Swainson’s Thrush

Small passerine waifs from North America and Canada can make their way over to the UK in very small numbers each Autumn. Weather patterns play an important role in bringing them over to Europe. This year has been good for American vagrants on this side of the Atlantic.

Swainsons’s Thrushes are Nearctic birds that breed in the Northern States of the USA and Canada and winter in the foothills of the Andes in South America.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Swainson’s Thrush so well as the one I saw this week on the Island of Tresco in the Scillies.

Irma

In the aftermath of Irma there maybe a few wind blown waifs moving continents. Some North American birds will maybe end up here. Birds can succumb to strong winds. Regular vagrants to the sea off our shores are Wilson’s Petrels. Maybe there will be a few around on the Isles of Scilly when we do the tour there next month. Maybe there will be an American Redstart, after all there’s one in the Western Isles off Scotland as I write this. There’s no reason why there wouldn’t be another when we are on the Scillies. There will be some vagrant birds that’s for sure. There will always be something to see. There are always a few inter-continental visitors.

This Wilson’s Petrel was taken off Chile this January.

A touch of Red Eye

Walking around the beautiful Island of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly last week we decided to leave early and return to the island of St Mary’s. It turned out to be a good decision as we chanced upon one of those birds that is the epitome of the Scilly Isles in October; the thing that drives every bird watcher that goes there to search every field corner and each sycamore tree. A Nearctic bird … a bird from America. On the 10th October this year that Nearctic visitor manifested itself in the form of a splendid Red-eyed Vireo.

… and another.

Here’s another good bird that the Isles of Scilly might just produce this year. Solitary Sandpiper. Photographed on Grand Manan in Canada last month.

Starling without an abacus

Finally … proof that Rose Coloured Starlings can’t count!

This individual was at Land’s End and was just one of the birds we saw on our tour to Scillies this year. An excellent tour with fantastic scenery, a wonderful hotel, good company and some great birds: 117 species including Garganey, Balearic Shearwaters, Storm Petrel, Red Kite, Osprey, numerous Merlins and Peregrines, Jack Snipe, Grey Phalarope, Mediterranean Gulls, Ring billed Gull, Short eared Owl, Firecrests, Yellow browed Warblers, a rather contentious (what I presume to be an eastern race) Willow Warbler pretending to be an Arctic Warbler, Rose Coloured Starling, Ring Ousel, Black Redstarts, Red flanked Bluetail, Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, Richards Pipit, Blyth’s Pipit, Short toed Lark, Cirl Bunting, Little Buntings and a Common Rosefinch in addition to four species of cetacean– could you ask for more?

Places on next year’s tour are now open for booking. See details here where a full itinerary can be downloaded … but don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions.

Sweet Tuna

It’s amazing what turns up when you’re at sea; even on a short crossing to the Isles of Scilly.

This is one of two Yellow Fin Tuna we saw leaping out of the sea.