Isles of Scilly - Pelagic Weekend

Cory's Shearwater: Every couple of years I embark upon a birdwatching pilgrimage to the stunning Isle of Scilly. Autumn is probably high on most people’s wish-lists when they think about spending time here. Anything can, and does, turn up here throughout the year, which makes the islands worth a visit in any season, but Autumn brings the added excitement of Scilly pelagic trips.This time I was accompanied by Kristian Wade and Carl, top bunch of lads.

Let's first start with the word, what does it mean? he the word ‘Pelagic’ is derived from Greek, meaning 'open seas.'Some of the most exciting pelagic birding trips can be experienced on Scilly pelagic trips where they are usually conducted out of areas where nutrient-rich waters are found close to shore. 

We go out on the infamous passenger boat called the Sapphire skippered by Joe Pender who also runs these birding trips alongside a shark-tagging programme.

We booked these palagic trips about two months ago, after there had been regular reports of Scopoli’s shearwater I was keen to at least try for them.  This species is closely related to Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis), and is pretty difficult to separate. 

One of the main ways and most reliable ways of separating Scopoli’s from Cory’s, is by observing the underwing feathers and pattern. Looking at it simply, Cory’s has a broader dark tip to the underwing, while Scopoli’s has a smaller dark tip, with more white on the primaries. 

There is more to it than this as there usually is in birding, the lighting conditions can vary plumage, and then there is individual variation in the species as well so I knew it was going to be a challenge but with a bit of luck I was hoping to tick one while down here.

The seas around the Scilly's are currently teaming with Cory's, to put in into context when I came down and did the palagics back in August 2020 we only saw a handful of Cory's, this time I had literally hundreds. 

Red-footed Booby: It is thought that the recent extreme heat across the contenant has had a real impact on these birds and they have extended their typical range. Cory's Shearwaters breed across the Atlantic archipelagos; the Azores, Canaries, Salvagems and Berlengas all have breeding colonies. Birds start to leave these colonies during August, with many heading for the Bay of Biscay.

Another bird that is likely been impacted by the unusually hot weather and rising sea tempuratres is this remarkable rare red-footed booby. Red-footed boobies are found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and they are one of three species of booby found in Galapagos!

This bird was spotted three weeks before I arrived on a pelagic but only for a short time and wasn't seen agin for another week or so, when the skipper Joe took the Sapphire out to a The Bishop lighthouse on the off chance that they might find it there. 

Well, they did! the bird was roosting on the netting at the top of the lighthouse and thankfully remained there until we arrived. I thought out twitching it as many other did in the first few days after it was refund. But I thought I would take a gamble and wait, this time that gamble paid off. 

Great Shearwater: This red-faced booby is the 2nd record for the UK after one rescued after being found in an exhausted state on the beach at St Leonards, Sussex back in 2016.

We were lucky enough to book on to four pelagic trips which maximised our efforts and likeliness that we could get something else, something extra special maybe?

Amongst the hundreds of Cory's where dozens of greats, this is another marvellous bird and one of the few species of birds to migrate from its breeding grounds in the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere for winter.

Across our trips we saw increasing numbers and large rafts out at sea and had several indidules following the wake of the Sapphire putting on a superb show.

Personally, I really like these shears much more than Cory's, I think they have a more pleasing plumage pattern and look more interning than their larger relatives. 

South Polar Skua: During our Saturday pelagic, I was chatting to Scott Reid, an old friend of mine who lives on the island and volunteers on the pelagics. We were catching up, chit-chatting about bird when a small dark suck came in from the stern.  Scott immediately saw it and started to get animated.

He shouted out to the entire boat that we need to get a picture of this bird and just like that everyone raised their lenses and fires away. Bob Flood (the doyen of pallid sea birds confirmed South Polar skua a few hours after we departed. 

European Storm Petrel: We were straight in the Mermaid pub that night celebrating with a few pints joined by Jack Bucknall, Joe and Scott reliving the dream of an absolute mega flying over the boat. This skua will live long in the memory and will easily become the rates bird of the weekend and top-trumped the red-footed booby.

Wilsons Storm Petrel: Saturday also brought our biggest number of stormy's that came in to feed on the slick left behind by the chum, a fishy, oily bait that enrages shearwater and petrel closer to the boat but Friday during the shark trip we bagged a single Wilson's stormy. 

We struck lucky here as this was the only Wilson's of the weekend and showed well at times from the back f the boat as it swept in up and down the slick. 

European Storm Petrel: All the stormy's were incredibly difficult to photograph, these small black birds seemed to appear out of nowhere and disapeear over a wave. 

Cory's Shearwater: I didn't know where to look at times. There were dozens of shearwater surrounding the boat, and stormies feeding on the slick as we drifted and bobbed on the sea. 

Manx Shearwater: Maxies were more numbers on the ferry crossing then the pelagics but we did have a few bird rafting with the larger shares that gave us an opportunity to get Perry close before they flew off. 

There were time when the sea was pretty rough and were were getting rolled around on the large swells. I'm not particularly good on boats and have been known to get pretty severe sea sickness. 

