Retrospective news for Friday (28/07)
SCOPOLI’S SHEARWATER– 1 was identified on scrutiny of the many photographs taken of the Cory’s Shearwaters on the evening trip north of St. Martin’s. This is only the third record for Scilly.
Saturday (29/07)
Wilson’s Storm Petrel – 6 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
European Storm Petrel – 40 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Cory’s Shearwater – c300 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Great Shearwater – c30 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Sooty Shearwater – 15 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Manx Shearwater – c600 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Yellow=legged Gull – 2 juveniles on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Artic Skua – 1 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Arctic Tern –1 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands.
Common Scoter – 1 just south of the islands on the way out on the daytime pelagic trip.
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale – 1 on the daytime pelagic south and east of the islands. This is the first record in Scillonian waters and only the second for England.
Sunday (30/07)
Unprecedented numbers of Shearwaters were in Scillonian waters, thousands off the headlands associated with the many “tuna boils” mainly Cory’s but some Great and Sooty. Examples were 800 seen flying past the mouth of Porth Cressa in 3 minutes! 200+ “per scope view” past Porth Hellick and several 100s past Peninnis were there was also a dark phase Arctic Skua. 100 Cory’s & 3 Great Shearwater flew past Castle Down, Tresco between 13:00 & 13:45.
Counts past Giant’s Castlen between 09:00 and 19:00 were: “1000s”m of Cory’s Shearwater, c9000 Manx Shearwater, 34 Sooty Shearwater, 22 Great Shearwater, a Pomarine Skua, 2 Arctic Skua, 2 Mediterranean Gull and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.
A SCOPOLI’S SHEARWATER was also seen and photographed off Innisidgen amongst a feeding group of Shearwaters.
On the return crossing on the Scillonian III, from St. Mary’s to Penzance, birds seen from the in Scillonian waters were: 2500 Cory’s Shearwater, 2000 Manx Shearwater, 10 Sooty Shearwater, 320 Great Shearwater, Also seen was a Risso’s Dolphin and a Minke Whale.
Similar numbers were seen from the daytime pelagic trip south of St. Mary’s. Estimated counts were:
3 SCOPOLI’S SHEARWATER (photo), 3500 Cory’s Shearwater, 1500 Great Shearwater, 120 Sooty Shearwater, 2000 Manx Shearwater, 250 Northern Fulmar, 21 Wilson’s Storm-petrel, 120 European Storm-petrel, a first-summer Long-tailed Skua, a first-summer Arctic Skua, 2 Arctic Tern, 3 Minke Whale(photo), 30 Short-billed Common Dolphin and 200+ Bluefin Tuna (photo(.
Short-eared Owl – 1 around The Plains on St.Martin’s.
Monday (31/07)
Another astonishing day in the annals of Scilly birds.
There was a continued passage of Cory’s Shearwater past Scillonian headlands. 500 past Porth Hellick Down and a “steady stream” past Horse Point, St. Agnes.
The real action was on absolutely awesome evening pelagic trip 10 km south of St. Mary’s, the highlights were:
SOUTH POLAR SKUA, (photos) this only the third or fourth record for Britain and the first of second for Scilly. A bird found exhausted on Gugh Bar on 7th October 2001 was taken into cared for and nursed back to health before been releases on 22nd January 2002. At the time it was not identified to full species level and was recorded as a “Southern Oceans Skua”
1 possibly 2 SCOPOLI’S SHEARWATER were also seen, This takes the total for the first “Birders’ Special Weekend) to a minimum of six birds, increasing the British total from three to nine, eight of which have been recorded in Scillonian waters.
Also seen were: 39 Wilson’s Storm Petrel, a record count for a Scilly Pelagic, 120 European Storm Petrel, c1000 Cory’s Shearwater, 80 Great Shearwater 12 Sooty Shearwater, c1000 Manx Shearwater, a first-summer Long-tailed Skua, a first summer Arctic Skua, 30 Short-billed Common Dolphin and 25 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna.
