30/6/90 Sidlesham Ferry Pool

Marsh Sandpiper 1 adult ex.

17/6/90 Rutland Water

Marbled Duck 1 adult

9/6/90 Scillonian & St. Marys

Storm Petrel 2
Night Heron 1 sub-adult Porthellick
Ring-billed Gull 1 2s Porthcressa
TREE SWALLOW 1 ex. Porthellick



Tree Swallow at Porthellick, St. Marys (Jack Levene)

The late Spring of 1990 was a good time to be granted six weeks study leave off work to prepare for accountancy exams. Whilst the idea presumably wasn't to study various islands around the UK, that's exactly what happened, with visits to Portland, Sheppey, Shetland, Lundy, Isle of Wight and Scilly. Whilst the best I could manage in one of the exams was a poor sketch of the Pallas's Sandgrouse in the hope of an understanding examiner, some top class rarities were seen. 



5/6/90 Rye Harbour

Least Tern 1 adult male

2/6/90 Isle of Wight

ALPINE ACCENTOR 1 ex.

Alpine Accentor at the Needles, Isle of Wight (Alan Tate http://www.aabirdpix.com/)

I was on Shetland with RJF when we first heard of this bird and JFC got across and saw it on its first afternoon. Despite having seen one on Portland, RJF was keen to try for it, so we travelled across as foot passengers on the ferry and caught a bus to the Needles.

29/5/90 Lundy

Storm Petrel 3
ANCIENT MURRELET 1 adult ex. Jenny’s Cove on cliff

Ancient Murrelet at Jenny's Cove, Lundy (Mike Langham)

Having driven back from Aberdeen with the windows open to reduce the fumes from my broken exhaust I jumped straight in the back of a car with JFC & JK to Ilfracombe despite me not having a place on a charter boat. I soon talked my way onto the same fishing boat as JFC & JK and we were soon on Lundy watching the Ancient Murrelet at Jenny's Cove. The crew of the boat spent their time in the pub at Lundy and decided to have a race with another boat on the way back. The boats collided, the coastguard were called and we were escorted by a rescue helicopter for some time whilst the damage was assessed! Needless to say we soon made ourselves scarce to avoid the welcoming party back at Ilfracombe!

27/5/90 Unst & St. Clair off Fair Isle

Snowy Owl 1 female ex.

Off Fair Isle

Storm Petrel 1