1st Scilly June record of Yellow-legged Gull

7th June 2020

Turned up at Porthloo this evening and picked out this 1st summer Yellow-legged Gull that proved to be the first June sighting for Scilly and fills in the gap of me personally observing YLG now in every month on the island

I went in search of the Rose-coloured Starling that turned up yesterday at Little Porth after being first seen at the Dump Clump a few days ago. In the 200 Starlings that I saw scattered in small flocks in various areas on St Mary’s, there was no sign of it. A quick look at Porth Hellick and both the Red-rumped Swallow and Swift were still present but the hirundine numbers from the day before, 40+, had dropped to just over 10. I arrived at Porthloo and found over 100 gulls feeding on the surf with a single Whimbrel. On my first scan I spotted a good candidate for a Yellow-legged Gull on the waters edge. It looked really promising and I put it out as a probable on the Scilly Bird News WhatsApp group. Both Mashuq Ahmad and Jamie Partridge immediately came back and said that it was one. This individual proved to be the first June record for Scilly and I was so pleased as now I’ve observed YLG in every month on the islands. I believe that I might be the only observer to also have the only May records. Two sightings, including the 1st summer I had less than a month ago on the Garrison and the other, two years ago, following a plough, on the 22nd at Telegraph.

1st summer yellow-legged Gull at Porthloo with a Herring Gull on the right.

Also had this Lesser black-backed Gull with an Irish ring on it at Porthloo.

And both the Red-rumped Swallow and Swift were still present at Porth Hellick

And ‘Rosie’ the juvenile pale Starling, her bill has gone from yellow to dark and she’s not so pale now. She still comes in doors and says hello now and then

A very Intelligent and articulate view on the moment of the last few days

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