Cornwall and Scilly rarities and scarcities

I had hoped to catch up with umpteen rarities on the way down south but the lack of good birds was startling. After a poor night’s sleep , I headed further south as planned. The only semi-rarity on show was at Dozmary Pool, between Launceston and Bodmin, and so this was my next destination. The pool on the right of the road looked interesting and would have more birds (waders?) had it not been for a Peregrine having a bath in the shallows! (I got nice but distant views through the scope of this imposing predator.) There were also some Greylags here. Eventually, I came across the correct pool – on the left – and located the birds I had come to see without too much bother: no fewer than 4 drake Ring-necked Ducks! To cut a long story short, I did get some photos after what felt like hours driving from one side of the pool to the other and crawling through the boggy undergrowth; they simply refused to come within respectably photographic range. A nice Merlin whizzed past overhead, which I didn’t expect, whilst other waterfowl included Shoveler, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe. Photography aside, it was great to see four of these American ducks sitting together on the water – a rare sight indeed. Again, the light was starting to fade and I was keen to make the most of the hotel facilities…!

After a nice swim but another poor night’s sleep, this time at Penventon Park Hotel, Redruth, I set off early to catch to the ferry (Monday 25th October). From the boat I had amongst other things Shag, a fish species (Mullet?) and Common Dolphin.

Once on the island of St Mary's, I wandered round fairly aimlessly but found a productive ploughed field on Carn Friars Lane where I photographed Wren, Black Redstart (3+) and some very confiding Siskin. Towards the very end of the day, in failing light and increasingly heavy rain, and what was my third attempt, I eventually had a close encounter with Little Bunting at the start of the Sunny Side trail. It was initially spotted on the ground in amongst the weeds but then flew up to a low branch on a nearby tree where it was visible to the small group of birders assembled on the track. A really attractive bird, this - one I rarely see. Indeed, this was the first time I'd got a decent photo of this species and so I went back to the B&B with a smile on my face, despite the slow start to my trip.

On Tuesday 26th, I went straight to Farmer Brown's Bulb Shop where a farm track bisects the road. This was my second attempt to find the scarcity here, but with calm, sunny conditions on my side this time, I knew I had a chance. The Red-Breasted Flycatcher showed well eventually and despite it being fidgety, I managed to get some nice shots of it perched openly in characteristic posture, tail cocked. They really are the most charismatic of birds and a joy to watch as they buzz around the fly-ridden deciduous leaves of an oak or elm. Further afield, from the coastal path I had decent binocular views of no fewer than 5 Great Northern Divers in 'The Roads', the crystal clear waters between the top of St Mary's and Tresco - where I have often seen them before. Most were in summer plumage but sadly too distant to photograph. At Watermill Cove I failed to find the reported Spotted Sandpiper but consolation came in the form a Yellow-browed Warbler. I did get some shots but none worth keeping; the bird called loudly but high up in the canopy and views were generally poor. Still, always an exciting bird to see. Back towards the centre of the island, not far from Telegraph Road, there had been reports of a Hawfinch. I found the bird almost immediately but no sooner had I spotted it, it flew off. Thinking that there was little else on offer in the area, I decided to hang around and to my delight the bird eventually reappeared and the views I had this time were some of the best I have ever had of this species.

Wednesday 27th was a surprisingly good day; I decided to head for Bryer in the hope of catching up with some reported scarcities but I arrived with no one else around and it felt I was looking for a needle in a haystack. After some stunning close views of Stonechat, I caught up with some other birders and together we eventually pinned down two exciting but very elusive species: Hoopoe and Wryneck. I hadn't seen either of these species in Britain for a while, and I felt rather fortunate to connect with them given the wide area they seemed to favour and the lack of 'spotters'. I spent the next couple of hours chasing around trying to get shots of them and managed a few half-decent ones in the end, although the Wryneck proved virtually impossible. Back at the quay I glimpsed a Peregrine whizzing past and then coat the boat back to St Mary's. Joining up with Matt, I headed north up to the top of the island again and caught up with Richard’s Pipit, which was showing well in a grassy field next to the road. Again, this was another species I'd struggled to find, observe or photograph in the past. Matt and I felt as though we were on a roll so we moved on, in failing light to Watermill Cove, and despite drawing a blank on our first 'pass', we bumped into another birder looking through binoculars as we headed back up the path. Remarkably, he was watching the bird in question - a rare juvenile Spotted Sandpiper! Creeping slowly and carefully towards the rocks, we managed to get close to the bird and took some pleasing shots. The light was awful and only a small percentage of my photos proved to be keepers. Still, there were a few I felt were acceptable.

