Redstart, WOODCHAT, HOOPOE......

 

My first Redstart of the year was a stunning male at Christmas House, Garrison 

 

The Wood Warbler was in sub-song at Carn Friars 

 

Male Pied Flycatcher at Trenowth 

 

Still 4 Ring Ouzel on Porth Hellick Down including this male

Seeing all these birds (all males) was like being in the south Shropshire hills in my home county.   

  Less numbers of phylloscs this morning in the Porth Hellick area. Except for a fly-over Tree Pipit and a singing Sedge Warbler in the scrub at the beach end, it was more or less the same birds as yesterday. The single Wood Warblers at Porth Hellick and Carn Friars (the latter bird in sub-song) and the 4 Ring Ouzel on Porth Hellick Down, were all still present.

 

 

Single Wood Warblers still present at Carn Friars (top photo) and Porth Hellick

TOTALS IN THE PORTH HELLICK AREA


2 WOOD WARBLER
1 SEDGE WARBLER
1 TREE PIPIT
1 GOLDCREST 
IMMATURE MALE SPARROWHAWK
11 BLACKCAP
8 WILLOW WARBLER
8 CHIFFCHAFF
5 HOUSE MARTIN
10+SAND MARTIN
25+SWALLOW
PAIR OF TEAL 
1 ADULT BLACK-HEADED GULL
1 ADULT GREY HERON

  By mid-afternoon, I thought I would go and look for the HOOPOE and try and get some better shots, as the light was a lot better than yesterday. I first had a look at Christmas House and found it immediately probing on the front lawn. I called Ritchie, but I had to get a move on back to work. Shortly afterwards, I had twenty minutes and with in a few minutes of walking from work, I was observing the female WOOCHAT SHRIKE at close range on the SW slope, on top of the Gorse Bushes.

 

This HOOPOE was busy probing for Leather Jackets and seemed to pull one up every minute!  

 

The female WOODCHAT SHRIKE on the SW slope of the Garrison, was only a five minutes walk from the HOOPOE!  

  A single Tree Pipit, 4 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff and my forth male Pied Flycatcher this year, were all at Trenowth. While I was here, I got a call from Tony and after doing a taxi, I found myself back at Christmas House. A group of them were watching the HOOPOE, so I had a quick look, but I was after something just as stunning. A cracking male Redstart was my first of the year and was on the left side of the garden, but it kept it's distance.

 

Male Pied Flycatcher at Trenowth 

 This male Redstart was feeding in the same garden as the HOOPOE at Christmas House, Garrison

 

HOOPOE and Hoopoe twitchers looking at it on the front lawn of Christmas House 

  Later in the evening, I walked the top fields of Maypole, looking over Holy Vale and observed the Great-spotted Woodpecker bobbing up and down into Holy Vale. On Porth Hellick Pool, a drake Tufted Duck had arrived during the day and spent most of it's time underwater!

 

Drake Tufted Duck was on Porth Hellick Pool this evening 

 

The moon this evening from Holy Vale