1 of the 3 BEE-EATER at Shooter Pool, Lower Moors MARTIN GOODEY
I had a great day, in company and birds, although there was one person who kinda of spoiled it very briefly. Graham, from St Agnes, spent the whole of the afternoon with me, chatting and helping with the guest, there bags, and looking out for birds while I was driving around. At the airport I got a call from one of the guys, working in the vine fields at Holy Vale, to tell me that he had a Buzzard above his head. Not being a birder and thinking that he might be looking at Honey Buzzard, Gra and I scanned over towards Holy Vale and picked it up distantly above the trees being mobbed by a Peregrine. Unfortunately it was one of the Buzzards from Tresco.
Our third visit to the airport to collect four guests, nearly made us turn back when we were told who was there. One of the taxi drivers told me that Alan Sugar (sorry Lord Sugar) was in the control tower. Naturally I wasn't so sure that he was telling the truth and asked Kev, one of the bag handlers, if it was true that Sugar was here. 'He's taking the piss!' 'Thought so' I replied. I turned around towards my wagon and returned to Kev and said, 'If he's taking the piss, then who's that standing right next to the boot of my taxi smoking a fat cigar?' There he was, prancing around behind my wagon. Last week I had the Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervin King, in my wagon and now I had a Lord almost touching it! With the guests we walked over and I just about to tell him to get out of the way so I can open the boot, when he moved off with two other guys towards the small car park. Graham took some shots with his camera and you can see all of them below.
Gra was standing right next to him when he took this one and somehow he missed and took a shot of the my boot that Sugar-snaps was almost leaning on
Here's his thumb. oh no, that's mine
This is good, because this is where he walked across. Sugar-lumps is just out of view to the right
And yes, that's him on the right! Can't you see the smoke from his fat cigar. It's covering the whole of his upper body and that's why you can only see his legs
Well done Gra. You did a great job
After all the excitement, Gra joined me for staff tea at Star Castle and then we did a little shopping at the Co-op. It was 17.40 and he had an hour to kill and I suggested to go and have a look at Lower Moors. As we looked through the screen at the Shooters Pool, on the wires in front of me, I could see a silhouetted bird that looked like a Bee-eater! I looked through my bins and said,'It is a BEE-EATER and there's another and another!' 3 BEE-EATERS! Then a group of 10 people arrived from nowhere and couldn't believe what they were looking at. The next person to arrive was Robin followed by everyone else. All 3 birds performed very well catching bees and calling quietly all the time. After half an hour they moved further down the wires towards the incinerator where we found it difficult to get close to them. They flew off and Higgo and Ritchie relocated them at Parting Carn and at 19.30, Gra and I could hear them near Shooters Pool, but couldn't see them. In the end Gra returned to Angy at 20.00 with some locals.
Joe Pender
The Islander coming into land at the airport
As you can see the light was pretty crap!
All of us watching the 3 BEE-EATER from the Shooters pool screen
'Higgo, I don't think we're going to catch the Bee-eaters in that and I think you should give it back to the kid you nicked it off!'
Common Frog tadpoles in Higgo's net.
A female Gadwall with 11 ducklngs at Porth Hellick
Male Swallow singing next to seaward hide at Porth Hellick
Two years ago a ten piece band called Pondlife, played at the Scillonian Club. In between taxis I glimpsed them on and off and was very disappointed that I could not see all of the concert. So I was really pleased when I heard that they were playing at the Old Town Inn and what a gig it was! Last night they started playing at 21.20 and with in twenty minutes there were a few people dancing, but ten minutes later, it was packed and you couldn't see the floor! In fact, if you were not dancing then you were the odd one out and an hour later I was up there! The music was ska/reggae and they looked and sometimes sounded like Madness. You couldn't help yourself, the music got you moving and it was worth every penny!
Part of the ten piece band 'Pondlife' at Old Town Inn
Pondlife! If you hear that there in your area, going and see them! I forgot to say that the dance floor only holds ten people, but they are great dancers as you can clearly see!
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