Thursday 28th was largely spent on Tresco. I heard another birder talking about his experiences with a species I'd never seen on Scilly and despite its dodgy credentials, I was keen to connect with the bird in question. Walking along the abbey side of the Great Pool, I took a steep path off to my right and up into the forest above. The habitat looked ideal and sure enough, within a few minutes of walking slowly along the main track, I spotted bright colours in the undergrowth to my right: a stunning male Golden Pheasant! I retreated a short distance to get out my camera but the bird had vanished by the time I returned. It took another twenty minutes or so before I came across the same (or possibly a different) male. This one proved more confiding but the lattice of undergrowth twigs and foliage combined with the poor light made photography virtually impossible. Still, by scrambling around on the steep slopes on my hands and knees (!), I did achieve my objective at long last and the photos I got are perhaps some of the best I've taken of this species. Back at Great Pool, I went straight to the hide to recover (it has been an exhausting few hours!) and promptly caught up with Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Gadwall, Lesser Scaup and Water Rail. The stars here (Spotted Red and Lesser Scaup) showed well enough, the former especially so, despite the poor light, right in front of the hide. Sadly, I didn't have time to make the most of this experience and cut my birding short to dash for the boat back to St Marys. Here, there was great excitement at Lower Moors where I happened upon a twitch. To our dismay, the bird in question, deemed initially to be a Blyth's Reed Warbler, turned out to be its commoner cousin - a bog-standard Reed Warbler.

My penultimate day, Friday 29th, proved to be quite productive. I wondered round the back of the airfield initially and caught up with Wheatear, Whimbrel (2) and a possible Siberian Chiffchaff. (Sadly, no Snow Buntings at Deep Point.) Numerous Chiffchaffs kept me occupied around the Porthellick Loop, and 4 Greenshank in the bay were nice to see. I looked in vain for Jack Snipe amongst the Common Snipe, but then got a £7 taxi (!!) back up to Telegraph and got better views of Richard’s Pipit. I then walked from there round to the site of the juvenile Rosy Starling which I eventually located with Rob Lambert's help (and old-time follow birders Andy and his wife, Vicky). Bird of the day, though, came in the form of a Western Subalpine Warbler, just a stone's throw away from the Starling. I got lucky here - the last time the bird had been seen was a couple of hours ago and with it having disappeared, most birders had vanished. On my way back down Telegraph Road, having enjoyed a couple of Black Redstarts, I gazed around and spotted about four birders in a rough field, clearly looking intently into the mid-distance. I wandered over, half-expecting them to have found nothing special, but they had re-located the rarity!

This attractive juvenile was feeding happily on blackberries and with patience, I got some shots worth keeping. Finally, on Saturday 30th , my final day, I had one last opportunity to connect with the highly elusive rarity near Old Town church yard. This bird had evaded me on four previous occasions this week, but this time my chances of seeing the bird in question now increased significantly: Spider (Kris Webb) had conveniently just turned up and together we walked through the field where the bird had been reported. Others had beaten us to it and were watching the bird high up in the elm canopy, a beautiful Olive-backed Pipit. To cut a long stotty short, we followed the bird as it flew around the field's perimeter, occasionally showing well, but rarely well enough for a decent shot. After a good couple of hours, the other birders here had had their fill and left me to it. To be honest, I felt I had little chance of relocating it and stomped around aimlessly. Indeed, in the end, I had all bit given up and ambled slowly back towards the gate. Suddenly, a pipit flew up from the field and landed on a low branch right in front of me. Brilliant! Needless to say, I got some pretty pleasing photos. My last birding excursion was up on the Garrison where I found my own Water Pipit amongst a flock of about 20 Meadow Pipits, a female Blackcap, and after a long wait and some tactical birding, a Yellow-browed Warbler, which eventually showed well enough for a decent photograph - the perfect end to a pretty good week all in all. No megas, no lifers but a steady stream of interesting scarcities and decent photo chances.