SCILLYSPIDER: NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, LESSERLEGS on Higgo's project!

Monday 26 September 2011

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, LESSERLEGS on Higgo's project!

We awoke to light southly winds with overcast skies and the St Agnes lighthouse looking down on me. It felt promising and Grayham and I set off as it was getting light towards Periglis. Here we found the juvenile PECTORAL SANDPIPER, but it was not until we got to Castella Down that we saw anything of interest. An imm/fem Marsh Harrier flying away from us towards Periglis. Half an hour later Grayham was at home, while I was slagging behind. Just before I turned the corner to join Graham, I glimpsed a warbler a long way off down the far end of a field in the apple trees. I put my bins up and could clearly see that I had a hippo warbler, but which one? It the brief seconds that I observed it, I couldn't help but notice a pale panal on the tertials. The bird had gone in deeper into the trees and I ran like the devil to get Graham. We both returned and only Graham managed to see it very briefly in the trees before it flew off over his house. What he saw, he thought, was a MELODIOUS WARBLER!

Despite the apparent pale area on the tertials-which some Melodious are prone to show-the rounded pot-bellied look and rounded wings in flight (recalling Garden Warbler) identify this bird as a MELODIOUS WARBLER.

Imm/fem Marsh Harrier over Castella Down

Juvenile PECTORAL SANDPIPER with Turnstone at Periglis

There were 5 Spotted Flycatcher including this one in the Parsonage

10+ Blackcap were on the island and this Female was at Tamarisk Farm

Up to 3 Hummingbird Hawkmoth were seen on the island

Graham getting stuck into chocolate icecream with a big dupping of clotted cream on top and looking a right propper tourist. He ain't with me!

This was my view from my bedroom window first thing this morning

Gugh Bar

St Agnes Quay looking from Gugh

Graham went to do some work with Fran Hicks at 11.30 and I made my way to Gugh. The sun was out and here I found it very hard work. There seemed to be nothing, then I decided to pish on the edge of the plantation and out came a WRYNECK very briefly! Single Whinchat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher and 5 Wheatear were all I could find on the rest of the island.

WRYNECK in the plantation on Gugh

At 15.15, we caught the Spirt of Agnes to St Mary's to go and see all the yank's on Higgo's project! We were at the Dump Clump looking for Smoothy's Red-eyed Vireo that he found two days ago at Old Town Church! We had been there for half an hour, when I heard the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH nearby! Despite it calling a few times in front of us, we could not see the bloody thing. At 17.45, it was decided to go and look at the juvenile LESSER YELLOWLEGS that was first seen on the road, exhausted, at Porthloo Duckpond yesterday afternoon, before getting the strengh to make the short flight to Higgo's project. At the latter site, there were over 10+birders waiting for the waterthrush to come in. While waiting, you had this cracking Lesserlegs showing down to a few meters in front of everyone. At 18.50, everyone saw the waterthrush fly in and land at the far end of the pool, to the relief of Alastair Orton, who had been there since 15.30! After a few minutes the waterthrush moved closer and started feeding on the edge with the lesserlegs! It was there for 25 minutes before flying off in the direction of the hides at Lower Moors, where it thought to roost in the horse paddock nearby.