8th September 2020
This evening, I kayaked over to Samson and feeding with a single Knot and Black-tailed and 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and 64 Dunlin, were a Scilly personal record of 4 Curlew Sandpiper.
I set off to Tresco in my kayak and a quick dash around the Great Pool produced of note, single Grey wagtail, Kingfisher, the female Shoveler, 2 Wigeon and now 2 Pochard. As I pushed off towards Samson, I scanned the 53 Sandwich Tern roosting off Skirt Island and spotted my only Common Tern this year so far. Also good numbers of Mediterranean Gull showing off superbly as they flew at arm’s length away from me.
I didn’t see one single Common Tern last year and this individual could be the only one I see this year. I believe that the reason they left Samson is because there is too much disturbance from folk visiting the tiny island and walking all over it.
I love Mediterranean Gulls and there were up to 5 1st winter and a single adult hanging out off Skirt Island
Like two days ago when I kayaked to Samson at high tide, where there were large numbers of Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstone on the east beach. Like last time, I drifted just offshore as the very noisy waders fed only meters away from me, sometimes just a meter! I scanned and immediately picked up 3 Bar-tailed and a single black-tailed Godwit, followed by a single Knot, 2 Redshank and a group of 4 Curlew Sandpiper. Goin carefully through the Dunlin, I counted 64. An increase of six birds from two days ago. It was getting darker and I quickly nipped out of the kayak and ran to the West beach to find more Sanderling and a different juvenile Yellow-legged Gull from the juvenile I had here two days ago. I passed Green Island hoping to see if the Spoonbill, that Joe Pender had earlier over St Martins towards Tresco, was possibly roosting on the rocks but only Mediterreanan Gulls. As I was approaching St Mary’s, a flock of 7 Mediterranean Gull fly past at close range.
There were 3 Bar-tailed Godwit including this individual battling in the fresh breeze to stand up straight. while I was trying to stay steady in the kayak to get a shot of the godwit that was only two meters away from me!
This Black-tailed Godwit was directly behind the Bar-tailed Godwit and was also trying to steady itself in the wind
Only a single Knot present
4 Curlew Sandpiper was a Personal Scilly record but this individual was the only one that was at very close range spending time close to the shore while the others were in the hide tide seaweed. Also by now, the light was fast disappearing.
The waders were buzzing and in with the very noisy vocal 64 Dunlin you heard the constant single note of the Knot and trills coming from the Curlew Sandpiper
There were also up to 80+Turnstone, 100+Ringed Plover and 60+Sanderling feeding with the Dunlin
My second juvenile Yellow-legged Gull off Samson in two days
Before I set off in the kayak, I had 3 Pied Flycatcher, including this individual on the Garrison
At the airport, single Whinchat and in the garden, this Spotted Flycatcher
Two days ago on Sunday, I successfully twitched this Wryneck in my kayak on Bryher. Viv Stratton and I spent a good half an hour with it as it favored a horse paddock west of the campsite.
There were also a single Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher and in the churchyard, 2 Pied Flycatcher including this individual.
2 Clouded Yellow in the same paddock as the Wryneck, was the first I’ve seen this year
Bill, you can stop pretending to be my shadow. It doesn’t work when the sun goes in
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SCILLYSPIDER 2 