Well, today was all about a pelagic. Almost as soon as we left St Mary's, the gulls began following the boat, and within minutes a superb first-winter Caspian Gull joined them. A second-winter bird also showed further out at sea.
Caspian Gull
It wasn’t the busiest of pelagics, but one sight will stay with me for a long time. We came across 80–100 Grey Phalaropes feeding on the open sea, with little flocks of three to 25 birds bobbing about on the waves, while others flew around in tight groups. I had witnessed this years ago on one of these pelagics and wasn’t expecting to see it again. What an incredible sight!
Grey Phalarope
A few Manx and Sooty Shearwaters also showed well, along with a Great Skua, five Puffins and a more distant Arctic Tern.
Gannet
Sooty Shearwater
Great Skua
As we headed back towards land, news broke that an Isabelline Shrike had been found on St Mary’s. With the recent taxonomic changes involving these shrikes, identification can be complicated, particularly with first-winter birds. DNA also isn't always reliable for separating Isabelline and Red-tailed Shrikes. Thankfully, I don’t need Daurian or Turkestan Shrike, so I could just relax and enjoy the bird without worrying too much about the identification.
A huge thanks to Joe Pender, Bob Flood and the Sapphire crew for another fantastic day out at sea. I really enjoyed it.Once back on dry land, I wasted no time heading over to Porth Hellick to see the shrike, getting a lift from my good friend Higgo. The bird was showing as soon as I arrived, perched up on a rock before flying down onto some bracken, where it showed really well.
Isabelline Shrike Sp
Leaving the bird to the crowds, I moved on and had a quick look at another potential Wilson’s Snipe before heading off to see Mick Scott, who had trapped a Southern Field Cricket, a first for the Isles of Scilly! Mick and his son Will had kindly invited me to share in their excitement after finding this cracking insect. What an absolute beast! I was lucky enough to see it rubbing its wings together, making an impressive noise for such a little creature. A fantastic find by the lads, and a real privilege to share the moment with them. Huge congratulations to both!
Southern Field Cricket
It was only a few months ago that I saw my first Verge Cricket with Alan Lewis at Porthgwarra in Cornwall, so it was great to see another migrant cricket.
A quick stop at Lower Moors produced another excellent view of the other Wilson’s Snipe before I called it a day.
Wilson’s SnipeWhat a day, with some fantastic seabirds, a cracking shrike and a first for the Isles of Scilly. Tomorrow, I’m off to St Agnes with the lads. Can’t wait for another island adventure!
Wilson’s Snipe