BLACK STORK!!!!

 

Got my first Comma Butterfly of the year at Trenowth 

  Like many birders on the island, I spent most of day looking for the 6th BLACK STORK to be recorded on Scilly!! Both Jaclyn and Jim had it early this morning circling low over Porth Hellick Pool!! Jim told me 'If it weren't for the Herring Gull mobbing it, it would of come down' As it was, it carried on low east, across the down, over the brow of the hill and out of sight! Fortunately, on August 27th, 2001, Doug Page found a bird on St Agnes and informed us all on St Mary's. Here, Ren, Bryan, Paul Stancliffe and I, observed it flying low, east, over the harbour. Four years later, on the same date, I observed a single circling above Star Castle, before drifting slowly off ENE on almost the same flight pattern as the 2001 bird! Bryan was the only one who connected with it.
  Higgo tried his luck on St Martins, for Jaclyn's and Jim's stork and relocated yesterdays Wryneck found by Viv, near the campsite. He also had the 2 first Tree Pipit of the year. Back on St Mary's, Smoothy scored with a Bee Eater over town heading south towards Star Castle! I had just left the latter site on my way to pick him bloody up!
   
  At Porth Hellick there were 3 House Martin, 10 Swallow, small numbers of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap and a single Fieldfare. There were also 3 Swallow at Pilestry and an imm/fem Black Redstart at Porthloo. I spent twenty minutes near home, looking into the blue skies and got a single Kestrel, male and female Sparrowhawk and a dot in the sky, turned out to be a Marsh Harrier heading SW!

 

Wren trapped at Porth Hellick 

 

This spiral snail was on the wall at Star Castle and is tiny. Does anyone no what species it is?  

  

 

Nursery Web Spider in the garden These spiders can show different and striking patterns on there body

 

Solitary Bee, (Andrena thoracica)  in the garden

  

 

I'll try and identify this SolitaryBee later 

 

Imm/fem Black Redstart at Porthloo

 

This Marsh Harrier at Telegraph,  is more than likely the one that's been present on the island for nearly two weeks   

 The SW also did well today, with a Red-rumped Swallow, Purple Heron and Bee Eater, all in Cornwall and at Durlston, Dorset, the first British spring record of a RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL was a female!!! There was also a Red-rumped Swallow in Ireland and east in the Norfolk, an Alpine Swift!