Scilly Saturday 30th October

Last day of the holiday and still fairly quiet so took the opportunity to try one last time to get clearer shots of the Dusky Warbler at Higher Moors. The bird was a little more showy this morning though still very difficult to capture on film. These were the best I could manage - although too distant to be frame-fillers, the light was good at least.

The children wanted one last go on the fantastic Pirate Playground on the Garrison so I took them to see the Red-breasted Flycatcher on the way which was still performing well. As we headed down to catch Scillonian III, calculating whether we would have enough time to look for the American Bittern in Cornwall, news came through that the ship had been cancelled. This meant no chance of seeing the Bittern at dusk or at dawn on Sunday, which deprived us of our best chance of seeing it. Lots of grumpy birders wandering around High Town in a daze...Finding accommodation for the unexpected additional night's stay was proving difficult but we were rescued by the great generosity and warm hospitality of Terry and Jane, creators of the 49 degrees/Isles of Scilly clothing brand and proprietors of the Foredeck ad other shops on St Mary's. We shall now feel even more morally obliged to dress from head to toe in gear from their excellent online shop - check it out and buy their stuff.

Scilly Friday 29th October

Another quiet day with a good yomp around Penninis Head and the airfield on St Mary's producing little more than this Peregrine (below). The photo shows the bird with an apparently full crop which explains why it seemed reluctant to fly by Peregine standards. A Grey Heron in flight (above) at Porth Hellick provided another opportunity for some flight shots.

Made a further (unsuccessful) attempt to improve on my photographs of the Dusky Warbler still present at Higher Moors but did manage to capture this a partially obscured Yellow-browed Warbler (above) and a Reed Warbler (below) in the process. Plenty of the former around, but another bird that can be surprisingly difficult to photograph even when quite easy to see.

Scilly Thursday 28th October

One of the many rewarding things about birding Scilly in October is that you can take your time catching up with specialities like Red-breasted Flycatcher and almost guarantee that you will see one over the course of a week. One had been on the Garrison for a few days before I finally got around to looking for it this morning. Frequenting a 100 yard stretch of pines the bird was often quite confiding, and the sound of its bill snapping at flies could be clearly heard, as well as an occasional 'trrr' call. The buffy wing-bar ages it as a first winter - a very characterful bird which was reliably present during some of the quieter periods of the week.

Scilly Wednesday 27th October

A couple of quiet days with few new birds were interrupted today with news of a Dusky Warbler at Higher Moors. I have seen a couple of these Siberian rarities but never very well, so I thought I would believe the reports of it 'showing well' when I saw it. It did in fact prove relatively easy to see, calling regularly and hopping about in sallows and willows just over the heads of small crowd of admirers. Photographing it was another story, however as it rarely came to the outer branches and its constant movement confused the auto-focus of even the best cameras. I eventually managed a couple of respectable images manually focusing through small gaps in the vegetation when it paused to eat an insect. The shot above of the bird hopping away reveals the characteristic apricot undertail coverts which were otherwise not always obvious. The brightness of the legs and feet were, however, striking and the call very distinctive. The yellow lower mandible on the fine bill was also noticable.

Scilly Tuesday 26th October

Caught up with a distant Water Pipit (right) and much closer Water Rail from the hides at Lower Moors this morning in poor weather. Water Rail seem particularly prominent this year with 1-2 birds feeding in the open early mornings in the small pools just inside the entrance to Lower Moors. A quiet day subsequently with three Pale-Bellied Brent Geese, one of which is pictured right, and a Merlin at Porthloo being the only other birds of note.

Scilly Monday 25th October

An early morning walk around the airfield on St Mary's usually offers the chance of something good, but only Wheatear and Stonechat today - but a very showy Wheatear in beautiful light. Spent most of the rest of the day beach-hopping with the family - ending up at our favourite, Bar Point in the north of the island where a fly-over male Crossbil was a nice surprise. Ended the day at Lower Moors, where Common Snipe are usually easier to see than Jack Snipe, but not tonight, the smaller one being the only snipe on view.

Sunday on Scilly

After yesterday's mad dash to St Martin's, today was more sedate on St Mary's visiting favoured haunts and seeing characteristic birds of Scilly in October. Some years just about every beach seems to host a Black Redstart, and every other hedgerow a Firecrest. This Black Redstart was feeding on the strand-line at Portcressa while the Firecrest was one of two in the excellent Carreg Dhu public gardens. Serin also seen at Green Farm with Chaffinch flock and a Whinchat and the first Yellow-browed Warbler of many seen at Higher Moors. Brambling, Fieldfare and Redwing added a wintery touch to the day.