My first Sand Martins of the year

21st March 2021

Mid-morning and I was scanning from Morning Point and picked up this brute of a Glaucous Gull, distantly off Gugh, only to observe it heading directly towards me and land on top of a rock only meters away from me!

As well as the Glaucous Gull at Morning Point, in ones and twos from in off the sea from the south, 10 Meadow Pipit, 8 Linnet and 4 Goldfinch, in the forty minutes that I was there. Before this I had a single Firecrest and 3 Chiffchaff at the campsite nearby. When I returned home, the odd Meadow Pipit could be heard over the garden now and then, heading north.

This Glaucous Gull arrived all the way from Gugh and pitched on the rocks at very close range allowing me to get some pics of him

as you can see, the Glaucous Gull was a beast and all the gulls made sure they didn’t get in his path and got out of the way

Yesterday it was predicted that it was goin to be a calm day but I had to wait until gone 14.00 for the NE to calm down. Walking the South Beach, I thought I heard a Snow Bunting flying nearby but took it for a distant Turnstone as I only just caught it because the sound of the waves against the shore. Some ten minutes later I turned the bend onto Pentle Bay and again, I could hear that twitter call. Only meters away from me was the Snow Bunting from yesterday on Samson! I didn’t have much time, so I took a few snaps and left it alone. The Iceland Gull and female Eider were both off Skirt Island. In the last few days, the first Sand Martins of the year have been seen on St Mary’s in ones and twos and yesterday a Swallow was on St Martins. As I approached Abbey Pool, I was thinking that’s it’s about time there was one on Tresco. Nothin!! Ten minutes of following the pool around and 17 sand Martin arrived in from the west, circled the pool, and continued east until I couldn’t see them no more. I did the circuit of the Great Pool next, anti-clockwise and the only species of note included a single Cattle Egret, the four geese, Russian White-front, Siberian Greylag goose and the Canada Geese, the Great Spotted Woodpecker, 12 Chiffchaff, 18 Linnet and a Woodcock. There was no change with the wildfowl from yesterday. An hour later, I returned to the Abbey Pool to find that there were now 28 Sand Martin hawking high above the water. Was this flock part of the 17 or were they all new birds just in? Who knows but it does make you think of how many Sand Martin have moved through today? Returning home and the 3 Cattle Egret that have been on St Mary’s, flew over me towards Tresco to join the other individual that I saw earlier, to roost. I’ve now had all three species of egret from the kayak.

well, I didn’t think that I was goin to bump into this Snow Bunting at Pentle Beach after finding it yesterday on Samson.

Only the 1 Cattle Egret on the Great Pool as the other three were on St Mary’s

Will these 2 Canada Geese stay and breed?

It was good to see the Russian White-fronted and Siberian Greylag Goose showing well instead of 100 mile away or flying off

There were up to 28 Sand Martin hawking high above the Abbey pool

Finally the sun came out when I was nearing the end. Altogether I counted 8 Great and 5 Blue Tit, on the island

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