ISLES OF SCILLY PELAGICS-SOUTH POLAR SKUA

With five sightings of South Polar Skua being seen off the Isles of Scilly in the last couple of months, my good friend John Pegden organised three pelagics to try and see this species, and twelve of us finally agreed to go across.

I met up with Dan Pointon, Mark Sutton, and John Pegden, and we headed down late morning. The journey down was full of optimism and conversation that we could see this rare bird. It was better to be out at sea than sit at home thinking, what if!. Anyway, we called in at Cape Cornwall late afternoon, and we all got great views of a Melodious warbler, only my fourth for Britain. 

Melodious Warbler

Cape Cornwall in the evening sun

The evening was spent in Penzance at the local curry house after a long drive south.

We were all up at 6.30am and made our way down to the quay in Penzance, where the dawn sun greeted us behind St. Michael's Mount.

The Scillionian 

All ready for the Pelagics

The crossing over to the Isles of Scilly produced 5 Cory's Shearwaters, 2 Great Shearwaters, a Juvenile Sabine's Gull, and a Sooty Shearwater.

Here are the summaries of what we saw over the next few days:

Day 1 Pelagic

14 miles SW of St Mary's: 170 Cory Shearwaters, 10 Great Shearwaters, 2 Great Skuas, 12 European Storm Petrels and 250+ Short-Beaked Common Dolphins

Heading out of St Mary's

Great Shearwaters breed on Nightingale Island, Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha, and Gough Island. It is one of only a few bird species to migrate from breeding grounds in the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere.

No South Polar Skua was spotted this evening as we passed the Bishop Rock lighthouse on our way back. We will try again tomorrow.

Day 2 Pelagic

Today, Dan, Neil, and I spent the morning walking around St. Mary's. We saw 2 Great White Egrets and 2 Common Rosefinches.

Dan and Neil 

Dan found two Common Rosefinches by St. Mary's airport, which showed well. We left St. Mary's at 1pm for the next Pelagic.

Adrian getting the bread in for the Pelagic from the local Co-Op

At sea, various locations: 15 Great Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwater, 2 European Storm Petrels, 4 Great Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater

Great Skua

Coming back into St Mary's

The evening was spent with my mate Higgo, who lives on the islands, having a few beers and a catch-up.

Day 3 Pelagic

Wolf Lighthouse and return: 2 juvenile Sabine's Gull, Arctic Skua, 80 Cory’s Shearwater, 20 Great Shearwater, Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, 3 European Storm Petrel, 40 Short-Beaked Common Dolphin.

Wolf Lighthouse

Juvenile Sabine's gulls breed in the Arctic, and they migrate south to the Southern Hemisphere in the autumn, covering up to 24,000 miles per year—the longest migration of any gull

Well, after three days of pelagics, we headed home with no sighting of a South Polar Skua. We did have a feeding group of >300 large shearwaters just west of the Wolf, seemingly an equal split of Cory's/Great, from the Scillonian on the way home back to Penzance.

Pelagic's already booked for next year. WE'LL BE BACK!

MORNING STROLL

If you are a naturalist, you can honestly claim that Norfolk has a lot to offer. I adore the county! During my brief stroll this morning, I noticed a variety of insects and birds in the early morning light.

Common Blue

Comma

Large White

Brown Argus

Common Darter

Small Copper

Common Field Grasshopper

Red Admirals are in good numbers this autumn in Norfolk

Goldcrest

Red Kite

Common Buzzard

AN EMERALD IN THE RAIN

The walk had begun without expectation, a gentle morning stroll through the countryside near where I was staying with friends. Grey clouds hung low, but there was no urgency in my steps until, without warning, the heavens opened. Rain fell hard and suddenly, prompting me to search for shelter.

I ducked beneath the nearest tree and resigned myself to waiting it out. A wooden post stood beside me; I rested my can on top, lit a cigarette, and opened a drink, a clear sign I wasn’t going anywhere soon.

Then I looked down.

Perched calmly on the post, just inches away, was a male Southern Emerald Damselfly.

For a moment, I simply stared. Then instinct took over. I grabbed my phone and managed to capture a short video and a handful of photographs before the spell was broken. The damselfly remained obligingly still, its presence utterly surreal given the conditions, rain-slicked countryside, muted light, and the quiet hiss of falling water.

