Scilly Reset

A fortnight ago today, we arrived home from a short holiday on The Isles of Scilly with a couple of old friends. It was our first visit to the islands for ten years. Now why would any birder in their right mind choose to spend a valuable week of their life on Scilly in late April? I mean, apart from the eye-watering cost, there is absolutely no guarantee of rare birds, right? If you really must go to Scilly rather than Shetland, then October is the month, surely?

Well, if rarities are what you want, fine. But for me and many others, that is not what Scilly is for.

Bumping into a fellow birder on Tresco, we asked how he was getting on. His response was a glum look and slightly exasperated 'I just seem to be chasing birds...'

We thought, but didn't say, 'Mate, you're doing it wrong!'

A late-April holiday on Scilly should be nothing but balm for the soul. How could someone muck it up so badly? Unfortunately I think I know the answer.

Our previous spring holidays on Scilly were in the days before smartphones and WhatsApp groups, and you rarely met another birder. If there was any news at all, it was minimal and wa-a-a-ay after the fact...

'Any good, mate? What you seen?'

'Nice Woodchat on Bryher two days ago, and Night Heron at Porthellick last Thursday week. You?'

Back then, nobody seemed to bother much with rushing about in the spring. That was for autumn, and the young thrusters. Well, now of course the young thrusters of yore are old blokes like me, and a fair few have evidently decided that Scilly in spring is where it's at, and have brought their rushing-about type habits with them. As a result, in late April 2026 Scilly was liberally peppered with elderly birders, slowly creaking their way from dip to dip by means of the Scilly Rare and Scarce Bird News WhatsApp group (849 members and counting) with its instant dissemination of information about birds that were showing well until ten minutes ago.

Paul and I tried very hard not to be sucked into this joyless game. Rather, our doddery progress around the islands would inevitably involve a stop at every gateway, a scan of every hedge. We certainly stumbled across a few nice birds that way, and still managed to get in on some of the headliners.

What follows is a parade of photos depicting many of the week's highlights. A few that avoided the camera were a singing Nightingale, a close but too-quick Wood Warbler, a Purple Heron that only Paul saw, and a male Golden Oriole that we all saw, but all too briefly. I did get a ropey shot of a Night Heron in flight, but it's too ropey even for this blog...

Young White Wagtail on Porthellick

Lapwing, ditto.

American Wigeon, Porthellick again.

Willow Warbler on the Garrison.

There was a mass arrival of Painted Ladies quite early in our stay. They were everywhere.

St. Agnes is my favourite island, so I was chuffed to find this Ring Ouzel there on our first morning, at Browarth, a quiet spot beyond Porth Killier.

Ring Ouzel in classic Scilly scenery. Despite what someone on Bluesky thought, that huge rock in the background is not the iconic lump of granite situated at the north end of Wingletang Down! If you know, you know...

Wheatear, granite, lichen.

Short-toed Lark on the airfield. A rather dark and scruffy-looking individual.

The early-morning arrival of seven Black-winged Stilts on St. Agnes was probably the rarity highlight of the week, especially when they relocated to Porthellick on St. Mary's. In this shot an adult male, plus female in submissive posture.

Bonus Wood Sandpiper on Porthellick

A migrant Diamond-back Moth sneaks into the photo sequence...

Black-winged Stilts are outrageous birds anyway, but in flight, even more so!

All seven...

...and again, beautifully picked out by the evening sun, just prior to departure.

Probably a Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet. Apparently far commoner on Scilly than Red Twin-spot Carpet. A new moth for me...probably.

One of four Red Kites on Tresco. If I kept a Scilly list, probably a tick.

I've seen quite a few spring Woodchats on Scilly. This one was on Tresco.

Turtle Dove on Peninnis, St. Mary's. The first I've seen since 2020.

Great Northern Diver off Peninnis.

Male Whinchat from the coast path below the Golf Course.

Spotted Flycatcher on coastal rocks at Porthloo.

Dunlin, Porthloo.

