Yellow-browed Warbler on Tresco

 Yellow-browed Warbler at the Heliport

  A spring like day with bright sunshine and Smoothy and I, with 30 other people, went to Tresco. It started off slow with a male Shoveler and the male Scaup on the Abbey Pool. Reaching Rosefields Crossroads, we could hear a Firecrest nearby and after pishing, it gave itself up and showed well. No sign of the Bullfinches or the Dusky warbler along Pool Road from last week, but on the Great Pool were a pair of Tufted Duck and Pochard, 17 Redshank, 4 Greenshank and only 2 male Pintail. The Buzzard was also out in the sun.

Male Shoveler with Gadwall on the Abbey Pool

  We decided to split up. Smoothy heading off in the direction of Bourough Farm and I returned to the Abbey Pool. Here I located a Yellow-browed Warbler with a single Blackcap and 2 Chiffchaff feeding together in the sun. I've never seen a YB Warbler in February and like last weeks Dusky Warbler, it could of quite easily be one of the birds from Lower Moors, St Mary's, that were still present at the beginning of January and hoped across to Tresco. Who knows? Trying to get closer to the warbler, I ventured into the marshy bit and flushed a Jack Snipe.

This was the first Yellow-browed Warbler I've seen in February

  I followed the coastal path towards the the Block House and came across the 2 1st winter male Eider off South Beach, we had already seen the other 1st winter male in St Mary's Harbour earlier on, and the pair of Long-tailed Duck off Pentle Bay. All birds were quite distant, but the Scaup that was first on the Abbey Pool, I disturbed as it fed close in shore. Off the Block House itself roosting on the rocks in the channel were 15 Grey Plover, 17 Bar-tailed Godwit, 40+Curlew, 7 Little Egret and with a small flock of Turnstone, a single Purple Sandpiper. I didn't see one last year.

Male Scaup off South Beach with Hugh Town in the back ground on St Mary's

The pair of Long-tailed Duck were a long way off

Up to 40+Ringed Plover and 30+Sanderling were feeding just below the Block House

  Back on St mary's we looked off Bar Point just before dark and found the 7 dark-bellied Brent Geese that have been around in this area for over a week now and in the Roads there were 7 Great Northern Diver.

Late yesterday evening I came across this 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull at Portrhloo. It was only present on the deck for a minute, before making a circult above my head and flying in the direction towards Tresco. That night I sent the images to Graham on St Agnes, telling him to look out for it while seaching through the gulls. A few days later he found a different 1st winter on Periglis!