A mere 25 miles to the west of Land’s End, the Isles of Scilly are a truly unique part of England. The scenery is breathtaking with the whole archipelago classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, however, it is the location of the islands being the first and last land between the UK and America that makes this such a special place to go birdwatching. As a result of their position, the islands are a vital landfall for lost migrants from both east and west, and the archipelago is Britain’s premier site for rarities, even surpassing the legendary Fair Isle!
Over the years, 458 species have been recorded across the archipelago, including numerous firsts for Britain and the middle of October is generally consider the best time to look for rarities and lost migrants. With so much dependent on the weather, you never know what might turn up next but this adds to the excitement of birding here.
Annual rarities include species such as Wryneck, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Rosy Starling, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting, however, our previous trips have produced top quality birds from Europe, Asia and North America including Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters, Spotted Crake, Dotterel, American Golden Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, Pectoral and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Buff-bellied Pipit, Red-backed Shrike, Bluethroat, Grey-cheeked Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Siberian Chiffchaff, Western Subalpine, Arctic, Dusky and Western Bonelli’s Warblers plus Lapland and Snow Buntings!
Our holiday is, however, not just about rarities and for most of the week we will enjoy leisurely walks around the islands taking in the fantastic scenery and sea views and enjoying what we find. On St Mary’s, for example, we are likely to wander to some great birding sites with fantastic names such as Lower Moors, Porth Hellick, Portloo, Holy Vale and Carreg Dhu. The first of these locations has two hides which overlook reed beds and a nice wetland where there is a great chance of watching Jack Snipe which behave like clockwork toys with their bizarre and constant bobbing motion; indeed, there is probably nowhere better in the UK to see this species.
As we slowly wander along the trails both at Lower Moors and Port Hellick, we will also want to listen out for the distinctive call of Yellow-browed Warbler. Although only a fraction larger than a Goldcrest, weighing about 5 grammes and with the closest breeding population being almost 2,500 miles to the east, this species now shows up regularly each autumn in the UK with the Isles of Scilly often a particularly good place to see it and we can only marvel at the incredible distances these tiny birds have travelled.
Carreg Dhu is a community garden in the middle of St Mary’s and we are free to wander around and look for birds. On a fine day, its multiple benches make it a great place for a picnic lunch, although the extraordinarily tame Song Thrushes are likely to want to share whatever we have !! The Sycamores in the gardens are a great place to look for Firecrest and from time to time, rarer species turn up with New Horizons guide Chris Collins once finding a Red-eyed Vireo, a vagrant from North America, here.
During our stay, we are also likely to make a visit to the second largest island in the archipelago, Tresco, which has a surface area of c.300 hectares and is just over 2 miles long. World famous for the Abbey Gardens which were established around the remains of a Benedictine monastery in the 19th century, Tresco also has plenty of great places to go birding including the appropriately named Great Pool, the largest area of open water on the islands. Here, we can make use of a couple of hides and can expect to find a variety of waterfowl out on the lake, whilst looking for Water Rail and a selection of waders which may be seen prowling around the muddy and reedy edges. On occasions, the Grey Herons are joined by Little or Great Egrets whilst the scrubby bushes around the pool have been where a number of exciting American passerines have been found over the years including both Black-and-White and Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers, although we would count ourselves exceedingly fortunate to see either of these, even if Scilly has had more records of both these species than anywhere else in the UK.
On another day, we may well head for the southwestern most island in the archipelago, St Agnes. Like on St Mary’s, much of the farming is cultivating daffodils and this means many of the fields are small and surrounded by hedges which makes it a great place to look for birds. One of the possibilities here is Red-breasted Flycatcher, another uncommon vagrant from the East, and whilst these will not be in their summer finery, nevertheless, it is still great to watch as they hunt for insects, sometimes alongside either Pied or Spotted Flycatchers, two species which have declined markedly in the UK in recent decades.
