Another full day on the island of St Mary's down here on the Scilly Isles. A strong easterly wind persisted all day but luckily the rain concluded at dawn. Nevertheless the day remained grey and photography was challenging.
Two Yellow-browed Warblers were vocal around our chalet first thing but proved difficult to spot. A couple more at Lower Moors proved a little easier. A Wryneck showed briefly but well near Buzza and a long-staying and very confiding Snow Bunting continued to pull in many admirers. For those that wandered around Pulpit Rock on Peninnis Head, a Lapland Bunting was similarly allowing close approach. A wandering juvenile Rose-coloured Starling finally gave itself up, after touring St Agnes and Bryher on its travels. Moving around with Starlings it is probably now learning to identify and consume the broad range of food that its common companions eat here on The Scillies. Here they consume Blackberries with relish, then probe for leatherjackets, then tour the beaches picking off sand-hoppers as well as fitting in some garden feeders and taking the nectar from the Palm Tree flowers, probably the only place in the UK where resident and migrant birds regularly do this!
Repeats from previous days' sightings included a couple of Jack Snipe, Merlin, Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Terns, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail and a good local record of 16 Skylarks together.
Regards
Eleanor and Neil
Wryneck. Stunning birds and
a typical bird of the Scillies
scene in the autumn.
Rock Pipit
A very good autumn
for Jack Snipe on the
islands this autumn.
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