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

Yellow Wagtails and Clouded Yellows

Thursday 12th September was grey and breezy but warm and humid and so we drove to Thurlestone on the South Devon coast for a walk to Hope Cove and back.

Very little of note was seen along the walk except at South Huish Marsh where there were 7 dunlin and 3 ringed plover roosting along the shoreline before they all took off and flew over the car park towards the sea. Swallows were hawking overhead and I could hear yellow wagtails calling before getting a good view of a juvenile feeding on the short grass by the car park although it soon flew off with 2 other birds.

After lunch at The Cove cafe in Hope Cove (mackerel ciabatta and a pint of Devon red cider) we walked back to Thurlestone, noting a cronking and tumbling raven as we walked over the cliffs and on arriving back at South Huish Marsh there were 21 dunlin feeding together with 16 black-tailed godwits and a very smart ruff.

 Ruff with Black-tailed Godwits, South Huish Marsh

 Ruff with Dunlin, South Huish Marsh

 Ruff with Dunlin

Ruff with Dunlin

A man was walking along the hedgerow by the side of South Huish Marsh to photograph the grazing highland cattle and in doing so flushed at least 8 yellow wagtails feeding amongst them. They flew up from the long grass and headed towards me, landing on the short grass by the car park where they showed very well for a short time before flying back to feed amongst the cattle.

 Yellow Wagtail, South Huish Marsh

Yellow Wagtail

Saturday 14th September was warm and sunny but with a night shift looming again we headed up to Plymouth Hoe and The Barbican for a walk and to visit the Seafood Festival. I didn't have my camera with me which was a shame as I had a great view of a large white feeding on ivy flowers and a very mobile clouded yellow flitting about over the grass.

Monday 16th September and a cloudy but warm morning saw me heading off to Wembury for a walk. Still no yellow wagtails were found but I did see at least 3 clouded yellows dashing around the short grass of the horse field and feeding on dandelion flowers.

Clouded Yellow, Wembury

Other butterflies seen were speckled wood, small copper, common blue, small white, large white and many red admirals and painted ladies feeding on the ivy flowers with the bees. A few silver y were disturbed from the grass at The Point too.

 Painted Lady, Wembury

Sloe Blossom (in September!)

Birds highlights included 3 wheatears, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, swallows, 37 Canada geese and 33 Mediterranean (adult winters with 3 1st winters and 5 2nd winters). Stonechats and cirl buntings were also seen in the hedgerows with 2 curlews along the shore with the oystercatchers and there were gannets and fulmars offshore.

Before heading home I enjoyed a Chunk pasty and a coffee for lunch, potentially my last of the year here at Wembury, but it had been a very pleasant Autumnal mornings walk.