Sunday 25 September 2011

Scilly 20th-21st September


With such a stellar cast on St Marys, myself and Ewan 'two eyes' Urquhart left Kingham at 4a.m heading due west...Does one have a limited number of early starts in ones birding life...?
Whatever the answer a chance of seeing a Badger bird this side of the Atlantic or for that matter
anywhere is worth cashing in a credit, especially if you add a Waterthrush in to the mix.
A40...M5... and a hither to unknown time portal near Taunton Deane (I know! who'd of thought that the county famous for the Wurzels and cider is also at the cutting edge of Quantum physics! who knew?) saw us arrive in Penzance three and a half hours later. The crossing on the Scillonian III was fairly un-birdy and sllllooooowwww...... Upon arrival we dumped our stuff at the hastily booked B+B and yomped through the rain to Lower Moors (well I say yomped... but I suspect when the paras yomp they ain't wearing wellies?) After a few anxious hours stood in the quagmire and rain, the Warbler duly arrived and wowed the dedicated soggy few, it didn't disappoint, well- how could it? A well timed phone call from Richard Thewlis later in the day got us a second mega
in the form of a supercillium on legs, Northern Waterthrush, another fantastic species.
The evening... well it involved several pints of Rattler... there may have been some singing...? Hell there may have even been some cartwheels in Hugh town that night...? can't remember...so not accountable.
Wednesday, with the pressure off, saw us adding Baltimore Oriole, a Bee-eater, 1 Solitary and 4 Buff-breasted Sands and, well,we had to go back for a second helping of the little stripey fella.
Scillonian III.... (2 Grey Phal, a Sooty Shear and two Black Terns) M5...A40... Kingham, then back to the set in Abingdon.
Two days and some awesome birding.

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