Soon after leaving Penzance my first year tick of the trip was seen with 2 Arctic Skuas heading west. That was about it until we got past the Wolf lighthouse which is the boundary between the Cornwall and Scilly recording areas. 30 Cory’s, 2 Great and 3 Sooty Shearwaters made my notebook and my year list.
After arriving back on Scilly and dropping my gear off at my accommodation I prepared myself for a long walk to Porth Hellick for my first potential Scilly tick of the trip. As it was I’d just got past the school when a message came through saying the bird had flown to Lower Moors which was much closer!
I entered the hide to be shown the juvenile Wilson’s Phalarope jus in front of the hide whizzing about like a clockwork toy. This was just my 3rd in the UK and by far the showiest. As I was leaving I heard the call of Yellow Wagtail and lo and behold 2 birds dropped in in front of the viewing screen.
Up at Rocky Hills I had a look over a field and in the far corner I picked out my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year. A slew of trip ticks were added before I headed back to my accommodation. Here I bumped into James Lidster. He asked if I’d seen the juvenile Rose-coloured Starling yet to which I replied no. We went our separate ways but I’d only got about 10 feet away when he shouted there it is! And sure enough it was on wires with its commoner cousins but soon flew off.
It was good to be back.
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