30th November 2020
I know it’s another pic of an Iceland Gull, but it’s a new juvenile that I had off Pentle Bay, Tresco and that now makes the total of this species this autunm so far to 6 or 7 birds
This morning, it started off with ‘Billy’ the Iceland Gull, begging at my window. It was calm, the sun was coming through and at 08.30 I was in my kayak heading east towards the Easten Isles. An hour later, I was pulling the kayak up onto one of the isles and out south at sea nearby, there was a mad feeding frenzy of 200 Gannet and 30 Fulmar. It wasn’t long until I was rowing past the west side of St Martins and passed the Slavonian Grebe that’s been around for a week or so and 5 Great Northern Diver. One of the divers was looning for a good ten minutes and I managed to get some good recording of it. The tide was out and amoung the small numbers of gulls was a 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull. I continued to row towards Tean, then returned along the east side of Tresco before getting off at Pentle Bay and for my effort of all that rowing, I added another 7 Great Northern Diver to the total.
It was warm and sunny throughout the morning Looking towards Watermill, St Mary’s from the kayak
looking over towards Tean and Round Island from the Eastern Isles
The Fulmers were active on the cliffs of the Eastern Isles
Good numbers of Shag hanging out
Herring Gull taking of with a starfish
I just got onto this Yellow-legged Gull off St Martins before continueing on towards St Mary’s
Two of 12 Great Northern Diver that I passed while in my kayak
Bar Point, St Mary’s in the distance from the Eastern Isles
My plan was to row onto Samson but Tresco has been good to me on every visit I’ve made this year and I was itching to have a brief look at the pools and area. It started off well, scanning through some 100 gulls feeding close to the shore off Pentle Bay where I parked up. And with them was a new juvenile Iceland Gull that showed well before moving on NE out of sight. This would make it 6 or 7 Iceland Gulls for Scilly this autunm and it’s not even December yet! I carried on and by the time I had walked Pool Road, I had notched up 5 Yellow-browed Warbler, 5 Siberian CHiffchaff, the Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20 Goldcrest, 15 Chiffchaff and in with the cows, the 4 Cattle Egret. On the board walk towards the David Hunt hide, the Dusky Warbler was very vocal just below me to my left but could I see the bloody thing? Nothin on the Abbey Pool of note and the Great Pool held the same stuff as when I was here last, four days ago except there was now 7 Wigeon and a male Shoveler were all new in. I didn’t have time to stop off to take a photo of the 3 Common Scoter, that were seen earlier in the day by other observers off Carn Marvel, as it was too rough returning home to St Mary’s.
I got a little surprise when I discovered this new juvenile Iceland Gull off Pentle Bay thinking, with my naked eye of seeing the gull, that it was goin to be the pale-headed individual from St Mary’s.
The Cattle Egret were back to four after only seeing the two birds on my last visit.
One of the 5 Siberian Chiffchaff and Yellow-browed Warbler along Pool Road and by now, the light had turned dull and the breeze was picking up
Yesterday afternoon, I kaked over to Samson without visiting Tresco. Large numbers of gulls were resting on the sand banks and on the east shore of Samson. These included 350-400 Greater and 50+Lesser Black-backed, 250+Herring, 15 Common, 120 Black-headed and only 3 Mediterranean Gull. The only waders were some 70 Turnstone and a walk on the island could only produce 8 Redwing. On Green Island were the 4 pale-bellied Brent Geese and the 3 Spoonbill. Before this, I had 3 Black Redstart, 2 Swallow and a single Kingfisher at Little Porth back on St Mary’s.
Part of the 350-400 Great Black-backed Gull hanging out on Samson with the odd Lesser Black-backed Gull among them
The 3 Spoonbill flying towards samson
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