                            

Southern Emerald Damselfly

The identification was unmistakable. The black-and-white pterostigma, the bronzy tones of the thorax, and the distinctive spread-wing posture left no doubt. Known in some regions as the Migrant Spreadwing, this species carries itself differently from our more familiar damselflies, resting with wings half-open rather than neatly folded.

What struck me most was the absence of blue colouring; instead, the broad, pale antehumeral bands on the thorax and the two-toned wing spots marked it as something exceptional. To encounter such a species, unplanned and at such close quarters, was genuinely astonishing.

The significance of the moment soon sank in. This was a true rarity, encountered in the heart of Norfolk, the Emerald of the South, far from where one might typically expect it.

A Species on the Move

Lestes barbarus is a southern European species, its range forming a broad arc from India and Mongolia across to Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. In northern Europe, it remains scarce, though its footprint is steadily expanding. Breeding populations are now established in the coastal dunes of the Netherlands, and since 1995, the species has been reproducing on the Channel Islands, right at the edge of its known range.

North Africa also features prominently in its story; the species’ Latin name derives from Barbary, where the first specimen was recorded.

In Britain, the Southern Emerald Damselfly was first recorded on 30 July 2002, at Winterton Dunes in Norfolk, making this encounter all the more fitting.

As the rain finally eased, I became aware of the wider landscape around me. A narrow stream cut through the field, and nearby a small reedbed stood quietly, glistening with rain. The habitat suddenly felt promising. Was this lone male simply a passing migrant, or were there others nearby, hidden among the reeds?

I didn’t have time to find out. The rain returned with renewed intent, and my friend arrived to collect me before I could explore further. Still, the thought lingered as we drove away.

I hope to return to the site before the week is out, to see whether that emerald flash in the rain was a singular moment or the hint of something more.

FIVE SEABIRDS ADDED TO UK RED LIST

Five seabirds have been added to the UK Red list, meaning that they now face a high risk of extinction in Britain. CLICK ON LINK

LATEST UK MACRO MOTHS-546 SPECIES

Slender Burnished Brass

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Southern Brindled Green

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Maize Wainscot

Golden Twin-spot

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Blair’s Wainscot

Banded Pine Carpet

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Beautiful Gothic

Black-banded Moth-Hartland Point-Devon

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Portland Moth- Formby Beach- Lancashire

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Feathered Gothic

Sandhill Rustic- Talacre Beach- Flintshire

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Scare Blackneck-Hartland Point-Devon

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Pale Shoulder-Portland-Dorset

Bedstraw Hawkmoth-Portland-Dorset

Passenger-Portland-Dorset

Dark Crimson Underwing-Pamber Forest-Hampshire

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Light Crimson Underwing-Pamber Forest-Hampshire

Small Dark Arches-Pamber Forest-Hampshire

Rosy Marsh Moth-Cors Fochno-Ceredigion

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AUTUMN AT LAST!

Following reports of an Icterine Warbler, I made a brief stop at Wells Wood on Sunday while travelling north to Norfolk. After parking, I headed straight to the reported area, where I met James Hanlon, who had already seen the bird and could point me in the right direction.

Well's Wood

The warbler soon appeared, actively foraging high in the treetops among a lively flock of Long-tailed Tits. It was a pleasure to see the bird so well, particularly as I had not encountered an Icterine Warbler since 2022 in Shetland. In the warm Norfolk afternoon light, it showed superbly, with classic structure and clean plumage.

(C) J Hanlon

Icterine Warbler

Despite an encouraging initial view, the bird proved increasingly elusive thereafter, likely influenced by the cloudier conditions that followed. Nonetheless, the area continued to produce interest, with two Spotted Flycatchers and a Wood Warbler also recorded nearby.

Wood Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

An excellent afternoon’s birding and a fitting reminder that autumn migration is now well underway.

PURPLE HERON-GIFFORDS FLOOD-SHELLY-SUFFOLK

I made a brief visit today, having seen only four Purple Herons in Britain, and was fortunate to connect with the bird almost immediately on arrival.

Despite only four records in the last twenty years, none have been truly twitchable, most departing quickly after discovery. This individual proved far more accommodating, lingering long enough to allow excellent views and performing admirably throughout my visit.

Given the species’ increasing frequency elsewhere, a Purple Heron has long felt overdue in Cheshire and Wirral, making this a particularly satisfying record to catch up with.