Common Sandpiper, Old Town.

In its final year of service, the venerable Scillonian III passing Peninnis.

Holly Blue

This thrillingly brown micro is a fine example of Eastern Detritus Moth Opogona omoscopa. It is something of a Scilly speciality. Paul found it on the wall of the Sally Port tunnel beneath the Garrison wall on St. Mary's. It is one of those 'accidental import' type moths. Very unlikely to turn up in my Axminster garden. Which is a bit gutting of course.

Peninnis lighthouse on the right, Porthcressa and the Garrison on the left.

Porthcressa and Peninnis.

View of the harbour from Porthloo beach.

The Longstone Cream Tea experience. No complaints here. Generous portion of cream, massive scone. Expensive? Natch.

I could go on quite a bit about Tresco, my least favourite island. Tresco's beauty is unfortunately sullied by a vast temple to Mammon.

Our last day on the islands coincided with the first day of this. We first encountered the World Pilot Gig Championships back in the 1990s. It was a lot smaller then, with the 'World' comprising little more than Scilly, Cornwall and a couple of other seaside spots.

Nice to see a couple of Lyme Regis gigs here. There were Bridport boats too. They are a regular sight off the coast local to us, propelled back and forth in all weathers by earnest rowers embracing their pain cave.

More than 150 gigs and 480 crews apparently. Getting that lot to the islands must be a logistical nightmare!

Just a few of them on Town Beach...

...and a few in the water.

The Scillonian III arriving to take us home.

In many ways the islands were exactly as they have always been: a beguilingly beautiful haven. But I am seeing them now through older eyes, and there is less of a rosy tint to my spectacles. Thankfully that didn't really matter. It was still possible to sit on a wild, rocky coastline, drugged by the scent of gorse, and feel the cares of everyday life shrivel up and fall away...

Six Weeks in Moth

On 17th April 2023 my old Bridport garden moth tally for the year reached 56 species. On the same date this year my new Axminster garden moth tally for the year reached 58 species. By sheer coincidence both totals resulted from 33 nights of trapping. So I have no real basis for judging our current location as better or worse than Bridport. Which is a big surprise and massively encouraging.

There is a lively little #TeamMoth community on Bluesky, and it is difficult to resist the urge to compare my results here with others from around Britain. Mind you, I do try to ignore catch reports from much further south and west - especially the other side of the Tamar - where it is evidently hard to breathe in without inhaling a moth or two; we are basically talking about a completely different country! Meanwhile, many in more everyday places have broken 100 for the year already, so it was nice to do likewise here on Saturday night. Considering I missed the last week of April entirely, I'm well happy with that.

This post is little more than a vehicle for an awful lot of moth pics that would otherwise sit on my laptop, gathering virtual dust. Mostly they are in chronological order, starting in early April. In many of the captions I mention the number of Devon records for that species up to the end of 2025. Hopefully that will help give a bit of context to things. Right then, here we go...

Lunar Marbled Brown, one of five this spring. 2,200+ Devon records

A striking little micro that is probably Hourglass Mompha Mompha divisella, but not safely separable from Dusky Hourglass Mompha Mompha bradleyi without dismantling. Had three so far. 80 Devon records, though roughly half are larval.

Thankfully this one is doable: Pale Maple Stilt Caloptilia honoratella. Just the 16th record for Devon it seems. Did have one in Bridport, so not a new moth for me.

Common Oak Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter quercifoliella - 116 Devon records

A lovely Swallow Prominent. Five so far. 3,100+ Devon records.

Grey Birch. A new moth for me, and the first in our 10km square since 2015 apparently. 1,095 Devon records.

Leek Moth Acrolepiopsis assectella. 95 Devon records.

Another probable Hourglass Mompha Mompha divisella. 

Scorched Carpet. Five so far, but with 4,600+ Devon records and a long flight season, plenty of time for some more of these smart moths.

Powdered Quaker. Caught three in Bridport in spring 2023 and the same number here in Axminster this spring. 1,900+ Devon records but the season is just about over, so that's probably it for 2026.