Whilst on St Agnes, we are likely to wander out onto Wingletang, a large area of almost moorland-like habitat that dominates the southern part of the island. Occasionally, Dotterel stop here on their way south and if one is present we are sure to want to go for a look as they are invariably exceptionally tame, thus providing a fantastic opportunity for great views and nice photos.
Looking out to the west from St Agnes, we will see the Bishop Rock lighthouse which in 2023 was the residence of a Red-footed Booby which spent much of the summer and autumn roosting on the netting around the top of the lighthouse. Whilst sadly this bird did not return in 2024, we will be able to see the lighthouse which is the last land between the UK and North America.
New Horizons guide Christopher Hall has led eight previous holidays to the Isles of Scilly so consider joining him for a fantastic week of autumn birding whilst enjoying great scenery and staying in a very comfortable hotel where we can expect great food.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Travel to the Isles of Scilly, Begin exploring
Our holiday officially starts at the St Mary’s Hall Hotel in Hugh Town at 12:30. New Horizons leader Christopher Hall will, however, be travelling to the islands on the ferry a voyage that takes approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes and clients are welcome to meet up with Christopher prior to departure so he can point out the seabirds and any cetaceans we may see.
The crossing can be very good for seabirds and in recent years, there have been good numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters that have lingered in these waters into October so there will hopefully be chances to see this species which is otherwise very tricky to see in UK seas.
We may also find Manx, Balearic and Great Shearwaters, the latter being another species which until recently had generally departed UK waters by early September. There should also be decent numbers of Northern Gannets and we may also spot a European Storm Petrel once we reach the deep waters between Land’s End and the islands.
On most crossings in October, it is often possible to spot some Common Dolphins and very occasionally other species of cetaceans are also seen.
Once we arrive at St Mary’s wharf, we will collect our luggage and it is then a c.800m walk to our comfortable hotel where we should arrive at approximately 12:30. If our rooms are not available, we will have some lunch and then begin our week of exploring the Isles of Scilly. Night St Mary’s Hall Hotel, Hugh Town, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly
Days 2-7
Explore the Isles of Scilly
We have six full days to explore the Isles of Scilly and plan to visit several of the inhabited islands (St Agnes, Bryher, Tresco and St Martin’s) during our stay. Six further nights St Mary’s Hall Hotel, Hugh Town, St Mary’s
Day 8
Final morning of birding. Depart Isles of Scilly
There should be time for some more exploring on St Mary’s before our tour officially ends late morning. Our leader will be departing on the ferry which generally departs in the early-mid afternoon.
Cost: £1995 | Single Supplement: £495 | Deposit: £500
What’s Included?
- New Horizons Tour Leader
- Seven nights’ accommodation in a twin/double room at the highly rated St Mary’s Hall Hotel
- All breakfasts and dinners from dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on Day 8
- All excursions including up to four boat trips to the other islands
- New Horizons checklist of birds and mammals
Cost Excludes
Transport to and from the Isles of Scilly (please see ‘What to expect’ section), any pre- or post-holiday accommodation (eg in Penzance), all lunches, insurance, drinks and other items of a personal nature.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A seven-night small group holiday to the Isles of Scilly where we will start our days with a hearty breakfast at our hotel. Over the course of the week, we plan to explore St Mary’s and visit the majority (or potentially all) of the other inhabited islands in the archipelago. To reach these we will need to make use of the inter-island ferry service. Depending on the island, the journey typically takes between 20-40 minutes each way.
Irrespective of whether we are on St Mary’s or one of the other islands, our time will be spent exploring on foot so it is important to appreciate that on most days, we may walk several miles, however, this will always be at a gentle pace. Fortunately, there are plenty of well-positioned benches and conveniently located rocks to use. There are also bird hides on both St Mary’s and Tresco and we are likely to visit these during our stay.
Most of the islands are moderately flat with gentle inclines and the limited number of places where it is steeper will always be taken at a comfortable pace.
All walks are, however, entirely optional and clients will be free to do their ‘own thing’ if they wish (eg return to the hotel in advance of the main group) and can also, at their own expense, use a taxi on St Mary’s to get to or from some of the locations we are likely to visit, however, most places are relatively close and we will look for birds as we travel from place to place.
Our visit is timed to coincide with when there are usually at least a couple of hundred birdwatchers on the islands with most of them also staying on St Mary’s. Indeed, it is having these ‘extra eyes’ out looking for birds that results in the islands having such an incredible bird list and if something very rare is found, we may well be (albeit briefly) in a crowd with others. For most of our time, however, we are more likely to see others looking for birds but are unlikely to be overly bothered by their presence as the vast majority of people are extremely friendly and sociable.
ACCOMMODATION
Our single-centre holiday is based at one of the best hotels on St Mary’s, the St Mary’s Hall Hotel. All rooms have recently been refurbished, have twin/double beds (can be adjusted as required) and private facilities with a bath and a power shower over. There is a bar where we are likely to meet every evening for the daily wildlife log.
Subject to availability, the hotel does have some suites and larger rooms which may be available for a supplement. Please contact us if you are interested in upgrading.
For more information about the hotel, please visit www.stmaryshallhotel.co.uk
MEALS
All breakfasts and dinners are included in the tour price commencing with dinner on Day 1 and concluding with breakfast on Day 8. Food is excellent at our hotel with choices for your evening meal.
Given the size and quality of the meals at our hotel, lunches are not included in the tour price and clients will be free to either enjoy a lunchtime snack at one of the various cafes which are scattered across the islands or buy something in one of the local shops near our hotel.
Please note: unlike some other UK bird-based tour companies that offer trips to the Isles of Scilly, we will be having all our dinners at the hotel where we are staying rather than staying at a Guesthouse which only offers bed and breakfast. This means we do not have to go out to a restaurant each night which if it is raining and a 500+ metre walk is not very pleasant. The restaurant at St Mary’s Hall is also highly rated unlike some of the other eateries on the island.
WALKING
The walking is mostly easy and largely on the flat although there are a handful of steeper paths that we may take during the holiday.
Some of the footpaths can be muddy, so walking boots are generally recommended unless the weather has been very dry.
WEATHER
The Isles of Scilly typically have a more benign climate that much of the UK and it is not unknown even in October to be able to wear summer type clothing, however, wet weather is also possible so it is recommended that clients bring waterproofs as these are also often useful for the inter-island boat trips which can be splashy if there is swell or wind.
TRAVELLING TO THE ISLES OF SCILLY
As there are multiple options for travelling to the Isles of Scilly (ferry, plane and helicopter) with flights departing from various airports in southern England, our holiday does not include your travel to and from the islands and the tour officially starts and ends at the hotel on St Mary’s. Booking any of the forms of transport is, however, very easy and can be done online as follows:
Light plane and ferry: www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk tel: 01736 334220
Helicopter: www.penzancehelicopters.co.uk tel: 01736 780828
At the time of writing (Nov 2024) the cost of a return journey in October 2025 of these options is approximately:
Ferry (from Penzance): £185
Light plane (from Land’s End): £295
Light plane (from Exeter): £570
Helicopter (from Penzance): £327
New Horizons’ guide, Christoper Hall, will be travelling to and from the islands on the ferry, Scillonian III, which generally departs the wharf at Penzance at 09:15am, arriving approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes later. It is then an easy 800m walk (on the flat) to our hotel with the rooms available from 15:00.
For a small additional fee (not included) you can arrange for your bags to be delivered to the hotel from the wharf and then collected at the end of your holiday.
Any clients who decide to travel on the ferry are welcome to meet up with Christopher at the wharf in Penzance and he will be happy to point out the seabirds on the crossing, with the same applying on the return journey. The crossing can be excellent for seabirds and in recent years, Cory’s Shearwaters have been regular into October with other possibilities including Manx, Great, Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters, European Storm Petrel and Gannet.