BOAT TRIP TO TRESCO – TRESCO ABBEY POOL – GREAT POOL – NEW GRIMSBY – CASTLE DOWN AND KING CHARLES’ CASTLE – ALLOTMENTS IN OLD GRIMSBY
WEATHER: a beautiful sunny day, light winds. Top temp 17C
We couldn’t grumble about the weather, it was superb today, unfortunately that is not conducive to great birding! We have had two excellent days in the field and to expect a third one was asking a little too much perhaps?
Porth Mellon was our first port of call
Before we caught the boat at 10am we walked down past the school and along the track to Porth Mellon Beach, we saw very little along the way and even less once at the beach. A few Oystercatchers, Grey Heron, Shag and the usual species of gulls. The town beach was just as dire; Rob got onto a Sandwich Tern but no-one else reported anything of significant interest.
We loaded up with lunch supplies before we walked around the quay to catch the boat. It was a short trip, we were dropped off at Carn Near and walked onto the island. The track took through heathland to the airfield, we saw Stonechats on the heath and Little Egret, Grey Heron and Oystercatcher on the shore.
the most common bird seen today - Stonechat
The airfield gave up a few Meadow Pipits and more Stonechats. In the bushes that surround Tresco Gardens we heard Firecrest and Goldcrest with very quick glimpses of the latter. We scanned the Abbey Pool, which had a very low water level. Moorhen, Gadwall, Teal and Common Sandpiper went onto the list. A Sparrowhawk dashed across the front of the pool.
Common Sandpiper on the Abbey Pool
In the woodland we caught sight of two Chiffchaffs and as we rounded the southern end of the Great Pool we noted a single Greenshank and a dozen more Moorhens! Along the track to the hides we spotted many released Pheasants, a Sparrowhawk circling on the thermals and the usual high number of Robins, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds.
Comma Butterfly taken by Anne Songhurst
From the David Hunt hide we saw two Common Snipe, half a dozen Mute Swans, Lots of Common Coots and bucket loads of Mallards, Moorhens, Gadwall and a second Greenshank.
The Swarovski Hide was closed for repair (why couldn’t they do that during July or August and not during the peak birding season!!! Doh!!!
We ate lunch on the edge of town sitting on benches overlooking the Great Pool and its reedbeds. We added Chaffinch to our trip list and two of the group thought they saw a Reed Bunting.
On the shoreline of the bay at New Grimsby we stopped to scan the mudflats and beaches, all of a sudden the whole bird population took to the air, waders, gulls, herons and egrets, hundreds of them! Only an Osprey can do this, and sure enough, an Osprey appeared over the channel between us and Bryher.
The channel - looking from New Grimsby across to Bryher, this where the Osprey appeared
For the rest of the afternoon we walked up to Castle Down and across the heath to King Charles’ Castle, we saw very few species. Meadow Pipits and Stonechats, it was dismal out there.
Butterflies kept us amused several species were on the wing: Clouded Yellow, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and lots of Hummingbird Hawk-Moths were on the wing.
Hummingbird Hawk Moth - taken by Anne Songhurst
The last hour and a half was spent looking over allotments and watching the ‘cabbage palms’ which were in fruit. We saw our first Blackcaps feastng on the white berries of the palms with the Starlings, Blackbirds, House Sparrows and Song Thrushes.
We caught the 4:45 boat back to St Mary’s and walked back to our accommodation from the quay at Hugh Town. Some of us stopped to search for a Wryneck at Buzza Tower without seeing it. Five minutes after we arrived at our guest house a message went out that the Wryneck had been seen again. Lyn went back to look but once again the bird had gone, that just about sums up our day. You can’t always have rarities around every corner, sometimes you just have to enjoy the beautiful weather and the extraordinary scenery.