Scilly Birding: Joining the Madding Crowd

The regular autumn birding experience that has existed on Scilly for a number of decades is often said to be in a heart-breaking state of deterioration. Stalwarts of the Scilly scene mourn the days that have apparently long gone, days when the rich social scene and ample supply of rarities were enjoyed by hundreds of birders every October. Whether Scilly’s heyday is truly over is arguable but, as a regular visitor to the archipelago for the last four years, I am always enamoured by books and reports that give a glimpse into those classic Scilly seasons.

Scilly Birding: Joining the Madding Crowd is a welcome and unique addition to my collection of Scilly-related publications. It describes the author Simon Davey’s first visit to the islands in 1984, after a Two-barred Crossbill put him under the spell of birding and brought the hobby to the forefront of his natural history interests.

Davey was fortunate enough to spend a fortnight on the islands and takes the reader through the day-by-day highs and lows of his introduction to birding there. He learns, sometimes the hard way, the unwritten laws to which a Scilly birder must adhere, and shares riveting tales of the pursuits involved in amassing an enviable haul of rarities.

The uniqueness of the book comes as much from the personal perspective on the Scilly scene in the Eighties, giving a rare insight with which it is possible to compare the current situation, as from Davey’s writing style.

First person narrative is not uncommon in birding books, but the heavy use of reconstructed dialogue from days in the field and evenings in the pub is quite reminiscent of a short novel, particularly as it is revealed that most of the real-life characters have actually been given pseudonyms.

It took a short while for me to grow accustomed to this unfamiliar approach but, once I had, I found myself enjoying the fresh and lively reading experience that this offered and considered that the style would likely broaden Scilly Birding’s appeal to a non-birding audience, thereby introducing the wonder to new people, which can only be a brilliant thing. Davey was magnificently successful in recreating, in written form, the more-ish buzz that only traversing St Mary’s, St Agnes, Tresco, Bryher and St Martin’s in the company of good friends and vagrant birds can offer. A vivid taste of the islands’ scene is provided for those who haven’t yet been, and this book will, equally, be a delight for birders familiar with The Mermaid and The Parsonage.