15th November 2019
These 2 CHOUGH at Peninnis head showed well in the frequent downpours and were only the second time that I’ve seen this species on Scilly after twitching a single on St Agnes 18 years ago.
Yesterday morning, Paul Smith, a non birder, came across 2 CHOUGH at the south turning circle while walking his dog. Unfortunately he didn’t let Jo Pender know about it until it was almost dark. This morning, they were still at the same site but later on Higgo called me to say that he was watching them on the west side of Peninnis. However, I didn’t move for another hour waiting for a break from the rain. I still got caught out by the downpours when I reached Peninnis and found the 2 Chough by call, feeding just NW of the lighthouse. They didn’t stick around and made a short flight and spent most of their time on the coastal path on the west side of Peninnis. I observed them for a good ten minutes before they were flushed by a dog walker. In the fields nearby, I also saw a single Mistle Thrush and Lapwing and later on off Morning Point, there were 5 Mediterranean and single Common Gull and Whimbrel.
This Lapwing was in the fields on the west side of Peninnis
As the 2 CHOUGH were both unringed and with these cold bitterly north winds, it’s thought that it is more than likely they are from the Irish population.
A day I remember well with the help of my notebook. The Welsh Wizard is the one and only, Bryan Thomas and we twitched the bird with others on St Davids Day! I had many of his images filling my notebooks from that and other years.
The 2001 Chough was ranging from the St Agnes campsite to Troy Town Maze. Image by Bryan Thomas.
Two days later after the Chough, we twitched another crow and mega. This time on St Martins but didn’t have to worry as the Magpie stuck around for over three years visiting other islands during it’s stay and pics all Bryan Thomas.
Late yesterday afternoon, Jo and I were approaching Morning Point and I could see a number of gulls feeding. I casually said ‘it’ll would be good to see an Iceland Gull’ I lifted my bins up from a distant and the first gull I layed my eyes on was a juvenile Iceland Gull!! i really wasn’t expecting that. We observed it for a good 30 minutes and it showed well. We were just about to leave before another heavy shower came through when I could see a Yellow-legged Gull coming in to join the large number of gulls already present including 5 Lesser black-backed and a single Common Gull. We still got soaked to the bone by the time we had walked the ten minute home.
With only a handful of Iceland Gull in the UK, I was still kinda of surprised to see this individual at Morning Point
This Yellow-legged Gull was one of two from three days ago
Common Gull just before dark
SCILLYSPIDER 2 