April 10th, and an early Cabbage Moth. The season runs all summer for this species, and with 2,600+ Devon records I'm expecting to see a few more. Had a few in Bridport.

Shoulder Stripe has been a nice surprise for me, with none trapped in Bridport yet 17 here. Probably seen my last for the year though. 3,400+ Devon records.

The garden's first Waved Umber on April 16th, and we've had another since. 2,000+ Devon records. A species we only trapped once in Bridport.

Towards the end of March Sandra brought home a hairy caterpillar she had encountered on the Seaton seafront promenade. ObsIdentify reckoned it was a Ruby Tiger, so we stuck it in a little net cage with some leaf litter. It ignored the leaf litter, crawled up to a top corner and made itself a flimsy, silken cocoon. Three weeks later, this absolutely stunning Cream-spot Tiger emerged! A new moth for me, and technically Devon's earliest ever adult by four days. There are 796 county records.

Our solitary Red Chestnut, a moth we saw just three or four times in Bridport. 2,800+ Devon records.

Oak-tree Pug, one of six, the same number we trapped in Bridport in spring 2023. 2,000+ Devon records.

Maiden's Blush. Three so far, but with a long season I expect to see several more of this lovely moth. Certainly it was a Bridport regular. 2,800+ Devon records.

The very whacky Pale Prominent. Two so far, but it's another species with a long season. 4,800+ Devon records, so, yes, common.

At this point the moth trap put its feet up for some rest while we journeyed to Scilly for the exact opposite. The year list stood at 59, and the garden list at 84. After a week discovering just how old and knackered we really are, it was a relief to get back to something as physically undemanding as moth-trapping...

Knot Grass. A bit more of a summer moth than spring, but 7,300+ Devon records indicates how common it is. Only ever saw it a couple of times in Bridport.

Pale Mottled Willow. A subtly-marked favourite of mine and Bridport garden regular. Two here so far, but with 2,800+ Devon records we are sure of a good few more.

The unspectacular but distinctive Speckled Grass-miner Elachista rufocinerea was actually a new moth for me. We caught two on May 2nd. Only 75 Devon records, and none in our 10km square or the adjacent ones. Under-recorded maybe?

The other Speckled Grass-miner. This one escaped the studio and slotted itself between two patio slabs, which made for a surprisingly decent photo-opp.

Hastily snatched phone pic (courtesy my mate Paul) of a Carnation Tortrix Cacoecimorpha pronubana in the hedge outside our house. I've seen three here so far, though none of them in the trap. With their bright orange hindwing they are incredibly distinctive in flight. On the Bridport garden list, but only had one or two I think. Just 123 Devon records.

Small White Wave. Caught very few in Bridport (eg, just one in 2023) but 1,900+ Devon records tells me we should get a few here.

I am delighted to see that we get Mocha here - five times so far (seven individuals) - because it is one of my favourite moths. Such gorgeous markings. 1,100+ Devon records.

Orange Footman. A regular visitor to the Bridport garden. 3,100+ Devon records, but just one here so far.

The regular migrant Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella. Recorded eight times so far this year (ten individuals), this is a very pale, weakly-marked one. 6,700+ Devon records.

May 3rd brought our first Axminster Foxglove Pug, a regular back in Bridport. With 4,800+ Devon records I can guarantee it won't be our last.

I struggle to get a decent photo of Red Twin-spot Carpet - they always seem unwilling to settle with their wings open. So there won't be another on NQS this year! Two here so far. 4,800+ Devon records.

May 4th, and my first ever Marbled Brown. 1,800+ Devon records though, so not uncommon.

First Purple Bar of the year. A proper stunner. 7,700+ Devon records.

Always a prized visitor, we've recorded three Puss Moths here so far. 1,100+ Devon records.

Another Diamond-back Moth.

New for me, and my favourite micro so far this year, this is Little Buff-tip Pseudoswammerdamia combinella. There are 600+ Devon records, and we've had three so far.

