Thursday 20 October 1994

20/10/94 Hayle & St. Agnes

Ruddy Shelduck 6 ex.

St. Agnes
YELLOW-BROWED BUNTING 1 ex.

Yellow-browed Bunting on St. Agnes (Rob Wilson)
Having heard ARK recount his finding of the Yellow-browed Bunting on Fair Isle in 1980 and RJF successfully twitching it from Scilly this mythical Far Eastern species was high on our most-wanted list. A sense of disappointment prevailed when the North Ronaldsay bird of 1992 didn't linger long enough to allow Steve Mawby's plans to fly onto the island to come to fruition. So, a chance of seeing the fourth for Britian on St. Agnes was too good to miss so we made the overnight trip on the day it was found, but we weren't alone, so had to endure a long queue before getting our chance to see it in a weedy field at the old bird observatory. Fortunately the bird performed admirably all day, and once the pressure was off, we obtained some superb views of it hopping around in the open on the ground at close range.