A short trip to Scilly

Time off between jobs afforded me the luxury of a few days on the Isles of Scilly earlier this week. My last visit was a two day stay in 2017 with David Bradnum, the highlight of which was seeing a Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush on St Martin's. That bird was a riot of red, white and blue - red tail and breast, blue head and a white blaze on the back. So as I booked tickets for the sailing of Scillonian III on Monday there was a certain symmetry in knowing that the rarest bird on the islands this time was the closely related Blue Rock Thrush, a species with which I became very familiar on our summer holiday to Mallorca.

Blue Rock Thrush on the Garrison

The Blue Rock Thrush could often be seen from distance thanks to its habit of perching on prominent boulders

The Blue Rock Thrush was aged as a first winter, looking quite brown in certain lights

Scillonian III made good time with a largely uneventful crossing being punctuated by a pod of Common Dolphin and, as we approached St Mary's, a small group of Harbour Porpoise. On arrival I headed straight for the Garrison where the Blue Rock Thrush had been seen earlier in the day. It was reportedly moving clockwise around the Garrison, and after not too long I caught up with it between the Woolpack Battery and Steval.

I had never seen Harbour Porpoise this far out of the water before

A snub nose and small dorsal fin identify this as Harbour Porpoise

Harbour Porpoise

I had read various horror stories about visiting birders taking days to see this bird so I was perhaps fortunate to walk straight up to it. It was, however, clearly a very skittish bird, but as we sat quietly at the end of the bay it was feeding in, it paid us the courtesy of flying towards us at one point, enabling a few passable photos to be taken with the aid of a teleconverter.

Citrine Wagtail

Note the complete pale border around the cheek and broad wing bars

Just a hint of yellow on the vent of this bird

My other main target for the day was a Spotted Crake which had been giving good views at Lower Moors. I spent an hour there without success before breaking news of a Citrine Wagtail saw me heading off in the direction of Salakee Farm. This newly discovered rarity didn't play ball at first, feeding in long grass at the feet of cattle at the back of a field on a convex slope which made viewing difficult. For no apparent reason though it took flight, calling distinctively, and landed just in front of the assembled birders.

Wren

Spotted Crake, Lower Moors

Very long toes on this bird!

On the way back to my B&B in Hugh Town I called in at Lower Moors again where, thanks to a shout from Pete Aley, I enjoyed extended views of the Spotted Crake preening out in the open at close range. So an excellent start to the trip, with both of the main target birds seen well and a bonus breaking rarity thrown in.

The Spotted Crake preened out in the open

This went on for several minutes

A rare view of the underwing of a Spotted Crake

Operation Daymark

The Easter Bank Holiday weekend provides a unique opportunity for the lover of rare birds: an uninterrupted four day window at a promising time of year to stress out with the added attraction of heavy traffic. Whilst I had idly clocked news of a Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush on the Isles of Scilly, I hadn't really considered going to see it until, not for the first time this decade, a text message from David Bradnum gave me the kick in the rear I needed to start thinking about it.

Rock Thrush, Bread and Cheese Cove, St Martin's

A red, white and blue riot of colour

Neither of us fancied day-tripping it, preferring an overnight stay to make the most of the islands and provide a second shot at seeing the bird if we were unsuccessful on the day of our arrival. Whilst not impossibly complicated, the logistics weren't straightforward: tickets for Scillonian III would be simple enough to procure, accommodation on Scilly during one of the busiest weekends of the year less so. But after just a few phone calls (Scilly's tourist industry has yet to get the hang of on-line booking), we managed to find a reasonably priced twin room.

The rufous tail seen clearly in flight

Note the white patch on the back of the Rock Thrush

That just left the small matter of getting from St Mary's to Daymark on St Martin's, where the Rock Thrush had spent the previous week. We were due to disembark the Scillonian at 1200 and an inter-island launch was due to leave for St Martin's at 1230, so that shouldn't be a problem either. All that remained was to secure permission to go from respective loved ones, and with that done, Operation Daymark was good to go.

Song Thrush: commoner than Rock Thrush on Scilly, and more confiding too

Daymark on St Martin's viewed from St Mary's

David arrived in Dorset from Essex for a few hours kip at our place and an 0400 start on Good Friday saw us arriving in Penzance in plenty of time to make the Scillonian. After possibly the smoothest crossing I have experienced, we made good time and shortly after midday were at the front of the queue on the quay for the boat to St Martin's. The latter island was hosting a music festival and we watched in dismay as suitcases, guitars and violin cases were unloaded carefully, and therefore excruciatingly slowly, from the Scillonian to a first, second, then third waiting boat - and all by hand. 1230 came and went, and when what appeared to be a drumkit appeared, it was too much for one enterprising birder who chartered a jetboat and offered us two seats on it. Once he had retrieved the hand we had bitten off, we were on our way.

