After missing out on a Pallas’s Warbler, due to a puncher on my bike, trapped and ringed in Salop in the mid-80s, at last, I finally got to see one close up in the hand.
What a cracking day with both birds and the weather and it all started off with a gem! Well, after I had flushed the Jackdaw out of the garden from opening the window to feed a Herring Gull that arrived at my window yesterday with a broken leg. On Porthcressa there was a single Black Redstart and ‘Billy’ the Iceland Gull flew over towards town. While I was making my way through Lower Moors, by the Shooters Pool the Dusky Warbler and Firecrest were both vocal. I was goin to do Rose Hill but instead, I found myself cycling to Porth Hellick as Jim had informed us on the local bird WhatsApp Group that he had trapped a Pallas’s Warbler. There were only Myself, Dick Filby and Higgo present on the bank when Jim pulled the warbler from out the bag. We all observed it fly back towards the ringing station when Jim released it and shortly afterwards it was relocated in the latter area.
This Herring Gull came knocking on my window yesterday afternoon. I saw it had a broken leg and it let me feed it by hand. It hung around until dark and this morning it was back again sharing the table with ‘Kirk’ the Song Thrush.
Not many December records of Pallas’s Warbler on the Scilly. This being only my third after singles at Lower Moors and Porth Hellick
With hardly a breath of wind, there was only one thing on my mind and that was to get in my kayak. Like last time, I had no idea where I was goin but ended up looking at the 3 Spoonbill and 4 pale-bellied Brent Geese on Green Island. Samson was alive with waders and a quick scan through the 240+Ringed Plover, 130+Sanderling, 60 Turnstone, 4 Grey Plover, 5 Redshank and 8 Dunlin feeding together at the north end of the island, directly in front of me were 6 Purple Sandpiper. My first on Scilly in maybe over ten years! 20 Shelduck, 3 Common Gull, 120+Black-headed and some 30 Lesser Black-backed Gull were also present but only 23 Great Black-backed Gull compared to the 350-400 I had here last week. I moved onto Bryher and after a quick scout around the island, the only birds of note were 2 Water Rail and a single Kingfisher. Returning home and a male Red-breasted Merganser flew overhead and out of the Tresco Channel towards St Agnes. In The Roads, there were a female Common Scoter and 6 Great Northern Diver at close range as I passed them in the kayak before arriving back home at Sharks Pit on St Mary’s.
The 4 pale-bellied Brent Geese and 3 Spoonbill were hanging around Green Island
4 of the 6 Purple Sandpiper that showed well on Samson
There wre also up to 8 Dunlin
And 240+Ringed Plover, 130+Sanderling and 60 Turnstone
On the same beach, there was a flock of 45-50 Rock Pipit
And only this single Meadow Pipit with them
There were 8 Stonechat on the Island
This Little Egret was also on Samson but on the west beach
Returning home and I came across this female Common Scoter in The Roads
Almost at St Mary’s looking towards Annet from my kayak in The Roads
Three days ago at Morning Point in the late afternoon, This interesting 2nd winter Herring Gull caught my attention as it flew in. I put it out as a possible American Herring Gull, so folks could get down to have a look at it before it disappeared. Although it looked good from above, Mashuq Ahmad and Tom Lowe both thought that the undertail feathers were not convincing enough for it to pass as a Smiths. Although, it could be one. Gulls can be a pain in the butt!
Including ‘Billy’ above, the 2 Iceland Gull also came in to Morning Point that afternoon with an adult Common Gull.
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SCILLYSPIDER 2 