20th March 2020
The long staying Yellow-legged Gull at Trench Pool almost had the day time flying bat it’s mouth but the bat got away. I thought it was strange seeing a bat at this time of year as the cricket season hasn’t started yet!
Last week the Egyptian government announced that flights to and from Egypt will be suspended at 12 noon on 19 March until 31 March. Man was I lucky, as my flight was on the evening of the 18th direct to Birmingham! When I arrived at Birmingham, I tried to get a ticket on the last evening train to Telford and I was told that I didn’t have to pay. ideal! I got a very cheap flight out and things went so smoothly, from the second the plane took off from Sharm El sheikh, to the moment I stepped through my parents door in Telford.
This morning I was scanning Trench Pool and picked up on the far side, what I first thought was a hirundine but then realised it was a bat! From nowhere, the overwintering Yellow-legged Gull almost took it out from mid air! It was so close that I really thought it had caught the bat but it escaped. I got my camera out from the car and could only get a photo of the gull chasing it as the bat was twisting and turning all over the shop. The gull gave up and settled on the water with the Lesser black-backed Gulls. I made the short drive to the end of the track and there was the bat, now a little closer. I managed to rattle off a few record shots before the mammal disappeared.
This near adult Yellow-legged Gull has spent the whole winter communing with Trench and Middle Pool with occasional visit to nearby Hortonwood where it’s hung out with other Yellow-legged Gull
I’ll be amazed if anyone can identify this bat from my record shots
Later on I had to drive to the south of the county with mom and had a quick look at the long staying Great White Egret at Walcot Park. We were on our ways to Kate Steggles house, the lady with the Tree Sparrows in her garden near Clun, to pick up the amazing ‘Birds of Shropshire’ I wasn’t goin home to Scilly without a copy. I collected the book and between Clun and Craven Arms we counted 8 Red Kite.
Like the Yellow-legged Herring Gull at Trench Pool, this Great White Egret has also overwintered at Walcot Park
The day before I left for Egypt, I had this smart adult Mediterranean Gull at Middle Pool, 27th February. This is the one gull I’ve been hoping to see in the Trench Pool area to add to the other species of gull I’ve recorded at the sight including, 5 Caspian, 2 Claucous, 1 Iceland and Little and many Yellow-legged Gull.
SCILLYSPIDER 2 