Scilly – day 17

Having now seen all the good birds, today was supposed to be a proper holiday. Sarah bought a bucket and spade, I bought a Super-Pro Stunt Kite. Excellent! Walking to the beach I bumped into a few birders who were excited by the prospect of westerlies bringing in something good from wherever it is that birds come from in westerly winds – Ghana or somewhere like that. Secretly we’re all hoping that there are no more decent birds, because we’re all completely wrecked. Since arriving on Scilly I’ve sprinted three times (for the Waterthrush), jogged seven times (also for the Waterthrush) and on eleven separate occasions I’ve walked for nearly a whole English mile without once stopping for a nice bit-sit on a bench or a low wall covered in comfortable ivy. None of that nonsense today!

As ever, weather thwarted our plans of playing volleyball on the beach, so instead we headed into Carreg Dhu gardens where you can pretend that you’re trying to get Yellow-browed Warbler and Firecrest, whereas in reality you’re just having a lovely sit down on a bench chucking bits of sandwiches to the tame Song Thrushes. The plan was to have a gentle stroll up to the Bavarian Kaffeehaus Saibel for coffee and apfel strudel, when suddenly some inconsiderate bastards decided to find two Olive-backed Pipits at Watermill. Jesus H. Christ! Now we had to JOG for nearly half a mile to Watermill and then STAND and watch the Olive-backed Pipits in the RAIN. And this is a holiday? Seriously, these rarity finders need to learn some manners – between 11:30-14:30 no good birds should be found as this is cafe and early afternoon snoozey time. And if they do find any good birds then they SHOULD NOT BE REPORTED until we have paid our bill and allowed our lunch to go down.

Right, the Olive-backed Pipits were done, and now, at long last, it was time apfel strudel for Kaffeehaus Saibel. And what happened next? We bumped into a group of birders looking through telescopes and binoculars – and all that stuff – who said that the Upland Sandpiper was showing well. OH GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK! Well obviously we had to look at it. Finally we made it to Kaffeehaus Saibel where I decided to make a last minute change and skipped strudel for a sausage roll, something I may long regret. Thankfully we beat the post-pipit crowd who soon arrived en masse also gagging for strudel and coffee. Whilst we were sat there, one of these rarity finders decided to ruin everything again by relocating a Red-throated Pipit at Longstones. Well this had just gone beyond a joke. Finally we managed to get away from the birds and enjoy a lovely walk around the coast over Peninnis Head, but even there these twatting birds ruined the atmosphere as I almost stood on a Jack Snipe. Honestly, I nearly had a coronary. What will tomorrow bring? Well apparently Kaffeehaus Saibel does a superb Bavarian meat board, so unless some arse finds a really good bird, we’ll be up there again.

So two brilliant Olive-backed Pipits were new in today and most of the goodies are still lingering: Northern Waterthrush, Upland Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe, Radde’s Warbler, Red-throated Pipit & Bluethroat. Tomorrow we’re all hoping for Red-flanked Bluetail, Pallas’s Warbler and Eskimo Curlew.

When it’s good, my God this place is good!

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