Rare south american gull found on island

Scilly twitchers have had a busy month. Only a week ago St Marys’s Nigel Wheatley found a rare Treecreeper in Tresco Abbey Wood.

However, only four days later on the 11th March, the Isles of Scilly Bird group spotted Franklin’s Gull at Lower Moors. The gull performed at close range in front of the ISBG hide and over 15 local birders saw it.

It was later spotted in Old Town Bay. It stayed for over two hours and then flew off towards Peninnis and wasn’t seen again. If it had stayed into the weekend, then small numbers of birders from the mainland would of twitched it.

This Franklin’s Gull should of been in south America and it is thought that the bird may of been blown across the atlantic ahead of the two fronts that hit us the night before.