ISLES OF SCILLY

HIGHLIGHTS:

A Water Pipit at Porth Hellick beach, two Black-necked Grebes and a Red-breasted Merganser in the harbour on St Mary’s and two Bullfinches in the Holy Vale area remained throughout. A Brambling was at High Rose-coloured Starling, Lanes (7th). Three Firecrests were in Lower Moborso(a1d2tfhie) lwdit,hcsrinagwlelesys,ewen eslsteswuhessreeuxn, til the1m1donetche’smenbde. Fr ive Black Redstarts were on St Mary’s at the start of the month with three still present (31st). A Snow Bunting was on St Martin’s (16th). A Yellow-legged Gull was in Porth Cressa (17th). An Eider was between the islands, a Slavonian Grebe near St Martin’s, a Long-tailed Duck near Tresco and 20 Great Northern Divers in the Roads (18th). A Mediterranean Gull flew over Hugh Town (23rd). Three Yellow-legged Gulls and a possible American Herring Gull were on Tresco (24th). Two Spoonbills and seven Purple Sandpipers roosted near Samson. The Eider, Long-tailed Duck, a Common Scoter and two Slavonian Grebes were seen on a boat trip around the islands (28th). A Killdeer at Parting Carn, St Mary’s (29th) was the first record on Scilly for fifteen years. The islands’ third Caspian Gull was at Porth Loo (30th). A Glaucous Gull commuted between St Mary’s, Samson and St Agnes (31st). At the latter site it was joined by an Iceland Gull.