Scilly - 9.10.23

 I started the day at Lower Moors hoping to see a Jack Snipe but I failed in that quest but I did see the female Pintail.

Pintail with Teal

Up at Peninnis the stunning male Black Redstart showed well perched near the top of the lighthouse and at Carreg Dhu I had 2 vocal and showy Firecrest.

Black Redstart

News of 2 Richard’s Pipits showing in a field south of the entrance track to Carn Vean tearoom had me walking up to Pelistry but when I was a couple of minutes away they took flight and thankfully flew over my head calling before landing in the field to the north of the track. Good views of my first multiple sighting of this species were had as well a Black Redstart.

Richard’s Pipit

Just up the road at Maypole a Wryneck was sat in a field but flew up to the hedge as soon as it saw someone looking at it. I revisited Lower Moors where this time I was successful in seeing the 2 Jack Snipe from the screen and hide.

Wryneck

At the far end of Carreg Dhu was a field covered in plastic sheeting and at the front edge was a Glossy Ibis that had probably never seen humans before as it performed to about 10 feet away! In fact us birders had to move back to be able to focus on it for photos! 

Glossy Ibis

As my stomach was rumbling I headed back to my digs to get freshened up before heading out for dinner but just gone 6pm a Great White Egret that’d been around for a day or two had been seen flying over Porthcressa Bay and landed in trees on the Garrison. I grabbed my gear and power walked down there and thankfully got onto the bird for a couple of minutes before it headed off over town. A nice Scilly tick to end the day.

Great White Egret

At the log the 3rd Banded Nycteolone moth for Britain had been brought along for photos and became the rarest thing I saw all week!

Banded Nycteoline