Isles of Scilly Day Trip, Tuesday September 17th

With the weather forecast set fair for September 17th I booked my ferry and train tickets on the 16th for my day trip to The Scillies and indeed the weather was good - warm and mostly sunny with a gentle breeze.

After an 04:45 hrs alarm call and a train journey down to Penzance the ferry sailed out of Penzance Harbour at 09:15 hrs where 4 male and a female eider duck were bobbing about on the waves, the males either immatures or eclipse plumaged adults.

The crossing was as enjoyable as always although there were far fewer seabirds seen than on my last 2 trips. There were plenty of gannets with a few fulmar, guillemots, Manx shearwaters, distant auks and 2 ringed plovers along with a few pods of common dolphins, one of which came towards the ferry to bow ride.

Common Dolphins from The Scillonian

On arriving at St. Mary's at Midday I decided to stay on the island and look for a juvenile red-backed shrike being seen near Porth Hellick. Unfortunately the shrike had been seen around 30 minutes before I got there but had been flushed by walkers and had flown off - despite searching I didn't refind it and indeed it wasn't reported again. I did manage to see a spotted flycatcher, a whinchat and a whitethroat but the highlight was a wryneck pointed out to me by a couple of local birders which showed very well at times. Also seen were stonechats, swallows, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, house martins and song thrush.

 Spotted Flycatcher, St.Mary's

 Wryneck, Whitethroat and Stonechats

Wryneck and Whitethroat

Juvenile Swallow

A few butterflies were seen flitting about - large whites including a mating pair and some caterpillars feeding on nasturtiums, small whites, a peacock and quite a few speckled woods of the Scilly form.

 Large White

 Large White Caterpillars

Speckled Wood - Scilly form

A green sandpiper was a nice find from the hide at Porth Hellick Pool along with a snipe and 2 grey wagtails but time was marching on and it was soon time to head back to Hugh Town to catch the 16:30hrs ferry back to Penzance.

The ferry crossing back to Penzance was enjoyable too with gannets, fulmar, Manx shearwaters and guillemots seen along with 3 juvenile kittiwakes, a great skua and a razorbill plus the usual common dolphins.

Arriving back in Penzance and St. Michael's Mount was looking gorgeous in the setting sun and I eventually arrived back home at 22:45hrs having had a very long and tiring but very enjoyable day out.

 St. Michael's Mount

 St.Michael's Mount

Juvenile Herring Gull, Penzance Harbour

Wryneck, Wembury

Friday 15th September and after taking Mother Outlaw to see Father Outlaw at the nursing home we took a drive to Topsham for the afternoon where David looked around the shops while I did some birding. A quick look from a packed hide at Bowling Green Marsh didn't reveal much and so I carried on to the viewing platform where I just missed an osprey catching a fish off Turf. A small group of grey plover with 1 bird still in smart summer plumage were out on the small amount of mud still on show on the incoming tide before I moved on to The Goatwalk where I watched 4 Sandwich tern fishing and had distant views of 6 roe deer in a field on the Haldon Hill escarpment.

Black headed Gull, The Goatwalk

Back to the hide and waders were beginning to arrive and amongst the dunlin and ringed plover I found at least 2 curlew sandpipers which gave some nice views despite being very nervous and flighty. Curlew, redshank, black tailed godwit and greenshank were also seen along with shoveler, teal, wigeon and mallard. I then met up with David and we headed over to Darts Farm for something to eat and a look around the shops before heading back to Plymouth.

Saturday 16th September and with grotty weather forecast for the afternoon I headed off in the morning to Wembury for a walk. No moths in the toilet block but a few butterflies were flitting around in the occasional sunny spells - red admiral, large white, small copper and speckled wood - and 3 common lizards were also enjoying the sun as they basked on the fencing.

