It had actually been a peaceful winter season in the Isles of Scilly. The just noteworthy brand-new birds were a first-winter Richard’s Pipit on 12 February, which I bumped into on the airfield, and an adult Long-trailed Skua on 18 February, discovered resting track-side at Deep Point by Richie Aston. However, as early spring approached, a fresh interest powered up Scilly birders. Despite an absence of typical migrants, Steve Holloway teased out an Alpine Swift on 19 March and I had a Purple Heron 2 days later on.
On 23 March, in damaging winds, I roamed throughout the golf course. My intent was to remove Scilly’s initially Northern Wheatear of 2023, or possibly something scarcer like a Ring Ouzel or a Hoopoe. I searched the fairways. Still no wheatear – simply initially- and second-winter Yellow-legged Gulls. I am no gull fan, so paid little attention to the ‘yellow-leggers’ (slang drawn from Will Scott’s ‘rapoetry’). I headed towards the clubhouse, where things will get really intriguing …
Lesser Kestrel, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly (Ashley Fisher).
At 11.10 am, a kestrel rose from the seaside course listed below the clubhouse. It awaited the wind and was basically silhouetted versus a grey sky, however I discovered that the breast to thighs were rufous in colour. Birders discuss ‘alarm bells calling’ when a bird is ‘wrong’. For me, it wasn’t a lot alarm bells calling, as horns hooting, sirens signalling, and claxons blasting.
The underside function was the exact same as a kestrel that I discovered set down atop a flag post on the golf course in spring 2002. It was Scilly’s initially modern-day Lesser Kestrel: a first-summer male. I informed myself that lightning never ever strikes the exact same location two times … I then bore in mind that on Scilly it does. My close birding pal, Ashley Fisher, remarkably discovered Britain’s initially and 2nd Great Blue Herons at Lower Moors, through precisely the exact same conceal slat.
Back to today and the kestrel had actually stooped to the ground, then rose high versus the sky, prior to dropping lower versus a landscape background. Holy moly, it was a male, and the wing-coverts, scapulars, mantle, and back seemed foxy coloured. Again, the kestrel stooped down and rose, duplicating this action 5 times in fast succession, each time allowing quick however revealing views, allowing a bit-by-bit recognition. It was a small kestrel. The head seemed deep blue-grey. The main tail plumes extended beyond the tail-end. I looked unsuccessfully for the grownup’s blue-grey wing panel. I stopped working to see the underwings plainly. Then, as fast as a flash, it was gone.
The occasion took place all too rapidly. I was for a moment shocked. Everything amounted to a male Lesser Kestrel. Had I in fact seen those colours, though? Was the kestrel truly that little? ‘Well, yes, I reckon so,’ I believed.
I collected myself together and changed into action mode. I published a message for residents on Chris Langsdon’s WhatsApp group: ‘possible one male Lesser Kestrel’ (possible, due to the fact that the occasion was so quick; first-summer, due to the fact that obviously it did not have a blue-grey wing panel). I sounded Ash who raced approximately the golf course. I sent a customised message to Higgo (aka John Higginson) who responded: “Sounds like ’02 over once again.”
Lesser Kestrel, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly (Ashley Fisher).
As with numerous unusual bird discovers, the kestrel vanished without a trace. To make matters worse, the threatened rain embeded in. Ash returned to work and I beinged in my car at the golf course parking lot with windshield wipers on. I saw the horizon where the kestrel had actually been and waited, waited and waited, however the rain continued.
I analyzed what I had actually and had not seen. I had not seen a blue-grey upperwing panel, however I bore in mind that the blue-grey upperwing panel on Scilly’s 2020 man Lesser Kestrel, which Ash discovered, was hardly noticeable in the field. However, I had actually seen the tail fanned however had not kept in mind disallowed external tail plumes, which I now remembered were rather apparent on the 2002 first-summer male Lesser Kestrel. Perhaps the bird was a grownup? I discussed this to Ash.
The rain abated at about 2.30 pm. Ash and I talked by mobile. The 2002 bird travelled in between the golf course and Peninnis Head. So, the only sensible re-find method was for me to remain at the golf course and for Ash, who by now had actually ended up work, to examine Peninnis. Most other Scilly birders were at work.
I reached Carn Morval, at the north-west extreme of the golf course, and was scanning ledges on the carn where the 2002 bird rested. My mobile sounded. Ash had actually seen a kestrel and remained in pursuit. I headed back to the car in strong belief that Ash would quickly call back with favorable news. My mobile sounded, I responded to, and all I might hear was Ash’s hoops of delight.
The Lesser Kestrel was near the millstone, along King Edward’s Drive, a track out to Peninnis Headland. At that minute, Scott Reid reached the golf course by car and in minutes we were both burning rubber en path to Peninnis. News spread and other folks raced towards Peninnis. Scott and I parked-up and rushed along King Edward’s Road, quickly signed up with by the ever-jammy Will Wagstaff, back just one day from Antarctica. We turned the corner and there was Ash, bins repaired on that ‘oh so stunning’ bird.
Details for aging stayed evasive on the flying bird. There was some suspicion that a person or more of the external tail plumes had disallowing and unpredictability about the existence or not of blue-grey upperwing panels. Scott took some pictures, and these verified a complete set of adult tail plumes, no disallowing in the upperwing, and greyish upperwing higher coverts tipped rufous, forming a rather suppressed wing panel (it differs in grownups from suppressed to intense). It was an adult. The head did not have dark moustachial stripes. The rufous underside was gently dotted with dark areas. In the pearly white underwings, the primaries had light disallowing, many normal of first-summer birds, however the upperwing plumage verified age as adult. Further forensics discovered whitish claws.
Revellers began to get here. Bird professional photographer Martin Goodey raced to Peninnis on his quad bike. Julian Branscombe and his group from Scilly Wildlife Trust showed up, headed by Lucy McRobert. Higgo slipped out of work and approximately Peninnis. Even Big Al (Alan Hannington) waddled his method from Hugh Town. Will Scott was leaping with delight at a life tick. All bar a couple of regional birders existed. Perhaps the only checking out birder on St Mary’s, Jonnie Fisk, stood high and grinning. The environment was electrical. It was timeless out-of-season Scilly.
Lesser Kestrel, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly (Ashley Fisher).
