Hermit Thrush –Tresco, Scillies, Cornwall, 15th October 1993
An attempt to capture the Hermit Thrush skulking away in an unobtrusive manner on the edge of a sunlight glade amongst the rhododendron cover; almost hermit-like, strangely...... .
After a reasonably quiet St. Mary’s Friday the 15th October, with few birds and only the Black-throated Thrush flurry to celebrate / excite, the pager alerted me to the re-discovered Hermit Thrush, last seen on the 11th and as such presumed ‘missing’ in action...... another very typical scenario in the Scillies.
I quickly walked back down to Hugh Town, and bumped into the recently arrived Mike Thompson, who was more interested in the Eye-browed version.
I hurried on, and having arrived on the quay, I made it onto the third boat. Soon I was on my way across to Tresco, and in doing so, almost as soon as we’d got beyond The Roads, I saw the already assembled gallery near the Smith Monument on Abbey Hill. This looked horrendous. To compound the problem, the boat I was on carried on to New Grimsby, past the earlier ones, which had conveniently (for those on them) just beached near the scene. Less conveniently, I had to walk there from New Grimsby, by which time the gallery was truly huge.
It would later emerge that the Hermit Thrush had briefly been seen in or near the mature pines beyond one of the many wide paths / rides through the bracken and rhododendron scrub up towards the monument. Now, if it re-appeared and you happened to be in the ride in a position within 50 m or so of a point perpendicular to the area within which the bird was, you might just have a chance of seeing the bird, eventually.
However, the gallery had sprawled, not only all the way along what was a very long path / ride, but also beyond along adjacent paths / rides, including the one alongside the bay. Basically, a very small proportion of the birders there might just get lucky as they had managed to be in something like the area where the bird had last been seen, whereas the vast majority of them had no chance, and as such they were wasting their own time.
Once I got to the sprawling galleries, I climbed onto a wall but this was no better. It did though, confirm that there was a need for decisive and incisive action if I was going to have any chance of seeing it. I speculated about perhaps getting to the other end of the very long path / ride by walking all the way around and approaching it via other paths / rides.
So I went for it. I walked all the way south along the path / ride alongside the bay, and once well beyond any birders I selected a ride or rides which radiated from the monument to the path / ride alongside the coastline.
I slowly walked up the narrow ride, enclosed by tall rhododendron. Towards the top, the ride broadened out, or diverged. No matter, the effect was to create a sunlight glade, contrasting with the enclosed, shaded tunnel I was emerging from. I knew that this would be more likely to have bird activity in it for this reason. Indeed, there was a ticking Robin............ which chased around the rhododendron undergrowth on the far side of the clearing. Almost instantly as I mused that a Robin wouldn’t be too keen on a Hermit Thrush, sure enough, as I cautiously moved closer something flitted up to perch in the open...... .
The scene of the 'crime'; the rides radiating from the monument can be seen. The long diagonal ride alongside the pines in the north was were the bird was initially seen, I walked up a ride way to the south.
The Hermit Thrush!!!! Un-fucking believable!!!!!! Now, you make your own luck and all that, but come on! I was elated at my ‘twitch scene management’ and field skill intuition.
I had a stunning rarity (just the fourth ever, at the time) right there in front of me, all to myself!!!! Wow, wow, wow!!!!!
It was a gem of a bird – basically an advanced juvenile Robin / Nightingale type with some steroids involved. It was a magical moment – I enjoyed really close views all to myself. As it finally disappeared into the undergrowth other birders appeared. At least some of them had had the same idea as me, and indeed it was seen in the same general area by some of the others in the same way.
The next day I returned with Paul Pugh and Neil Tasker and I was rewarded with further excellent views near the original location.
However, the gallery had sprawled, not only all the way along what was a very long path / ride, but also beyond along adjacent paths / rides, including the one alongside the bay. Basically, a very small proportion of the birders there might just get lucky as they had managed to be in something like the area where the bird had last been seen, whereas the vast majority of them had no chance, and as such they were wasting their own time.
Once I got to the sprawling galleries, I climbed onto a wall but this was no better. It did though, confirm that there was a need for decisive and incisive action if I was going to have any chance of seeing it. I speculated about perhaps getting to the other end of the very long path / ride by walking all the way around and approaching it via other paths / rides.
So I went for it. I walked all the way south along the path / ride alongside the bay, and once well beyond any birders I selected a ride or rides which radiated from the monument to the path / ride alongside the coastline.
I slowly walked up the narrow ride, enclosed by tall rhododendron. Towards the top, the ride broadened out, or diverged. No matter, the effect was to create a sunlight glade, contrasting with the enclosed, shaded tunnel I was emerging from. I knew that this would be more likely to have bird activity in it for this reason. Indeed, there was a ticking Robin............ which chased around the rhododendron undergrowth on the far side of the clearing. Almost instantly as I mused that a Robin wouldn’t be too keen on a Hermit Thrush, sure enough, as I cautiously moved closer something flitted up to perch in the open...... .
The Hermit Thrush!!!! Un-fucking believable!!!!!! Now, you make your own luck and all that, but come on! I was elated at my ‘twitch scene management’ and field skill intuition.
I had a stunning rarity (just the fourth ever, at the time) right there in front of me, all to myself!!!! Wow, wow, wow!!!!!
It was a gem of a bird – basically an advanced juvenile Robin / Nightingale type with some steroids involved. It was a magical moment – I enjoyed really close views all to myself. As it finally disappeared into the undergrowth other birders appeared. At least some of them had had the same idea as me, and indeed it was seen in the same general area by some of the others in the same way.
The next day I returned with Paul Pugh and Neil Tasker and I was rewarded with further excellent views near the original location.
Not sure this will work, but here’s some video of the bird filmed
by the inimitable Alan Shaw:
Hermit
Thrush 1993 (youtube.com) .
Hermit Thrush, Tresco, Scillies, October 1993 (photographs attributed to Steve Young).
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