Common Lizard, Wembury

Common Lizard, Wembury

It felt very autumnal, cool with sunny spells and very pleasent and with a feel of birds on the move. From the riding stable track I scanned a kettle of herring gulls circling over the cliffs towards Stoke Point hoping an osprey might have been with them but with no luck. However a falcon was circling at the top of the kettle which I thought may have been a peregrine especially when it stooped and headed towards me but as it levelled out over the fields in front of me I was pleased to see it was a hobby, only my second Wembury sighting of one, and it was quickly followed by a second bird as it dashed over the hill and out of sight. A short while later I saw a hobby soaring over the cliffs again towards Stoke Point before it headed inland over Wembury church where it was again joined by a second bird - presumably the 2 I had seen a short time earlier or maybe another 2 birds?

18 Canada geese were feeding in the stubble field with assorted herring gulls and I picked out a probable juvenile yellow legged gull but just as I was getting my scope out for better views the gulls all took to the air and I lost sight of it. A curlew, 2 little egrets and oystercatchers were on the rocks and along the beach meadow pipits were feeding amongst the rock pipits and I could hear birds passing overhead. The pied wagtails along the beach also included a few white and 2 grey wagtails flew over together. Offshore a few gannets were seen along with a juvenile peregrine flying west low over the water - later at the bus stop while waiting for the bus home an adult and juvenile peregrine circled overhead before heading off east.

Chiffchaffs were seen and heard, swallows and house martins flitted around overhead and 2+ whitethroat were skulking in the brambles at The Point. A spotted flycatcher was feeding amongst the pine trees at The Point, only my 3rd Wembury sighting, and there may have been a second bird present as I watched it chase after another bird that I lost from view.

A passing birder had given me the heads up about the spotted flycatcher and also news of a wryneck feeding in the grassy field by the pines and after a bit of a search I managed to find the wryneck on the ground amongst the tussocks where I had some great views, my best views ever in the UK and my 4th Wembury sighting, although it was quite flighty at times and sometimes quite elusive - cue yet more of my usual quality record shots.

 Wryneck, Wembury

 Wryneck

 Wryneck

 Wryneck

 Wryneck

Wryneck

And so quite an eventful morning at Wembury and luckily the rain didn't start until I had arrived back home.

Another Wryneck - Dawlish Warren, September 14th

With a high tide on the River Exe at 11:00am-ish and reports of curlew sandpipers at Bowling Green Marsh and Dawlish Warren, I jumped on the train, deciding at the last minute to visit Dawlish Warren (it was Sunday and I imagined Bowling Green would be too busy so decided on the more varied and likely less crowded Warren instead).

Arriving at 10:30 I headed off to Warren Point and the wader roost along the beach as the tide reached its highest point. Scanning the flock of small waders I found a single turnstone amongst the dunlin, ringed plover and sanderling and so I headed off into the dunes to look for the wryneck that has been around for a few days now. Wandering through the vegetation I spooked 2 skylarks, 2 wheatears and eventually the wryneck which flew up and landed on top of a bramble bush where it gave great views before flying off - my second wryneck in 3 days! Also seen amongst the dunes were a smart whinchat, stonechats and linnets but as more birders arrived I headed back to the wader roost for another look.

 Wryneck, Dawlish Warren

Wryneck



The waders were still roosting and scanning through I eventually found a curlew sandpiper, probably my favourite wader, looking taller and with spangled, paler and greyer toned upperparts than the nearby dunlin. Just as I was getting my eye in on the bird and hoping it would show its head from under its wing some walkers along the beach flushed all the birds and I managed a nice view of its square white rump as it took to the air, losing sight of it amongst the flock. The birds eventually settled and I refound it and had some nice scope views as it fed along the sandy beach before the waders were disturbed again and I lost sight of it again.

Sanderlings along the beach, Dawlish Warren



I headed over to The Bight, expecting the waders to move here as the tide receded and eventually a few dunlin and ringed plover arrived. The tide continued to recede and the flock didn't appear until it was some way out - I scanned through the heat haze and found the curlew sandpiper again but it was distant and the views poor and then the flock took to the air and disappeared upriver. A quick scan around revealed a bar tailed godwit, a kingfisher flying along the waters edge and a little egret, along with oystercatchers, 6 mute swans, cormorants, wigeon and gulls but no further sign of the curlew sandpiper.

