Isles of Scilly in the Spring, May 2025.

 

Exploring the Isles of Scilly in Spring: A Nature-Lover’s Dream with Naturetrek

 

Sunrise departure from Penzance harbour

 

When you think of the Isles of Scilly, visions of stunning landscapes, rare wildlife, and windswept coastlines come to mind. Our eight-day adventure from the 5th to the 12th of May 2025 delivered all of that—and more.

Arrival & First Impressions

Setting sail aboard the Scillonian III from Penzance, our journey began with stunning views of the Cornish coastline, passing landmarks like the Minack Theatre and Longships Lighthouse. Dolphins played in the waves while Manx shearwaters soared around the boat. As we neared St. Mary’s, the anticipation grew—this was just the beginning.

Once settled into the Star Castle Hotel, we embarked on a walk around the Garrison, where blackcaps, stonechats, and linnets flitted among the wildflowers. The call of cuckoos in the distance set the tone for a memorable week.

 

Songthrush

Wren

Linnet

Island-Hopping Adventures

Each day brought a new adventure, visiting the iconic isles of St. Agnes, Tresco, Bryher, and St. Martin’s. From windswept coastal trails to thriving offshore bird sanctuaries, each location revealed its own distinct charm.

One of the most exhilarating moments was our boat trip around Bishop’s Rock Lighthouse, Annet & the Western Rocks, where puffins, razorbills, guillemots and grey seals greeted us. The seabirds perched on the granite outcrops, watching curiously as we navigated the waters. At Tresco, the renowned Abbey Gardens dazzled with exotic plants, and guests even caught glimpses of the elusive Scilly shrew.

Meanwhile, on St. Agnes, nature treated us to a stunning display of shelducks, wigeons, and whimbrels by the Big Pool. And who could forget Troytown Farm’s famous homemade ice cream? Enjoying a scoop while overlooking the rugged coastline felt like the perfect way to soak in the moment.

Atlantic Puffin

Atlantic Puffin

Guillemots

Black Guillemot

Razorbill

 

A picnic lunch on Bryher

 

Wildlife Highlights

Spring is a spectacular time for wildlife on Scilly. Throughout the trip, we spotted rare birds such as a second-summer purple heron, a great white egret, and, most surprisingly, a black guillemot—the first recorded on the islands since 2004!

Seals basked lazily on rocky shores, while butterflies danced along wildflower-strewn paths. Even unexpected sightings—like a possible weasel below Star Castle’s steps—added an element of mystery to our explorations.

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Purple Heron

 

Coastal Wonders & Final Farewells

With each passing day, we found ourselves more immersed in the rhythm of these enchanting islands. From quiet moments watching oystercatchers on the beaches to soaking in the last golden sunset over the harbour, every experience felt precious.

Our return voyage on the Scillonian III was filled with seabird sightings, including an unforgettable raft of over 200 Manx shearwaters near Wolf Rock Lighthouse. As Penzance came into view, there was a collective sense of awe—this journey had been very special.

Bryher toward Tresco

Starling carrying bits of pasty to its brood on St.Martins

Grey Seals

Grey Seals

A raft of Manx Shearwaters

 

Looking Ahead

The Isles of Scilly in spring offer something truly magical—whether you’re a seasoned birder, a plant enthusiast, or simply someone seeking a peaceful escape. As we parted ways, there was already talk of a return visit, eager to explore more of these spectacular islands.

Star castle Hotel on St.Mary's.

 

 

Visiting the Bishop's Rock lighthouse

 

Bishop's Rock lighthouse

 

The Turks Head on St.Agnes

 

Pete's ploughmans lunch for one!

 

Bryher towards Tresco

 

 

Another first class tour with Naturetrek to the Isles of Scilly. Checkout their website for future tours and other worldwide destinations at https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/

Puffins & Razorbills on Scottish Isles. June 18th-20th.

I've just spent 3 days "island hopping" in Scotland photographing seabirds.

The Puffins, Razorbills & Guillemots looked to be finding plenty of food with them all bringing back beakfulls of Sandeels and a few Herring.

Here are a few images from a brief scan through the many photos taken.

Seabirds off the North Cornwall coast 10th May 2019

Puffin

 

Some photos of seabirds this morning off the entrance to the Camel estuary at Mouls island and near Gulland.

Actually had 7 puffins on the water which is quite a good count for this site.

Good numbers of Auks on all the traditional breeding ledges.

Thanks to Wavehunters at Padstow / Rock for the trip.

Puffins

Guillemot

Razorbill

The Auk colony at the Mouls, mostly featuring Guillemots

A few Puffin pics from the Farne islands, 15th June 2016

One of the few days that I could get onto the Farne islands as the weather here in Northumberland has been cold and wet which makes the eggs and chicks of the nesting seabirds particularly vulnerable.

Some North Pacific seabirds.

Tufted Puffin

A few photos from my recent trip to Alaska.

We saw both species of puffin, the 'Tufted' and the 'Horned' from a boat out of Seward toward the Kenai glaciers but it was difficult to photograph them as we were a lot higher than them and it was also blowing a gale!

Here is a shot of the 'Horned' puffin from the boat....... sorry about the quality!

Horned Puffin

The other shots of the Tufted Puffin were taken at the Alaska Sealife Centre in Seward where they have several seabirds undergoing rehabilitation or where they can no longer be returned to the wild for one reason or another. To visit their website click here.....

Tufted Puffin

Tufted Puffin

Tufted Puffin

 

Another of the seabirds familiar to us but with a North Pacific variant is the Red-Legged Kittiwake, similar to our Black-Legged Kittiwake but for the obvious plus a few other differences.

Red-Legged Kittiwake