SCILLYSPIDER: Cornish SNOWY OWL on Scilly!

Monday 18 April 2016

Cornish SNOWY OWL on Scilly!

Male SNOWY OWL south side of Bartinnery, Cornwall where myself and the finder, Nigel Wheatley observed it fly off 40ft towards Sennen/Lands End at 21.10 last night. 'It's off to Scilly' Wheatley said. i immediatly came back with 'No way!!' Today it was relocated on Tresco!

On Friday we drove to Portsmouth to my uncle Clive's funeral. The day before I spent the afternoon in the hide at Drift Reservoir with Martin Elliot sheltering from the driving rain hoping to see Mush's Ahmad 1st winter American Herring Gull. All we were rewarded with were 2 juvenile Iceland Gull in the two hours that we froze in the hide!

2 juvenile Iceland Gull had a wash and preen in the reservoir. The dark billed individual was a new bird that I spotted.

While in Portsmouth, the male SNOWY OWL had been relocated at Boslow area after goin missing for over a week. The following day, 17th, there was no sign of it. However, while in the Boslow, Martin and I came across a group of gulls in in a road side field. Within minutes of goin through them, Martin picked out Mush's 3rd summer AMERICAN HERRING GULL that hasn't been seen for over a month. Ideal!! I managed to see this bird in December last year when it was a 3rd winter in a few fields just up road at Jerico farm. Mush arrived on the scene and later we caught up with him again at Drift car park. He told us that the adult Kumlins Gull that Martin found last week was on the res. 'You jammy =*^$' I ain't goin to repeat what Mush said to me after seeing the yank gull and shortly afterwards, the Kumlins. The latter gull was on the far side of the res when we got down there and stuck around for a while before flying off NW.

3rd summer AMERICAN HERRING GULL at Boslow Farm

Adult Kumlins Gull at Drift Reservoir

The 18th at 09.00, Mush and I were making our ways towards Lands End to look for migrants. Passing Bartinnery Downs Mush suggested that we should get up the hill and scan for the owl. Up there, I looked to the south, he looked the north and within minutes Mush said 'I've got it!' I didn't expect that 'No way!' The male SNOWY OWL was on a wall some distance away on the next hill south of us. We made ours ways down to get closer and with others, observed it for a good hour before moving on to look for the other yank Gull. To cut a long story short over an hour later, Mush relocated his 1st winter AMERICAN HERRING GULL while scanning from the gateway looking down on Drift Reservoir from the road! I rushed down to get closer, but when I got to the waters edge, I just caught it flying off NW. Shite! In the afternoon, I returned to the res with Martin, hoping that it would return again. I found a possible 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull and that was it!

Didn't exspect to see this male SNOWY OWL in Cornwall

Possible 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull at Drift Reservoir

In three days I had got all the gulls going in south west Cornwall with 2 Iceland, 1 Kumlins, poss Yellow-legged and 2 AMERICAN HERRING GULL including this 1st winter at Drift Reservoir.

By early evening, the Snowy Owl was still perched on the same wall and I wanted to see it fly So at 20.00 I picked up Nigel Wheatley and returned to the site. We had just missed 2 short-eared Owl having a look at the large white owl and it wasn't until 21.10 that we observed it fly off south at 40ft strongly towards Sennen/Lands End. We both thought, what's it doin? 'It's off to scilly!' 'No Way!'

The following day it was relocated on a boulder in a field above the New Inn, Tresco. Later in the evening, Robin scanning from Star Castle, relocated it on Bryher, much to the delight of Higgo who also saw it from Robins scope!

Also today on Tresco, Scillies 3rd IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF that was found yesterday, was singing on Pool Road. On Bryher, Higgo had Ring Ouzel, Tree Pipit and the first Whitethroat of the year. In the campsite area he found a Woodchat Shrike. At the same time, the St Mary's female Woodchat Shrike from yesterday was still at Giants Castle.