And so another scilly season passes by, how was it, blooming marvellous, the nightmare of a journey down to lands end and a 15 minute flight on an Airfix model is an experience in itself, but once you land on the magic isles you know you are in a fantastic place because within walking distance you have American thrushes warblers and birds galore to look at and find.
The first few days were spent catching up on all that was on offer WOODCHAT SHRIKE,YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS,BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, SHORT-TOED LARK GREY- CHEEKED THRUSH,LITTLE BUNTING RUSTIC BUNTING, BLYTHS REED WARBLER, BLYTH PIPIT , RED BREASTED FLYCATCHERS , ROSE-COLOURED STARLING.
AND MORE,After that it was time to do some proper birding.
The days were spent tripping over SISKINS an unprecedented 1500 birds were on the isles the biggest numbers ever recorded.
Blackpoll warbler became a before breakfast bird and an after dinner bird, yellow browed warblers were heard seen and found every day ( as they appear to have done elsewhere) And where-else while waiting for the Grey-Cheeked Thrush to wake up and show itself can you watch firecrests yellow-browed warblers ravens and an Osprey flying over your head.
But these American thrushes can prove a bit elusive and id can be tricky so on one occasion when crowded together to get a glimpse we were told here it is down in the bracken its coming up now.... we waited daring not to breath awaiting the magic moment when an american warbler was about to stare us in the eye, we were inches away then....it,s a blooming rat!!!!, how you get it wrong I will never know its all part of the scilly experience, but skills in ID ranged from the experts beyond belief to it beggars belief why your birding mate!!!!
While Lee Evans, Warfy and Killian Mullarney debated the fine details of the WILSONS SNIPE, Others on tresco were calling out great White egret which turn out to be a mute swan!!
Dunnocks appeared to be grey Cheeked thrushes to some while Short-toed lark and skylark had some utterly confused.
But the day I will never forget is the annnual pilgrimage to ST Agnes I sat on horsehoe point with warfy after been unable to locate the Dartford warbler we sat to seawatch when a pager message of BEAN GOOSE came across
like a pair of Meercats we were on the rocks scanning wingletang down we could see it all but no goose frantic searching of the area this is a rare one foe scilly but nothing....them birder coming over the hill. i will not bore you with the conversation but once it became apparent it was a ring-ouzel and not a bean Goose I climbed under a rock to die with embarrassment for life itself...
But back to Warfy and Pauls adventure warfy pulled out siberian chiff- chaff more yellow browed warblers black redstarts to add to our ever growing total. I tried Summer plumage great northern diver and 18 liitle egrets from a boat trip back to st marys to be told common for the isles, yet the guy who had yellowhamer on the garrrison had to fill out a rarity form, so remember the next time you see a LITTLE OWL the lads on Scilly would die for it, its all a matter of what you need or where you are, the solitary magpie that was twitched on St Martins has now gone whne will the next one be...
I love the place and will be going back asap, but hold on a minute paul have you missed something yes yes sat in my favourite spot in the world The Turks Head pub with a pint of guiness I could have scope the rose-coloured starling from where I sat except for the tears falling into my pint!!!!!I read alot about reverse migration but reverse twitching is new to me, for here I was contemplating a mega 375 mile twitch to AUDENSHAW ????
Mega fine GM birders well done a text message received at the Turks head said it all 2 yellow browed warblers
lapland bunting manchester the new scilly of the north.
OUR lapland bunting was watched from the Hells bay hotel me drinking beer warfy havin soup class birding!!!
Scillies a place where dreams can come true bird of the trip,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
PASSER DOMESTICUS outside the turks head biting warfys finger you had to be there!!!!!!
IF you have never been you must go, tales of the Mushroom twitch will follow in further adventures of Warfy and pauls week out.....

So the time has come for Paul Heaton and myself to head south-west and join Judith on the Scillies for a week so im sure that GM Mega will be found within the next week!

Although the weather prospects are not looking great for many yanks on Scilly, and ive probably had the bird of the autumn already (Brown Fly, sorry Tom) but it certainly beats work and hopefully we can find something good!

Keep birding (as Paul would say), Simon



-- Edited by warfy at 22:17, 2007-10-12

You'd best get up there quick Pete, they're tearing down the Fair Isle obs in 2009 and building a new one, and there'll be nowhere to stay on there until it's rebuilt (hopefully for 2010).

Anyway, everyone knows Ireland is better than Scilly (too many Robin-fondlers), Shetland (too cold), Cornwall (too much suppression) and Norfolk (too inbred) put together and muliplied by three, trouble is there's only about 20 birders over there!

Pete - give us a call for the Wilson's Warbler at Kilbaha in three weeks time.

-- Edited by Tom McKinney at 19:26, 2007-09-29

Hmm, might have to exercise my credit card, i've got that feeling in my bones something major's gonna happen, at least i don't need the Pipit. I've never found a Black-throated Thrush (in the UK anyway), though Adam D has just sent me a 'Happy Anniversary' e-mail, a day late, reminding me of the classic 26th Sept 1983 when we were finders of the Green Warbler and Thrush Nightingale on the same day - as if I could ever forget To quote AD 'may all your warblers be Green and all your Nightingales have thrush'

-- Edited by Pete Hines at 19:08, 2007-09-27

Wow warfy excellent change to a picture of the skybus, what a 15 minutes of utter terror that is, oh yes roll on the 13th october, sending Judith Smith in on the 6th to pin every thing down for us, cannot wait counting down the days now,
pete if you turn up a the turks head the cornish cream is on me,so long as you find that black throated thrush again?
see you all at the big one.

Ive had an offer i cant refuse so I will be joining you for that Pint Paul

Bring on the 13th october and bring on the Yanks!

Not been since Oct 2002 when there were loads of Great Shearwaters on them little pelagics!

Cant see me getting there this year either, too expensive