2019: the island hopping

Islands seem to feature prominently in my leisure time and 2019 was no exception: this year I managed short visits to the familiar extremes of the kingdom from Scilly to Shetland, as well as exploring some new locations on Skye and Mallorca.

Adult White-tailed Eagle near the Aros community centre on the Isle of Skye

Two of three juvenile White-tailed Eagles which sailed over the car nr Broadford

Juvenile Golden Eagle in Glenbrittle, Isle of Skye

Adult Golden Eagle, Isle of Skye

Nearly choked on breakfast when these Waxwings appeared just below my host's garden on the Isle of Skye

Bottle-nosed Dolphins off Tokavaig, Isle of Skyr

The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye

Mallorca was a summer family holiday, and as well as providing some quality time on the beach, it also gave me my first encounters with Eleonora's Falcon, Black Vulture, Scopoli's Shearwater, Red-knobbed Coot, Marbled Duck, Thekla Lark and Balearic Warbler. The island also offered unrivalled views of Booted Eagle, Purple Swamphen, Audouin's Gull, Crag Martin, Tawny Pipit and more herons than one could shake a stick at.

Audouin's Gull, Port de Pollenca

Balearic Warbler, Formentor

Scopoli's Shearwater, off Dragonera

Crag Martin, Albercutx

Eleonora's Falcon, Cala St Vincent

Red-knobbed Coot, S'Albufera

Thekla Lark, Ermita de Betlem

The Shetland trip was a brief one at Easter (more on which in a future post), but the rare treat of a few weeks off between jobs in the autumn offered the best opportunities for island hopping, first with a three-day stay on the Isles of Scilly towards the end of October. I just missed the arrival of several American landbirds but still managed to see some quality rarities including Isabelline Wheater on Tresco, Red-throated Pipit on St Agnes and Blue Rock Thrush, Citrine Wagtail and Spotted Sandpiper on St Mary's.

Blue Rock Thrush, St Mary's

Citrine Wagtail, Salakee, St Mary's

Greenshank, Porth Hellick, St Mary's

Isabelline Wheatear, Tresco

Red-throated Pipit, St Agnes

Spotted Crake, St Mary's

Spotted Sandpiper, Watermill, St Mary's

A couple of weeks later and I was heading north to the Isle of Skye to meet up with old friends Rosy and Nigel for a few days, where Eagles, Waxwings, Otters and Dolphins provided frequent distractions from the excellent hospitality. I suspect I will be back to all of these islands at some point, if not in 2020, though having missed autumn 2019 on Shetland, a return this coming autumn feels overdue...