I unknowingly met The Exmouth Birder Sue - who did get to see the wryneck eventually - and I also met Dawlish Warren birder Lee who writes the daily Blog for the site and had a chat about the rings he has read on birds and their histories.

In Greenland Lake Autumn Ladies Tresses were in flower but most had gone over and apart from a female kestrel and a flock of 10 long tailed tits I didn't see much more in the way of birds. I did however see an emperor dragonfly, a southern hawker and 2 common darter along with small copper, speckled wood and a late meadow brown, and also a very smart looking rush veneer, before heading home on the train to Plymouth, having had a very enjoyable days birding.

 Autumn Ladies Tresses, Dawlish Warren

 Common Darter

 Southern Hawker

Rush Veneer

Wryneck at Wembury

Thursday 11th September and a day out to the beach at Cawsand didn't happen as the ferry wasn't running due to the continuing strong Easterly breeze and so we headed off to Jennycliff beach instead, catching the ferry to Mount Batten and walking along the coast path. I have never been to the beach at Jennycliff before, not the best or prettiest beach but with an amazing view across Plymouth Sound. The footpath down the cliff to the beach was closed following the bad winter weather but we snuck through a gap in the railings and made it down safely over the remains of the steps and pretty much had the beach to ourselves.

7 common sandpipers flew off from the shoreline when we arrived, heading towards Mount Batten and later 4 came back to feed amongst the rocks. 2 kingfishers flew low over the water towards Bovisand and along the beach a grey wagtail was feeding amongst the Alba wagtails. A chiffchaff was singing in the cliffside undergrowth, sounding very mournful at this time of year, and robins were vocal and showy too.

Lime Speck Pug, Back Yard



Friday 12th September and with a night shift looming I headed off to Wembury for a walk and with recent sightings of wrynecks along the coast of Devon and Cornwall I kept a look out for this elusive bird. It was cloudy and breezey but eventually cleared up and was pleasantly sunny and warm despite the Easterly breeze. As I headed down the valley to the beach a flock of hirundines was hawking over the main beach - 100+ swallows, 20 +house martins and 3+sand martins. At one point they flew low over the sea, looking like storm petrels, with a few birds dipping in to the water.

A look in the horse field by the riding stables and amongst the Alba wagtails and meadow pipits I found a yellow wagtail just as it took to the air, flying off to perch on the barbed wire fence at the back of the field before flying off East. A flock of feeding goldfinch and linnet had a few greenfinch amongst them and at one point everything took to the air and flew around and I found another yellow wagtail which also flew off East and out of sight.

Heading off along the coast path and 2 bar tailed godwit were roosting with oystercatchers at Wembury Point along with 3 little egrets. Gannets were diving offshore with large splashes and a few fulmar drifted by. A pair of cirl buntings, a wheatear in the lower horse field and a singing chiffchaff were also seen along with 4 clouded yellows, small copper, red admiral, speckled wood, common blue, a comma and small- and large whites. The toilet block had a flounced rustic and 2 small blood veins inside which I caught and released outside.

 Small Blood Vein, Wembury

 Faded Clouded Yellow, Wembury Point

 Small Copper, Wembury

Common Darter ? , Wembury



I bumped in to Plymouth birder Russ and another birder near the riding stables and we had a chat about what's around, commenting that it felt like a wryneck day before heading off in opposite directions. I then wandered along the path up the valley from the main beach and flushed a small bird from the footpath in front of me and as I caught a glimpse of it I realised it was a wryneck! It flew off into a clump of sallows where it amazingly sat and preened for a while out in the open before a wretched female blackcap appeared and chased it off in to deeper cover! I waited around for a while but it didn't reappear and so when David arrived shortly after we headed off to have a pasty and coffee on the beach, enjoying the September sunshine before heading home. Not a bad day with my 3rd UK wryneck sighting - all having been at Wembury and mainly a case of good luck, right place at the right time - and only spoilt by having to do a night shift that night.

 Wryneck, Wembury

 Wryneck, Wembury

Wryneck, Wembury