Cory's Shearwater: This time however I was fine, I always took some sea sickness tablets, Kwells are for prevention of travel sickness and made sure I ate a good breakfast before boarding the boat. this might sound country her productive but it's definitely a good idea.  

Great Shearwater: Unfortunately we didn't connect with any Scopoli’s, others did while we were on the same boat, but I'm not claiming a bird that was togged and I may or may not have seen it, that's called cheating. 

Arctic Skua: Apart from the massively mega South Polar skua we also had two Arctic Skua including this dark phased bird which was frantically cashing the gulls and shears that were following the boat.

We also had a pale phased bird that shot passed the boat, these birds have a well-earned reputation as avian pirates, stealing much of their food from other birds, chasing them down until they drop their food. 

Cory's Shearwater: Shearwaters have an incredible capability to follow smells. It means that they can navigate in complete darkness without relying on their sight, making it easy for them to find their way to the colony at night. During daytime, seabirds are wandering the sea looking out for fish, squids or crustaceans. 

Common Dolphin: Along with sea birds we had dozens of common dolphin and a handful of Risso's on the Sillonian Ferry crossing. 

Red-baked Shrike: We stayed at the Garrison camp site on St Marys in a rede-tent, a pre-erected clamping tent with air beds and a stove. Pretty decent if you can't get any accommodation on the island. 

This gave us the opportunity to spend some time birding on the Island.  

Wryneck: we managed to catch up with a male red-backed shrike and a juvinile woodcut shrike, but the highlight was this striking wryneck that Ian Ellis relocated and we went back for on our last day. 

This was a mega trip and a really enjoyable adventure with some great people and great birds, I'm defiantly looking forward to my next Scilly pelagic.  

11/08/2021 Withins Lane, near Elton Reserviour

Cuckoo: This juvenile bird has taken up residence on a small seemingly disused allotment of Withins Lane just past the tow path close to Bridge 18. 

The bird was showing as soon as I arrived spying its prey from on top of a wooden post, it regularly swopped down catching caterpillars. It also felt o the nearby field where it was hunting on the ground, hopping about and walking through the tall vegetation looking for food. 

Young cuckoos are about the size of a pigeon and are even more strikingly patterned than their parents. Their entire plumage is criss-crossed of strong, dark stripes. The young’s back and wing feathers are also dotted with brown spots and there is a prominent white patch on the young bird’s neck. Its yellow-rimmed eyes and feet are also eye-catching splashes of colour.

Cuckoos feed exclusively on animal food. They hunt insects, spiders, worms and other small animals. Sometimes they even eat small frogs and other amphibians. Plant food, on the other hand, is not on the cuckoo’s menu.

There was plenty of food in this small area and its disappointing to hear that there has been folk putting meals worms out for it to get better images. There's no need, the bird was landing a few feet away from my lens and was finding plenty of large caterpillars and bugs to feed on. 

The cuckoo is a migratory bird that spends its winters in the tropical savannahs of Africa. It is a long-distance migrant, with the adults leaving in July or August and their young a month or so later. They return to the UK the following spring in late March or April.

I've spotted plenty of young cuckoo in my time while out surveying and birding but I have never had a bird show as well as this, crazy!

10/08/2023 Seaton Snook, Cleveland

Arctic Skua: These sharp, sleek fast birds are simply amazing to watch as they dart quickly over the top of the water like slim winged spitfires in an arial dog fight.

Seaton Snook covers the north side of Tees Estuary forming part of the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve. This is a vast area of salt marsh and sandy beaches with a line of sand dunes separating the two areas. North Gare pier extends a short distance into the Estuary.

At this time of year these aggressive oppitunistic birds take up residence here, at least for a short while as the tent numbers are at their largest. Here they harass and chase the terns who have successfully caught fish ignorer to try and steal they quarry. 

They are even known to actively hunt and take the tern themselves. 

02/08/2023 Kintyre, Argyll and Bute

Spotted Flycatcher: Working away on the beautiful  peninsula in western Scotland, Kintyre can be found in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about 30 miles, from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north.

After a tough days surveying out on the boggy, wet and hilly moor and plantation woodlands I stumbled across a single fudge bird biting attended by a single adult bird. 

Spotted flycatcher's are somewhat an ordinary-looking bird, mostly grey-brown in colour with paler streaks, particularly on the head and wings. It has a creamy white breast which is streaked with pale brown. 

But looks can be deceiving as they are one of Britains only two breeding flycatcher and soon to be a very scarce breeding bird here. 

They favour woodland edges and clearings, as well as parks and gardens. They are found across the UK, however they are less abundant in the far north and west so to see one up here is pretty special. 

 

Since the 1960s, the Spotted Flycatchers in the UK have suffered a massive decline in their numbers, with BTO figures showing an 89% reduction between 1967 and 2010. The reasons for the decline are thought to be numerous and may include less flying insects as a result of deterioration in woodland quality.

The fledging looked to be recently fledged and wasn't bothered my presence and was taking shelter from the prevailing Scottish rain and westerly winds.