Arctic Skua at the airfield

24th December 2022

For the last four days, this Artic Skua has been hanging out at the airfield and by the slightly damaged wing it was identified as the same individual that was at Porth Hellick over a month ago

Yesterday, Ren called me to inform me that he had a probable Artic Skua distantly fly off from the southern runway towards Giants Castle. I put the news out but it was this morning, after the airport shut at 10.30, Ren and I made our ways down the southern runway. The Artic Skua was sat down on the east side and when the fire brigade joined us, one of them walked straight up to it. As a result, by it’s slightly damaged right wing when it flapped, I identified it as the same individual from over a month ago at Porth Hellick. However, it flew off strongly towards Giants Castle before returning a few minutes later and settling back on the southern runway again. There was also a high count for this time of year, some 80 Meadow Pipit.

The Arctic Skua briefly flew off towards Giants Castle before returning to the airfield

One of the fire fighters walking towards the skua on the right of the southern runway

A high count for this time of year were 80 Meadow Pipit also on the airfield

There only a handful Redwing present at the moment

As usual, there are good numbers of Chiffchaff overwintering on Scilly including this individual at Porthloo where there were 5

A few days ago, the Stone Curlew flew low south over Telegraph

Waves crashing on rocks off Peninnis Head during a storm a few days ago

Mick Lynch’s Christmas Message

In solidarity this Christmas and New Year support NHS border force postal railway nurses teachers and others strikes

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‘PI’ the Humpback Whale returns to Scilly!

17th December 2022

‘PI’ just off Deep Point this afternoon

Over two week ago, ‘PI’ the Humpback Whale made a return to Scilly after last being seen in the winter of 2020. It was sighted on and off throughout those couple of weeks off the south end of St Mary’s. After a few attempts over that period of time, it was today that I finally caught up with it off Deep Point with Robin, Richie and others. In the late afternoon, it was observed, as it moved from west to east, hugging the Deep Point rocks. In over an hour, it was on view most of time, always at close range, and was briefly joined by a few Common Dolphin. There were also some 600 Kittiwake, streaming west with over 20 Mediterranean Gull off Toleman’s Point as well.

‘PI’ almost touching the Depp Point Rocks as it passed by

Hopefully ‘PI’ will overwinter and give me another chance to get out and kayak with it like I did on Christmas day two years ago in The Roads!!

Before all this whale watching, Richie and I tried out the gulls at high tide off Porthloo. As a result of note there were 2 Yellow-legged and 5 Mediterranean Gull and on the beach were 5 Black Redstart.

2 Yellow-legged Gull at Porthloo

With up to 5 Mediterranean Gull

And a wet Black Redstart out of the 5 present

Economic Collapse & Growing Inequality

We’ve had 12 years of disastrous Tory rule, hyper boosted by leaving the European Union. And now, the dramatic decline in the country’s infrastructure, pubic services and living standards have seen frustration and anger growing amongst a sizeable portion of Britain’s population. And that discontent is now being channelled into concrete action, in the form of strikes by workers right across the economy. Railway workers have halted the transport network. Border Force staff are withdrawing their labour, ironically seeing post Brexit Britain even further away from taking back control of its borders. Postal workers, bus drivers and civil servants are either striking or on the verge of striking. Criminal Barristers took successful strike action a few weeks back, and won an enhanced pay award. And then there’s the nurses and paramedics, who’ve just staged their biggest walkout in decades. Teachers in Scotland are striking next month, with their English counterparts pretty sure to join them as the latest paltry pay offer has been rejected. But the PRESS barons in the Mail, the Sun, the Express and the Telegraph want us to believe it’s the UNION barons who are our enemies, that we should somehow be on the same side as these tax dodging multi billionaire non resident newspaper proprietors, apologists for this far right government, who are determined to turn this wave of strikes into some sort of class warfare. A framing that unfortunately seems to have been adopted and followed by presenters on the BBC and ITV. And make no mistake, Rishi Sunak and his team are most definitely on the side of the bosses and the 1%. I appreciate all of you who share my videos with friends and social media to get the word out there. Together, let’s bring this extreme right wing government to an end.

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Stone Curlew at Mcfarland’s Down in mid-December!

16th December 2022

Will Scott turned up this Stone Curlew at Mcfarland’s Down/Telegraph area this morning.

This morning the wader scrape in front of my window was frozen over! Overnight, the wind had died down and the bright sun and calm conditions, got me out on the water in my kayak. The plan was to spend a couple of hours on Tresco and then head off towards the Eastern Isles, following the west shore of St Martins. After covering the Great Pool, which was 60-70% frozen over, and seeing of note, 2 Siberian Chiffchaff, 35 Chiffchaff, 15 Goldcrest, the Scaup, 7 Shoveler, the 3 Cattle Egret, 200 Redwing, 12 Fieldfare and I got a recording of the Dusky Warbler that I discovered at the beginning of the month that was still in same area, I returned to my kayak at Pentle Bay and just offshore, were 2 pale-bellied Brent Geese. It was while birding the Great Pool earlier, that Will Scott back on St Mary’s, put the news out of a wader sp that he observed in flight with his naked eye. He knew it was something different and shortly afterwards, Scott Reid relocated it and turned out to be a Stone Curlew sat in a field at High Lanes/Telegraph junction! Me, also sat in my kayak off Skirt Island, was debating what to do? Half an hour later, I was on dry land, walking at quick pace, towards Mcfarland’s Down. It wasn’t long until I joined the local birders and peered over the hedge to see only my third Scilly Stone Curlew showing well at the other end of the weedy/bulb field and it’s mid-December!! Crazy record!!!

