5th October 2020
Yesterday afternoon, I found this distant American Golden Plover overhead while at Telegraph and managed to get this record shot before heading off towards the airfield. Today it was relocated at Castle Down, Tresco and was identified as a juvenile.
Another busy day at work but an hour off, mid-afternoon, and I managed to find a single Yellow-browed Warbler and Northern ‘type’ Willow Warbler with 2 Goldcrest at Content Lane. There were also 40 Meadow Pipit, male Merlin and a single Snipe in the area and later on just before dark, there was a Common Sandpiper just below the Mermaid car park wall.
Most years, I find Northern ‘type’ Willow Warbler on Scilly and Content seems to be the place that I come across them with this being my forth for this sight.
Unfortunately, the Yellow-browed Warbler didn’t show as well as the Willow Warbler in the same trees.
On one occasion, I had three Northern ‘type’ Willow Warbler together at the Higher Moors area five year ago in November including a interesting cracking frosty individual with a wing-bars and bright orange legs
Although it was my day off yesterday, I was still dragged into work. However, I still managed to find an American Golden Plover. It wasn’t until mid-morning that I got out and was listening to the Yellow-browed Warbler at Newford Duckpond where there were also 4 Siskin and a male Sparrowhawk. There were single Sand and House Martin hawking with 3 Swallow at Watermill Cove with a vocal Yellow-browed Warbler that’s been there for a few days. At Innisigen I got a single Pied Flycatcher and in the tall pines, 3 noisy Crossbill. It wasn’t long until I returned back to work and at 13.30 with Graham Gordon, I was back out in the field. We just happened to be at Deep Point when a Wryneck was found in the quarry. Despite arriving within minutes of it being first seen, we dipped. Will Scott flushed a possible GREAT SNIPE at Trewince at about 15.45 . An hour later, I decided to go and kick the nearby Content fields while Graham went home to make dinner. I had only just arrived at the latter sight when I picked up a high flying golden Plover flying towards the airfield and with my bins, I could make out it was a ‘lesser’ Golden Plover from the narrow wings. I immediately called Graham, to tell him what had just observed and thought that it’s probably goin to turn out to be a American Golden Plover if it is refound that is. Still busy talking to him, I flushed the 5 Pink-footed Geese out the Pungie Lane fields, with no idea they were there, having my head down while walking. Immediately after speaking to Graham, I could hear a Spotted Redshank but when I searched for it in the air, it turned out to be the ‘lesser’ Golden Plover coming from the south. It did a big loop and flew back south towards the airfield again, giving that Spotshank ‘type’ call three times. I knew that Pacific Golden Plover sound like Spotshank and the other ‘lesser’ American Golden Plover, don’t. Well, that’s what I thought anyway. I put out on the WhatsApp Group ‘Had a narrow winged plover over Telegraph towards airfield Sounded like Pacific in the three calls it gave Spotshank call’ In the drizzle and blustery conditions, a few of us searched the airfield and golf cause before it got dark and not a sniff of it.
Fortunately, I had my recorder on and despite the howling wind, I still managed to get a sound recording of it as it flew past overhead. I sent the recording off to James Lidster, who told me that yanky plover can also give the spotshank call. I had no idea. Jim sent the recording off to the main man, Magnuts Robb. And this morning, I was told by Jim that Robb’s reply was ‘Undoubtedly an American Golden Plover’ I was happy with that, although Pacific Golden Plover would have been the second Scilly record. Later in the day, the American Golden Plover was relocated with 3 Golden Plover at Castle Down, Tresco. Maybe it’s a sign that’s yanks are on there way or did the plover just make the short flight from southern Island in these strong NW. Looking at the next few days weather, it looks promising for more yanks to arrive on Scilly from across the pond.
This is all I got on the 5 Pink-footed Geese as they flew off south after I flushed them out of the fields bordering Pungies Lane
I found this Yellow-browed Warbler at Parting Carn on the 30th September and it was my first of the year. I saw two more later that day at Lower Moors
After work, a look in the garden a few days ago and there were 2 Whinchat in the evening light with a Spotted Flycatcher nearby
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SCILLYSPIDER 2 