PURPLE HERON at Porth Hellick!!

 

Adult PURPLE HERON at Porth Hellick What a cracking shot by Martin Goodey! 

Ok, I missed out on Jaclyn's and Jim's BLACK STORK yesterday, which is now in Dorset, but when I went to see how they were getting on at the Porth Hellick ringing station this morning, discovered they had not trapped anything, I left them both and went around the corner and flushed a bloody adult PURPLE HERON a few meters in front of me!! That was good enough for me! The heron was put up on the main track bordering Carn Friars towards Deep Point. Circling a few times it then flew off NE towards Pelistry, where I lost it. I called everyone until my credit ran out. Robin joined me briefly at Pelistry, then, on my own I checked Holy Vale. Here I flushed it in the low branches of Elms and it flew off low towards Porth Hellick. With no credit, I rushed to Martin's house and he put the news out to everyone. After half an hour of searching, Martin flushed it on the loop trail, I was at the crossroads, chanting to Jim and Robin at the time, and it flew off over the pool towards Carn Friars. In the end, everyone caught up with it and it was last seen at 16.00 by Higgo, in the same field where I had it at Holy Vale. I thought this PURPLE HERON might of been yesterdays bird that was seen at Swingates, Cornwall, but this was ruled out when the Cornish bird was seen at Drift Reservoir later this afternoon. 

 

This is when I first flushed it off the track at Carn Friars, just after 09.00...  

 

 

And this is when I flushed it at Holy Vale, about two hours later, heading off towards Porth Hellick 

 

Adult PURPLE HERON at Porth Hellick all Robin Mower

 

My first Painted Lady of the year was at Holy Vale with another later at Peninnis 

Also at Porth Hellick there were 6 Chiffchaff, 2 each of Willow Warbler and Blackcap and 40+hirundines. On the pool, there was no sign of the female Pochard. Later in the afternoon, a Short-eared Owl at Lower Moors, flew low towards Rocky Hills and I disturbed a female Merlin on a boulder at Giants Castle. A single Redwing was at Pelistry and just before I flushed the heron at Carn Friars, a Blue Tit flew over high from the SE and seemed to come in off the sea! Robin also observed hirundines and 4 Tree Pipit come off the sea at the same point where I had the Blue Tit. 

 

Tean and I found lots of Nursey Web Spider on our walk today. They were all over the shop! We looked closely at the variety of body patterns that these spiders can have. The best one was the top shot, with the orange line through the center.  We also found 10+Green Tiger Beetles and a single Oil Beetle.  

 

White-faced Fly at Penninis was a first for Tean and I.   

 

Moth sp? at Peninnis 

 

Moth sp? at Parting Carn  

 

Oak Egger caterpillar? at Peninnis  

 

Male Linnet at airfield 

 

Sunrise from my house. There was a NW breeze with bright hot sunshine throughout the day