NT
On the 12th October:
1974
At Sand Point on an early morning migration watch, where the highlights were 104 Redwings, 23 Bullfinches, 15 Fieldfares, 9 House Martins, 2 Yellowhammers, 3 Bramblings, 4 Tree Sparrows, 5 Redpolls, 2 possible Snow Buntings and a Hobby.
1978
A drive to Cornwall, then the helicopter to St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, for a 10 day stay. After landing we went to Trenoweth where we saw a Hawfinch and 2 Pied Flycatchers, then to Holy Vale seeing a Firecrest.
1979
All day on St. Agnes where, of note, was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, a Red-breasted Flycatcher, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Whinchats, 2 Wheatears, 4 Turtle Doves, a Pied Flycatcher and the American Golden Plover.
1980
On St. Mary's where it was a much better day, sunny and warm, we saw a Turtle Dove, the Lesser Yellowlegs again but only in flight and a Firecrest. Then we made our way to Lower Moors where we eventually saw a Red-eyed Vireo, a new bird for us. An incredibly hard bird to see with only brief views during the hours of waiting, we saw it well, but only for a total of around 3 minutes.
Also seen on the island was a Redstart, 80+ Redwing, an immature Rose-coloured Starling, a Siskin, a Wood Sandpiper and a Peregrine. Later, we returned to St. Agnes.
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Drawings of Red-eyed Vireo and
Rose-coloured Starling by Laurel Tucker.
1982
An evening trip to Chew Valley Lake where we saw 30+ Snipe, 27 Dunlin, 30+ Wigeon, 2 Kingfishers, a Little Gull and an Arctic Tern.
1983
On St. Agnes where the best we could find this morning were 7 Sanderling and a Wheatear. On Gugh there were 9 Sanderling, another Wheatear and a Firecrest.
We took the boat to Tresco where again it was quiet, but we did see a Solitary Sandpiper at the Great Pool.
2003
A visit to Portbury Wharf where the best were 30+ Redwings, a Little Egret, a Little Owl and a Barn Owl.
2006
A drive south to the Huntspill River near Highbridge, where there were c1000 Shelduck, c30 Dunlin, at least 3 Grey Plovers, 5 Little Egrets and a Spoonbill.
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