Will Wagstaff

IWT is Island Wildlife Tours - my wildlife walks around the Isles of Scilly. Birds, flowers, Butterflies, Dragonflies and lots more.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

A nice wander around Peninnis & Lower Moors yesterday morning. Nothing new about, but nice to see a Siskin staying to have its photo taken & a Snipe more concerned about Sparrowhawk than me. Yellow-broweds still calling plus G N Diver over Peninnis and Reed Bunting in Lower Moors

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

A cracking day out with 63 species seen including Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Brambling in the garden, 3 Cory's Shearwaters, a Ring Ousel, Great White Egret, Little Bunting, Whimbrel, three Yellow-brows and an eastern type Lesser Whitethroat etc.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

This Radde's Warbler found today by @Scillypelagics & @sqiudeater at Mount Todden, St Mary's showed every now and then but was otherwise typically elusive. First one I have seen for many years , so was very welcome.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

I don't think I have ever seen two Hoopoe in October on Scilly. With one on Tresco last week (still there today) and now one at Porth Hellick this afternoon I have done so this year. What with Great White Egret, Cetti's Warbler and Hoopoe it felt very southern.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Snow Buntings are always worth looking for. Even though this one at Bar Point, St Mary's took me two attempts, but worth it.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

It's not every day that a Lesser Yellowlegs appears in front of me , but today was the day on the Great Pool, Tresco. It was always distant but good all the same. We also saw Hoopoe, 8 Whooper Swans, flocks of Cory's, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers and Firecrest. A very good day indeed

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Another three egret day on Scilly with this Cattle Egret above New Grimsby this afternoon plus Great White and Little Egrets on the pools this morning. I also saw the five Whooper Swans around the pools earlier and the Spoonbill was near Samson- a good day for white birds.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Playing around with new camera this afternoon in the sunshine. Although distant I was pleased to get shots of Red-backed Shrike and Tawny Pipit.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Whooper Swans are not common on Scilly, this was on, Bryher today having first seen it on Tresco on Monday. It was also the 1st time I have seen 3 species of egret in a day on Scilly when a Cattle joined the usual Little and the Great Whites that have been around for a few days.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

@iPterodroma @stmarys_patch Sorry, don’t know who else might be open that time of day by that time of the season.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

A quick wander around Tresco yesterday afternoon where I bumped into this Short-eared Owl. I also saw the three Dotterel but the rarest bird was the Cetti's I heard singing on the Great Pool, my 1st for the island even tho they breed on St Mary's.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

@AlanDaviesbirds Yes, Gadwall. Plenty around but I never seem to see them. It doesn’t help that I am out working much of the time.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Having just missed adding Great White Egret to my house list last year, I was v pleased to see these two on the edge of the Pilchard Pool in Porth Cressa just now. One more to go for 200 😁

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

A cracking morning at sea on Sapphire out beyond the Bishop Rock to the Pol Bank. It gave me a chance to try out my new camera on the mixed flocks of Cory's and Great Shearwater plus I saw my first Balearic Shearwater of the year. I was v pleased with this Great Shearwater.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

@StuartARothery There has been a lot of discussion about the bill length and shape. Apparently there is more variation in both than I was aware of. Various subspecies have been mentioned, but how to ID them is unclear to me.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

This Gull-billed Tern, found yesterday, very kindly hung around for me to see when I got back to Scilly this afternoon. I knew I had seen one before on the islands but was surprised to see that it was thirty years ago! Time flies.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Red Bird of Paradise on Gam Island, Indonesia this afternoon. What a bird, and showing well after a tense wait .

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

Ashmore Reef is an amazing site for seabirds. Birds were coming and going all the time. It was difficult to know where to look next. Lots of photos taken but I like these two. A Sooty Tern head on and a Brown Noddy that came for a drink right in front of my zodiac.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

My office view this morning. Ashmore Reef, full of seabirds. Sooty and Bridled Terns everywhere plus loads of Noddies, Frigatebirds, Brown and Red-footed Booby. An amazing place.

[Will Wagstaff @IWTScilly]

I had very good views of Saltwater Crocodiles today on the Hunter River, Kimberley, Australia. We saw several small ones & two rather large ones. I also had a good mix of birdlife from Mangrove Robin, to Azure Kingfisher, White-bellied Sea-eagle and several Common Sandpipers!