Tuesday, 13 October 2026

Isles of Scilly 2026, Days Three and Four, St.Martin's

After a morning's birding yesterday with the Selsey crew around St Mary's HERE (highlights included terrible views of both Wryneck and Jack Snipe)  I headed off to St.Martin's in the afternoon to meet up with Jaffa. 

We spent the afternoon birding around Middle Town HEREand then today we explored more of the island HERE. Highlights included Yellow-browed Warbler, 3 Pied Flycatchers, Tree Pipit and a Blythi-type Lesser Whitethroat. 

It was great to see Jaffa and Helen and recount the rarity finding stories from Jaffa's ten year 'project'. Now in his ninth year, he has spent three weeks every autumn on St.Martin's rarity hunting and collected a nice bag of cracking finds including Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-eyed Vireo, Pallid Harrier, Western Bonelli's Warbler, Rustic Bunting, Radde's Warblers and more. It was great to visit all the spots the magic happened.

Sadly it's my last full day on Scillies and tomorrow afternoon it's back on the Scillonian. A Red-eyed Vireo was found today on St.Agnes and a Surf Scoter on Tresco, meanwhile on Corvo, Hooded Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Dicksissel, Grey-cheeked Thrush and more REVs have been discovered and there's also a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Ireland, so plenty of yanks this side of the Atlantic, so fingers crossed for something new tomorrow.

First-winter Pied Flycatcher
Yellow-browed Warbler
Tree Pipit
Blythi-type Lesser Whitethroat- a striking bird with rufous upperparts with a bit of imagination almost the colours of a mini Red-backed Shrike

Another shot of the cracking Pied Fly 

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