Scilly October 2025

I have recently started a full time teaching job in London, which alongside its many pleasures includes the fact that there is a 2 week October half-term which nicely coincides with a great time to visit Scilly for birding.
 
The trip started on a slightly disappointing note when the Scillonian’s crossing was cancelled due to rough sea conditions. However, I was very lucky to be down in Cornwall anyway with my parents so managed a day of birding on the mainland. I had an unsuccessful twitch of the Steppe Grey Shrike (seen by one observer the day before) near Mullion, but did add 3 species to my Cornish list: a Reed bunting at Gunwalloe, a few Great Crested Grebe on The Loe, and a Tawny Owl at Mawgan Creek. These all showcase my bias towards visiting Scilly, given that they are all fairly common birds on the mainland but reasonably rare on the islands. Additionally, it was my second time staying at The Boathouse in Mawgan, a beautiful spot nestled in woodland but also on an extreme tidal area of the Helford. Despite only spending 6 nights there total, my life list for The Boathouse is only ten below the home I grew up in in Buckinghamshire and have lived in for years (56 vs 66)!

​When it came to the delayed Scillonian sailing on Tuesday 21st October, the crossing was fairly quiet on the Scilly-side of Wolf Rock, save for one Arctic Skua (a Scilly tick for me) and good numbers of approximately 70 Guillemot. Upon arriving on St Marys, I caught up with the many Black Redstart that are on the islands this time of year, with eight on Porth Mellon (on one of the days, it seemed likely that there were 25+ across St Marys alone). On a walk around the island, news broke that there was a Red-backed Shrike on Porthloo Lane, which I twitched with a number of other birders. Amazingly, it has just hunted a Scilly shrew which was skewered next to it. Following this, I walked to Telegraph where there was one Yellow-browed warbler calling as well as a Little Bunting in one of the nearby clover fields. Although it was actually seen best when flushed to the tracks leading to the cottages.

​On Wednesday 22nd October, I got up just before sunrise in hope to see the MEGA Eyebrowed Thrush that was seen when I was sailing the previous day (but not since I arrived on the islands). In low light, I arrived in the Porthloo Duck Pond area and began scanning the various areas of leaf litter. Andrew Allen, one other birder on the islands, was also on the lookout, when he spotted it feeding at the base of some trees. Together, we had 5–10 minutes of watching it before we lost sight. I bird flew from the trees above and headed NE calling like a redwing, so I assumed this was the EB thrush. Although the viewing time was limited (and I didn’t get any photos), it was still a thrill to see it! After breakfast, I headed to the harbour to catch a boat to Tresco for the day, before which I found a Common Scoter in the bay from Tregarthens. Upon arriving at Carn Near, Tresco, the area south of the heliport was rife with Stonechat, and I had my first Scilly Fieldfare (although there were many more to come across the trip!). I walked to the south beaches of Tresco, one of my favourite spots on all the islands that always has good numbers of shorebirds. Sanderling numbers were fairly low, with just 13, along with 30 Turnstone, 30 Oystercatcher, 18 Common Ringed Plover, 4 Whimbrel and 2 Bar-tailed godwit. It was striking just how few Wheatear there were on the trip as a whole – the 3 I had along this walk were among only 4 in total.

​I then had a good tramp around the Abbey and Great Pools, adding Redpoll to my Scilly list as 3 flew over (along with 16 Siskin). Duck numbers were good on Great Pool, with 2 Shoveler, 68 Gadwall (my highest count on Scilly), 5 Wigeon, 28 Mallard, 14 Teal and 1 Pochard. After lunch, I walked along Back Lane where I had my first Golden Plover of the trip.

​Thursday 23rd October was challenging conditions for birding, with high winds and many showers. I decided to stick on St Marys, which turned out to be a good decision as I added 3 species to my Scilly list. In the morning, a Jack Snipe was flushed along the path through Lower Moors, as well as seeing one Lesser Whitethroat. I decided to walk around Peninnis via the farm trail and Old Town Bay (where the Great White Egret that had been making its way around the islands was fishing). I bumped into Will Wagstaff, who had just found a Water Pipit near Peninnis, which I twitched briefly as it foraged in a mixed pipit and finch flock. On Peninnis itself, I came across an unusual snipe. It was roosting relatively openly and in drier patches and didn’t flush as easily as other Common Snipe. Additionally, it had a less zigzagging flight pattern, and didn’t call when flushed. However, no diagnostic features for any vagrant species were ascertained.

​News of an Ortolan Bunting on Porth Hellick meant I crossed the island (via Higher Moors where the Great White Egret had now relocated). I spent roughly half an hour scanning the mixed finch flock on the beach with no avail, though I did get nice views of two Brambling. As the light began to fade, I walked back to my BnB via Holy Vale, where a Woodcock was roosting.

My day on Bryher on the 24th October was reasonably quiet. There were good numbers of Chiffchaff on the Eastern side, presumably blown through the island via the strong westerlies, but no hoped for American vagrants. Also, one Ring Ouzel on Stinking Porth, but the highlight of the day was ironically on the boat trip back to St Marys, when a Peregrine showed very well flying over Tresco Channel.
 
The story was similar again on St Martins on 25th October, with good numbers of Chiffchaff, but nothing else too exciting. Chapel Down did bring me my first Raven of the trip, as well as 7 Skylark.

​On Sunday 26th, my final full day, the clocks changed allowing for an earlier start. I walked a decent distance around St Marys in the morning, briefly seeing (but clearly hearing) the Lapland Bunting which was in the Porth Hellick area. After my morning tramp, I decided to catch a boat to St Agnes, but not before trying to see the 2 Spoonbill that have taken up residency off Samson. These two individuals were here last year as well, but I have consistently failed to add them to my Scilly list due to bad weather conditions and never getting a boat close enough to the islands. However, the light was good and visibility clear on Sunday morning, so I got out my scope at The Garrison and managed to view one individual distantly. It’s lucky that they are such a distinctive species!
 
I had a great day on St Agnes, twitching the American Buff-bellied Pipit with a number of other birders, as well as being extremely lucky with a flyover of 2 White-fronted Geese (a very difficult bird to catch up with on Scilly). There were very good numbers of Common Ringed Plover on Periglis, with 19 in total along with 2 Curlew and various other shorebirds.

​Despite the earlier sunset, I quickly made my way to Porth Hellick when landing back at St Marys to twitch the Bluethroat, which I just about got some good views of before the light completely went (another Scilly tick!).

Bluethroat

On my final morning, I spent a decent amount of time trying to pin down the Hoopoe that had been spotted in various sites around the Garrison. Eventually, I viewed it well feeding at the campsite – I was glad to catch up with it before boarding the Scillonian. The sailing back to Penzance was much more productive than the outward journey, with 1 Great Skua, 3 Puffin, 18 Guillemot, 180 Kittiwake, 1 Fulmar, 11 Great Shearwater, 2 Sooty Shearwater and 7 Manx Shearwater (all west of Wolf Rock). There was also a great moment where a Merlin bombed towards the ship, briefly landing on one of the masts before continuing onwards towards Scilly!

The trip was very much a success. I had 6 lifers, added 8 species to my British list, 16 species to my Scilly list, and 17 to my 2025 World list. Full eBird trip report (for Scilly specifically) can be found here.