Birders have been making a beeline for Tresco in recent days to see a Shorelark….or is it. This Eurasian species has a close counterpart, the American Horned Lark, but the two are very problematic to tell apart. Much of the identification at the moment is based on good circumstantial evidence: there are no Shorelark in Britain at all at the moment and the bird arrived as a result of westerly gales. This combined with a range of subtle identification points suggests that this bird may be a “tick” for all. One thing is for sure, tick or not, this bird is very timid and has brought delight to many during an otherwise quiet spell.
The first Pied Wheatear for Scilly has just been found at Little Porth, St Mary’s. Here is the first photo, taken minutes after it was first found.