It’s been an exceptional year for large ‘shears’ in the south-west approaches. We’d seen a few Cory’s from Pendeen so were in eager expectation when we boarded the Scillonian on Wednesday, for our day trip to the Scillies. We hadn’t got out of Mounts Bay before we started seeing more Cory’s Shearwater. There was a reasonable showing of Manx but we couldn’t find Balearic or Sooty. Half-way across – somewhere around Wolf Rock – we encountered a mixed raft of Manx, Cory’s and three Great ‘shears’. A little further on an adult Sabine’s drifted past us. During the out-bound trip we also had around 25 Storm Petrel and several species of cetacean: Common & Risso’s Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise and the ‘blow’ of a Fin Whale. The return trip gave us more of the same but perhaps in lesser numbers. Not one skua was the most notable record. Away from the Scillonian the only other sea-bird of special interest was a colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull at Hayle, which I managed to obtain details for – ringed as a chick in June last year, near Leipzig. Details below: