notbirding: Scilly seabirds

Sunday 23 August 2015

Scilly seabirds

This year's summer holiday was to the Isles of Scilly - mainly non-birding, but with three pelagics on the Sapphire on 10th, 14th and 16th August. And very good they were too!

Things got off to a good start on the Scillonian out to St Mary's on 10th; I spent most of the trip seawatching, and part-way into the trip noted a juvenile skua sat on the sea less than 50m off the side of the boat. It looked rather slight and pale-headed, but as it skittered into flight, it flushed a 'black-headed' gull that was sat near it which I hadn't looked at properly. As the gull took flight, it flashed its unmistakeable wing pattern which took my attention away from the skua - it was a smart adult Sabine's Gull. I reached for my camera, but remembered I'd left it back where we were sat... I dashed back for it, telling a few other birders what I'd just seen, but by the time we all returned to my position there was no sign of either the gull, or the skua (which I'm pretty sure was a Long-tailed). A while later, as we approached the Scillies, I then picked up a Cory's Shearwater cruising low beneath a group of Gannets at mid range; unfortunately I don't think anyone else managed to get onto this bird either, but I was pleased to get one given that this species has been pretty thin on the ground this year.

The pelagics themselves produced a good range of species. Several Great Shearwaters showed extremely well on each trip; it is impossible, I think, to say how many were involved each trip, and I think reports of 9 or 10 from the trips I took were optimistic, as I'm sure some of the birds simply left and then rejoined the boat. But anyway, super birds; I also picked one up sat on the sea on the Scillonian home. Manxies, one Balearic and several Sooty Shearwaters also featured across the three excursions.

Great Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Balearic Shearwater

And so on to petrels. There was no shortage of Stormies, which zipped across the chum slick each trip, although they were little blighters to photograph. Wilson's Petrels had, until my second pelagic, failed to show up this year (previously, the latest every first sighting off Scilly was mid July - the 17th I believe), but we had one that showed well for a few minutes, and then another, much briefer bird on my third trip. Great little birds, and my first in 15 years! But of course, the star of the show was the Fea's Petrel on the 16th...on which, more here.

Storm Petrel

Wilson's Petrel

Fea's Petrel

Other bits and pieces on the bird front included several Bonxies and a single Pom Skua (a second summer bird), and a juvenile Black Tern. Each trip also included some shark fishing, and single Blue Sharks were caught, tagged and released on my first and second trips - stunning animals. A single Porbeagle Shark was also caught (but escaped before it could be got on board), along with a couple of little spurdogs.

What's been caught?

A Blue Shark

Blue Shark being tagged

Cetaceans also performed well, with Bottlenose and Common Dolphins and Harbour Porpoise logged on the pelagics, and the latter two seen on the Scillonian back to Penzance - in fact, a flat and glassy sea provided great conditions allowing plenty of each species to be seen, along with a single mid-sized whale which breached once and was probably a Minke Whale.

Bottlenose Dolphins

Birding on the boat

Land-based birding was very limited. A walk round the perimeter of St Mary's one day produced 13 Common and 7 Green Sands and a smattering of Wheatears, and a Pied Flycatcher and three Whimbrel featured on our last day.