A cracking winters day kayaking

7th January 3021

Yesterday off Morning Point, with the Adult and juvenile Glaucous Gull, was this adult Scandinavian Herring Gull. The last records were of two adults that I had in Dec/Jan 2017 and before that, I had another adult some ten years ago.

It was just getting light when I looked out from my window, and I could just make out a shape on top of the water trough only metters away from me. It was the hybrid GlaucousxHerring Gull. I fed him, it’s a beast in size, and it was still getting light when I got in my kayak at Sharks pit. The conditions were spot on with not a breath of wind and I wasn’t goin to miss out the oppunity of kayaking with the Humpback Whale again that I observed off the east side of Peninnis Head yesterday. While waiting for news on the whale, at 08.30 I was on Tresco and listening to the vocal Yellow-browed Warbler along Pool Road where there were also the 4 Cattle and 3 Little Egret feeding in the fields nearby. All the suspects that arrived before Christmas were on the Great Pool except for a male Shoveler. Single Tufted Duck, 4 Wigeon, 46 Teal and the Great Spotted Woodpecker flew towards the Abbey Woods. The Russian White=fronted and Greylag Goose from St Mary’s, were relocated by local birders visiting the island a few days ago, in the Church Fields. Sure enough they were still presnt,along with the Jackdaw from November. I was itching to get back on the water and while passing near the tip, the Buzzard flew through and all that was on the Abbey Pool with the Mallards and Teal were the 7 Pochard and the female Pintail. The bright warm sunshine did bring out the insect eating birds including 12 Chiffchaff and 20+Goldcrest.

With my knacked eye, I thought I had found another 7 Cattle Egret but in turned out to be 4 Cattle and 3 Little Egret in the cattle fields noorth of Pool road

The Russian White-fronted and Greylag Goose were distant in the Church Field

At the same time as observing the geese, the Jackdaw was vocal overhead

the female Pintail from last year was on the Abbey Pool

I had up to 12 chiffchaff altogether out emjoying the sun

This Stonechat was at Pentle Bay

From Pentle Bay, Tresco looking through the rainbow towards st Martins during a heavy hail shower

The other reason, I got out in the kayak was to search for white-wingers. They can’t all be on St Mary’s? Can they? So my next stop was Samson and a quick look around produced only 4 Snipe, 7 Meadow Pipit and 2 Linnet A single Dunlin was with 34 Turnstone. The 3 Spoonbill were on top of their usual huunt, Green Island and at the same time, the family of 4 pale-bellied Brent Geese flew overhead towards St Mary’s. There only some 60 gulls in the area and not a sniff of a white-winger. When leaving Tresco, the vodaphone network had gone down and I had no idea what was goin on with the whale. What news I did get before it cut off, was that there were 3 Common Scoter, 2 Slavonian and from December, the Red-throated Diver, all off the Easten Isles. That was way off in the distance and as I passed the south of Tresco again, there was a Common Scoter. The network was full on when I reached the south end of St Martins and thanks to Robin, who was scanning from Innisidgen on St Mary’s, he was giving me directions to both the grebes and the diver. However, I only came away with seeing a single Slavonian Grebe It was getting on and I had to return home. Off Pendrathen, I got the 1st male Eider from last year, that was seen eailer on by others and the Brent Geese ended up in the bay there. The Humpback Whale was seen but it was too late by the time I heard about it due to my network not working for half of the day.

The 3 Spoonbill circled Green Island before settling on top of the island

At the same time, the family of 4 pale-bellied Brent Geese flew over towards St Mary’s where I saw them later

I’ve made many visits to samson since July and I saw my first Robin on the island today Infact I saw three birds altogether.

i had this Common Scoter off the south Beach, Tresco

Off samson were 17 Shelduck. Looking towards easten Isles

Altogether I had a total of 13 Great Northern Diver

And finished the day off with the 1st male Eider off Pendrathen, St Mary’s

looking out west towards Bishop rock

I didn’t see one white-winger all day until I was walking home and it was almost dark and there was ‘Billy’ waiting for me at Porth Mellon.

Yesterday, I spent an hour aat Morning Piont and in with the 250 Herring Gull was an adult Scandinavian Herring Gull. A lot rarer than the 2 Glaucous Gull that were also present. The last records were of two adults that I had in Dec/Jan 2017 and before that I had another adult some ten years ago. Except for a 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull, there was nothin else of note and when I returned home, I was pointing my camera out of the window at the hybrid juvenile GlaucousxHerring Gull. It’s bigger than any of the Herring Gulls making it a male I hope he sticks around like ‘Biully’ the Iceland Gull who had already been in the garden earlier on.

This adult Scandinavian Herring Gull off Morning Point yesterday, was the first sighting of this race since when I had an adult at the dump and a different adult on the Abbey Pool in Dec/Jan 2017.

The juvenile Glaucous Gull from yesterday was most of the time the closest bird to me off the point.

Scanning SE from Morning Point at the distant rock, The Wras, I also had this adult Glaucous Gull, prusumed to be the Porthloo individual, with a 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull preening to the top right of the picture.

The hybrid juvenile GlaucousxHerring Gull spent all day more or less in the garden wuth ‘Billy’ the Iceland Gull making the odd visit.

He looks slightly pissed off with the 2 noisy Herring Gulls. I bet he wished he was back home right now

Also almost spending all the time in the garden and looking like it should be in a Asian forest, is this tailless Grey Wagtail.

And this Pied Wagtail has also turned up in the last few days All pics taken from my window.

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