One of the 2 Siberian Chiffchaff

Also, some 35 Chiffchaff. If you look closely, you can see pollen at the base of it’s bill on this individual, indicating that it may have arrived on Tresco in the last few days from the south.

The Scaup kept it’s distance on the Great Pool

The 3 Cattle Egret at Simpson’s Field

Meadow Pipit

These 2 pale-bellied Brent Geese were off Pentle Bay

Rowed back to St Mary’s from Tresco to twitch this Stone Curlew. I’ve only seen three in the UK and all on Scilly. Elsewhere, I’ve observed them in Spain, Palestine and Morroco.

In the last three days, I’ve had up to four garden ticks. The freezing temperatures on the mainland in the last week have seen an arrival of Golden Plover and Lapwing on Scilly. Two days ago, 26 Golden Plover circled before returning to the footy pitch next door and this was followed by 47 Lapwing flying south. However, the highlight was the day before when a Cattle Egret I observed fly past the window and settle down next to the wader scrape. The forth garden tick was a single Common Gull that came in with a record total for the sight of 5 Black-headed Gull.

It was only a matter of time before a Cattle Egret turned up in the garden and it happened three day ago. The above record shot was hastily taken from indoors. This egret has been knocking around St Mary’s for the past week and today it joined the 3 individuals on Tresco

One of the 5 Black-headed Gull on the wader scrape just in front of the window

Also got 3 Blackcap in garden including this male

Last week we kayaked to Round Island and back and observed up to 12 Great Northern Diver, 14 Mediterranean Gull, a single Common Scoter, and this boat, east in the distance made of granite.

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Pie lays into all the bloody poor people for daring to ask for better pay, conditions and job security.

Pie used to be funny. Now he’s just accurate. More accurate than MSM.

The Red-flanked Bluetail has made it into December!

3rd December 2022

To everyone’s delight, the Red-flanked Bluetail continues to perform well at the Lower Moors and was still present yesterday

A stroll along Little Porth this afternoon and we came across a cluster of Goose Barnacles covering a plastic bottle and discovered a Columbus Crab all the way from the Carribean, clinging inside onto the barnacles. Sharing the same beach were up to 4 Black Redstart and overhead, 3 Little Egret flew east. Just up road, the long staying Red-flanked Bluetail made it into December and was still showing off in the cow field at the Rose Hill end of Lower Moors yesterday.

In less than two weeks, up to 3 Columbus Crabs have been washed up on St Mary’s including this female today at Little Porth

One the 4 Black Redstart at Little Porth

Red-flanked Bluetail

Yesterday, in a nippy ENE breeze, we kayaked across to Bryher and parked up at Rushy Bay. In the hour that we were there was spent mostly beach combing the west beaches of the island. As a result, up to 10 Violet Sea Snail were picked up with 2 Black Redstart on the boulders above. However, the highlight was as we were returning back to the kayaks when we fortunate to observe a Short-eared Owl at close range for a good ten minutes on and off in the Rushy Bay Flats area.

All 10 of the faded out Violet Sea Snail off the west beaches of Bryher

There were 2 Black Redstart also on the beach

It was over ten years when I last observed a Short-eared Owl like this individual. While the last sighting of this species was March just gone also at the same sight as this one, Rushy Bay Flats

Pied Wagtail

Stonechat

Returnimg back to St Mary’s from Bryher we wanted to stay on the water a tad longer and headed out west for a short time towards Annet

Three day ago, we finally got out on the water for the first time in nearly two months because of the windy conditions throughout. Passing Green Island were the long staying 3 Spoonbill. While on Samson Flats out of the 200 Ringed Plover, 150 Sanderling, 30 Curlew was a single Purple Sandpiper. A stop off on Samson to do some beach combing and only Portuguese Man O’ War Jellyfish of note but there were a vocal Water Rail nearby and a single Skylark flew through.

These 3 Spoonbill arrived last month to over winter in the Samson area

Only this single Purple Sandpiper on the Samson Flats feeding with the large numbers of waders

Shortly after leaving Samson, I kayaked over to Tresco and in the short time I had, I decided to cover just the east side of the Great Pool. Chiffchaff and Goldcrest were all over the shop with some 40 and 55-60 respectively. Mixed in with them were 5 Siberian Chiffchaff, a high count of 25 Blue Tit and single Yellow-browed and Dusky Warbler. The latter species was first picked up on call and then glimpsed on and off after that. A quick look at the Great Pool and the 2 Cattle Egret and single Scaup were still present. Time was up and made it home just before dark.

Yellow-browed Warbler in the dull light

In with the 40 Chiffchaff were up to 5 Siberian Chiffchaff including this individual

Eddie Dempsey Of The RMT Calls Out The Media To Their Faces!

The RMT assistant general secretary Eddie Dempsey called out the media for not holding government ministers or industry bosses to account. He said that journalists like Kay Burley of Sky News prefer to ask trade union reps difficult questions than those who are ultimately responsible for the industrial action.

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