Spring Wildlife on the Isles of Scilly 4th–11th May 2026

 

Atlantic Puffins

 

Spring Wildlife on the Isles of Scilly

4–11 May 2026

 

A week of sunshine, calm seas and outstanding wildlife made for a memorable spring tour of the Isles of Scilly. Based on St Mary’s, our Naturetrek group that I was leading explored St Agnes, Bryher, Tresco and St Martin’s, enjoying some of the finest birdwatching and scenery Britain has to offer.

 

The trip began with a smooth crossing from Penzance, watching Bottlenose Dolphins, Manx Shearwaters, Gannets, Auks and a Great Skua. Throughout the week, seabird safaris around Annet, the Western Rocks and the Northern Isles provided unforgettable close encounters with Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots and nesting Fulmars, while Atlantic Grey Seals were a constant presence around the islands.

 

Spring migrants added excitement each day. Highlights included excellent views of a Woodchat Shrike on Bryher, a Dartford Warbler on St Martin’s and five Turtle Doves feeding on St Mary’s. A brief but rewarding sighting of a Golden Oriole on the final full day rounded off an impressive list of migrant birds.

 

Away from the birding, visitors enjoyed the islands’ colourful spring flora, peaceful coastal walks and welcoming cafés. Memorable moments included lunch overlooking the sea at St Agnes, Red Squirrels around the Abbey Gardens Café on Tresco, and panoramic views from the St Martin’s Daymark across to mainland Cornwall.

 

The final days were spent exploring St Mary’s wetlands and coastline, where Reed Warblers, Ringed Plovers, Little Egrets and Whimbrel added to the week’s wildlife tally. As Scillonian III carried us back to Penzance beneath blue skies, there was a strong sense that the Isles of Scilly had once again delivered an exceptional spring wildlife experience.

 

Tour highlights: Puffin, Woodchat Shrike, Dartford Warbler, Turtle Dove, Golden Oriole, Bottlenose Dolphin and Atlantic Grey Seals.

This tour will run again next May, 3rd-10th 2027. All details can be found here on the Naturetrek website.

https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/tours/isles-of-scilly 

 

 

 At the dock in Penzance

 

Leaving Mount's Bay

Shags on rocks as we approached St.Mary's
 

Gig activity from the many entrants to the World Pilot Gig Championships

Peninnis Head

Our hotel, The Star Castle

 

Perconger Quay St.Agnes

Painted Lady butterfly on Red Valerian

 

Atlantic Puffins

 Razorbills

Grey Heron amongst the granite

 Pentle Bay, Tresco

Barn Swallow in a barn on Bryher

Woodchat Shrike also on Bryher

 

Turtle Doves on St.Mary's

 Atlantic Grey Seals

Reed Warbler at Lower Moors, St.Mary's

Shelduck at Porth Hellick

 

Giants castle, St.Mary's

Poppies in fields near Porthloo

Scillonian 111 arriving at Hugh Town

Scillonian 111tied up

Sunset from the Star Castle ramparts
 

The Somerset Levels February 2026

The view from Burrow Mump

The Somerset Levels in winter provide an exceptional setting for birdwatching, offering some of the most striking wildlife spectacles in southern Britain. During this tour, the extensive lowland landscape of flooded fields, marshes, and peat ponds—lying south of the Mendip Hills and the Quantocks—supported a huge concentration of wintering wildfowl, creating superb viewing opportunities throughout the trip.

This February tour with Naturetrek coincided with a period of exceptionally high water levels across the region. A succession of winter storms moving through south-west England resulted in widespread flooding, saturated landscapes, and at times challenging travel conditions. However, these conditions also enhanced the wildlife experience, spreading birds far and wide and emphasising the dramatic character of the Levels in winter.

Starling roost activity proved to be a major highlight of the tour and was considered the best of the entire winter season. With the birds returning to roost at RSPB Ham Wall in exceptional numbers, our clients were treated to truly spectacular murmuration displays.

A few of the reserves were inaccessible due to high water levels, RSPB Greylake was one of them but we explored new areas and found a lot of good wildlife.

RSPB Greylake

The path to the hides at Greylake

 

Here are a few photos from our time on the Levels.......

 

 Greylag Geese

Starling

Great Egret

Northern Shovelers 

The path to Decoy Lake

Glastonbury Tor from Shapwick Heath

Near Decoy Lake

Replica of the Sweet track

Redpoll feeding on Alder

Some of the 500+ Cattle Egrets at Westhay 

A screenshot of the Starling display at RSPB Ham Wall.

 

Checkout my movie clip of the Starlings on my Youtube channel by clicking the following link.......  

https://youtu.be/NThByqn2Las 

 

Team photo
 

 

 

 

Cornwall birdrace January 2026

 

Lesser Yellowlegs

This was the first Naturetrek Great British Bird Race, with tours taking place across eight counties in Britain. Our Cornwall group was based at the Marazion Hotel in Marazion, near Penzance — a charming traditional hotel with excellent rooms, a welcoming lounge, and first-class food.

The winter weather in Cornwall was challenging, with recent storms bringing heavy rain, flooding, and strong winds. Despite this, the group embraced the competitive spirit of the Bird Race, enjoying spectacular coastal, estuarine, and woodland habitats. Highlights included North American Lesser Scaup, Lesser Yellowlegs, Avocet, Spoonbill, Ring-necked Duck, Bonaparte’s Gull, and excellent sightings of seals and other wildlife. By the end of the tour, the group recorded a total of 94 species.

We had been allotted 48 hours to see how many bird species we could see, from 2pm on the Wednesday until 2pm on the Friday. It was a fun event although we all got immersed in the competition despite knowing we would be competing with the county of Norfolk, with its many reserves!

Here are a few of the sights and species we saw on our travels around Cornwall......

 St.Michael's Mount Marazion. 

Black-tailed Godwit

Greenshank

Redshank 

Gwithian

Godrevy island and lighthouse 

Ring-necked Duck (female)

Lesser Scaup (female)

Lesser Scaup (drake)

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Team Cornwall 

Team Cornwall at Walmsley