouse we heard a MEGA alert go off on someones phone but nothing on ours because of the reception, then a casual birder stopped us to tell us there was a possible INDIGO BUNTING by the Great Pool just five minutes from where we were. Needless to say we got there in 2 minutes, even the Squire was sprinting. We hurdled the stye into the field to where we had seen a Little Bunting four years previously and there was Britain’s 3rd ever Indigo Bunting and first for Scilly. The last accepted was in October 1996 in Pembrokeshire.
Indigo Buntings are a long distant migrant and fly around 1,200 miles each way on their migration. Breeding grounds start in north Florida all the way to Canada. Despite it’s rarity status, the bird was nondescript being a reddish brown however you could see some blue on certain angles.
Later that evening when discussing the bird we reckoned around 80-90 people had seen the bird that afternoon and perhaps another 15-20 the next morning who came in via helicopter. Sadly many who twitched the bird on Monday afternoon or Tuesday all missed out. Yet again the Scillies had been very kind to us. What a day!
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