Greenshank: the only wader present at Lower Moors on St Mary's

Wheatear: one of several on Peninnis

The advantage of the jetboat was not just the ability to jump the queue, but also to reduce the travel time and provide another half an hour on St Martin's before we needed to make the return journey. Unfortunately, the low tide meant that the disembarkation point was at the opposite end of the island to the cove where the bird was being seen.

White Wagtail on the quay at Hugh Town

Always a smart bird to see

The best part of half an hour later we arrived breathless and perspiring to catch up with more sprightly souls who had set a blistering pace across the island. Fortunately for all of us, islander Will Scott had the bird staked out in Bread and Cheese cove and shortly after arriving we were enjoying good views as the bird fed on the heather clad slopes and rocks around the cove.

Scilly Wren

This bird was singing on St Mary's

A few late-comers who had not joined us on the jetboat arrived even more breathless and sweaty, but they too enjoyed views of the bird before it headed to the other side of the cove. The walk back to the boat was altogether more relaxed and there was even time for a bit of birding back on St Mary's after the all the yomping around St Martin's.

Rock Pipit at Porthloo

Another songster

After the excitement of Good Friday, Saturday was uneventful but enjoyable on St Mary's. A few dozen Manx Shearwater and a single Common Dolphin provided interest on the way home. A fairly epic twitch then, with thanks to David for driving and providing the motivation to make the effort.

Manx Shearwater from Scillonian III

Rock Thrush - ordinarily at this time of year this bird would be breeding in southern European mountain range above the 1500m line - incredible to see it on a Scilly beach

Grey Sunday

It was a bit of a Grey Sunday around Portland and Weymouth yesterday weather wise. Fortunately it was brightened up by some smart birds, the memory of which was enough to cheer me along on the way into work this morning on Blue Monday - the most depressing day of the year, apparently. As well as a handsome male Black Redstart at Chesil Cove, a female type was also present. A few pictures of this and some other highlights of the day below.

Black Redstart, Chesil Cove

Just as confiding as the male

Always a pleasure to bump into this species

It's been a good winter for approachable Great Northern Divers

This one was close in off Portland Castle

A Kestrel at Portland Bill was a bit bedraggled

The Bill quarry Little Owls have a bit more shelter

 

Male Red-breasted Merganser near Portland Castle

Wren, Portland Bill

I was able to photograph this Dartford Warbler at Portland Bill out of the car window

On the way home, a Goldcrest was singing over the traffic noise in downtown Weymouth

Med Gull is virtually guaranteed in the Radipole Lake car park at this time of year

Playing away

With November murk lying low over the Frome Valley this morning, it was time to play away, and head for the impossibly exotic, sun-kissed horse-paddocks of Portland. A Dusky Warbler had been present in Weston since Thursday, and I had yet to see one in Dorset. I awoke later than planned, and with a headache, the product of drinking pathetically small amounts of beer, which is enough to induce a hangover these days it seems.

Dusky Warbler, Portland: a rare view out in the open

Staying so low in the vegetation that it would have been difficult to locate if it wasn't calling regularly

Perhaps the clearest view I enjoyed in 3 hours of watching

Arriving at Avalanche Road around 0900, I was prepared for a long wait but within half an hour the only other birder present alerted me to the calling bird at the other end of the paddock to which I was stood. The Dusky Warbler had been extremely elusive in previous days but we dropped lucky as it sat out in the open for the best part of a minute preening. I stuck around until midday in the hope of improving on my original photos, and despite the bird coming very close on occasions, it only ever sat in the open at some distance, and then only briefly, hence the heavily cropped shots here.

Caught in mid air - check out those orange feet

Note the rusty flanks and vent

Here giving its tutting call - note sharp supercilium in front of the eye (diffuse in Radde's)

With a good Dorset tick in the bag from the top of the famous rock it was time to head down to the bottom and the migrant trap of Portland Castle. Three Chiffchaffs and two Black Redstarts were aron the castle walls, and the wintering Black Guillemot eventually appeared out in the harbour with a Great Northern Diver for company.

Black Redstart on the picnic tables outside the Chesil Beach Centre...

...and on the roof...

...and on the tideline at Ferrybridge

A final stop at Ferrybridge produced another trio of Black Redstarts, these much more obliging as they fed on the tideline and around the Chesil Beach Centre. Normally stopping here would be a good excuse for fancy coffee and cakes, but there was too much going on outside to be tempted today.

Chiffchaff at Portland Castle

Great Northern Diver, Portland Harbour

Black Guillemot, phone-scoped taking a rest on a mooring in Portland Harbour

It was incredibly mild for mid-November, which may have helped explain the lack of waterfowl in Portland Harbour - apart from the returning Tystie, a couple of Great Norther Divers and a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers there wasn't much to be seen. But still a fruitful excursion, and good to keep the county list ticking along as the clock had pretty much stopped on that in the last few months.

Wren at Ferrybridge

Black Redstart

Black Redstart, just drawing a few things to the attention of the humans