There are frequently moths on the wall after a night's trapping. Sometimes they are easy to spot, and accessible, like this Peppered Moth (three here so far; 9,300+ Devon records) at knee height. But...

...sometimes they are less so, like the garden's first Lime-speck Pug (2,200+ Devon records) clinging to the brickwork 12 feet up. Thank goodness they are mainly white. 

First Vine's Rustic of what will no doubt become a big number. 7,600+ Devon records.

Didn't see many Alder Moths in Bridport, and with a fairly modest 1,300+ Devon records I doubt it will be too regular here either. Not the most pristine specimen, but still a stunning moth.

Sulphur Bark Moth Esperia sulphurella was an occasional visitor to the Bridport garden, and this is our first here. Just 375 Devon records, so not exactly prolific.

One of my smallest pots (28mm diameter) with the garden's first Buff Mompha Mompha epilobiella looking a bit tiny in the bottom. Quite regular back in Bridport (eg, 20 in the first eight months of 2023) but with only 117 Devon records perhaps it will be less so here?

Buff Mompha taking bland to the max.

Both sides of the garden's first Plum Fruit Moth Aspila funebrana. An early record, but according to the County Moth Recorder I need not pay too much heed to the stated verification grade 4 (dissection required) on the Devon Moths website, and a photo was fine. Since deploying a FUN pheremone lure in the garden we've trapped another four. The only time I recall catching this moth in Bridport was likewise to the FUN lure. Only 190 Devon records, but I reckon we'll get a few here.

First Lesser Swallow Prominent for the garden. It arrived with a regular Swallow Prominent, but with 4,400+ Devon records (versus 3,100+ of Swallow Prominent) it is the commoner of the two in the county.

Swallow Prominent (left) and Lesser Swallow Prominent.

Our second Yellow-barred Brindle. 3,700+ Devon records. We'll see plenty of these.

One of two Chocolate-tips that turned up together on May 7th. Little crackers. Only ever trapped a single in Bridport, and with only 573 records it isn't particularly common in Devon either.

Definitely worth two photos.

I've included this pic of a worn Streamer from May 7th just so I can mention that we've had 46(!) now, though this is the first since returning from Scilly. 2,400+ Devon records, so quite common. Still, we seem to have done exceptionally well for them, with catches of up to eight and nine at a time. 

I usually release the night's catch a few hundred yards away in a nearby field. This newly-released Peppered Moth plonked onto a sprig of Ash leaves and begged for a photo...

Despite a short flight season, Scalloped Hazel is evidently a common moth in Devon, with 5,300+ records. This is our first. Rarely saw it in Bridport, with just one in 2023 for example.

For me, Small Mottled Willow is a quality migrant. There was a mass arrival in the far South West a few weeks back, so maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise to catch our first on May 9th. Only ever trapped three in Bridport. 720 Devon records.

Three Sandy Carpets so far, with this one by far the most contrasty and well-marked. Caught a few in Bridport, but probably less than a handful each year. 4,300+ Devon records.

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana. We caught just one of these in Bridport. 724 Devon records.

This striking but miniscule (<3mm) moth is one of several Stigmella spp, and impossible to identify without dissection. Apparently, even then it would be a big ask without knowing the food plant. Photographing it 'just in case' was fun, but futile. I shan't be doing that again.

This little stunner is only about 4mm long. Triple-barred Tip-moth Argyresthia trifasciata is a new moth for me, and there are only 34 Devon records. A nice catch.

Pale-backed Detritus Moth Monopis crocicapitella was an occasional visitor to the Bridport garden, and this is our first Axminster version. 222 Devon records.

Last night was chilly and cloudless. Even so, I was a bit shocked to catch zero moths. The rest of this week is looking similarly unpromising, so I think I'll stow the trap for a bit and catch up on sleep. The mothing so far has been a blast. We've caught 770 moths of 104 species in 2026, and the garden list now stands at 126. I cannot wait to see what treats and surprises the summer brings...