So I'm back on the illustrious Isles of Scilly for some R&R post 'the most mental season ever' where workload, film crews, special events and random guests nearly had every single one of us fatigued in an insane ayslum! The avian gods smiled upon us though, and delivered therapeutic rare after medicinal rare to ease our weary psyches'!!
A rather stiff 25mph NW watched as I hugged the railing of Scillonian III on Saturday, scanning for 3 solid hours and eeking out Cory's, Belearic and 2 Storm Petrel from the 600+ passing Manx Shearwaters. After being on the east coast, where seawatching is great, but perhaps lacks the potential for a 'Tropicbird moment' that the SW will always possess. So needless to say I was very excited throughout!
This Spotted Fly was looking rare down at Porthellick
My luck changed however!! A coincidental trip with mates to Tresco yesterday saw me sneaking away, bins and camera clutched firm, to the Great Pool. Where before even entering the hide I could make out the hybrid Yellow Wag/Tree Pipit call of a Citrine Wag! It remained mostly elusive occassionally rewarding my persistence with good close views, remaining extraordinarily vocal throughout, which allowed to me pinpoint the second, less vocal bird across the pool! Needless to say my pics dont convey their loveliness!
Well two Citrine's together almost compensates for missing 2 Belearic Shearwater, 2 Greenish Wblr, 2 Citrine Wags, Icterine Wblr and Rosefinch on the Farnes in a matter of days. Balls. But I couldnt help feel St. Marys was hiding some gems that would probably require a bird-finding pick to unearth given the habitat. And thats the great thing about Scilly, it's just nice to wander around birding, even if there's very little about, the biggy is round the corner...! Which I did as I apporached my garden and saw a large, buff looking, shortish legged, long-toed Heron bank behind the trees, which seemed brownish in the millisecond I saw it for. Cue running but alas it had done a classic rare dissappearing act. Purple Heron it was, almost certainly. But I aint the guy to claim off those views! Luckily other people managed to nail birds..and so a pub lunch was interrupted by news of a third, this time adult (!) Citrine Wag down at Lower Moors! Oh my days! So I calmly ate my food, had a pint, played pool and casually rode like hell to find this extraordinarily fresh looking adult female showing superbly.
What a pleaser!! Little bundle of lemons!
Rather aptly, it has been nothing but beautiful sunshine here since my arrival allowing the true majesty of butterfly numbers on Scilly to be realised. They are everywhere! With Common Blue's seeming especially abundant. However top prize goes to possibly my favourate UK butterfly: The Clouded Yellow. These little rays of sun are everywhere there is suitable habitat with Porthloo area holding nearly 20 and Porthellick to Deep Point holding in excess of 30. Pure unadulterated high grade uncut cripple!
They are just little pockets of sunshine!!
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