TREECREEPER at Carrag Dhu Garden

TREECREEPER proving hard to get at Carrig Dhu Garden

  I was leaving the airport when I got a call from Tom Mckinney 'I've got a TREECREEPER at Carrig Dhu Garden' 'What, shite, jesus. I'll be there in two secs' And I was, after I got my bins from home. Everyone will need this as a Scilly tick and when I arrived at the gardens, I called Will, as he was just seconds up the road, and then Tom put the news out. 2 Firecrest, male Blackcap and a Chiffchaff all showed well and when Will arrived, I relocated the TREECREEPER in the very same tree where Tom had first found it. Then it went missing for a few minutes, until Tom heard it and Higgo got us on to it. More birders started arriving but I had to get to work. A return later found the bird being chased around, but I couldn't get on to it and had to make do with a YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER instead.

Sunrise from Star Castle opened up to a stunning day!

The only other Scilly Treecreeper that I've seen, was a bird found at Well Cover, Tresco, 7/3/03, by Nigel Wheatly.  

Mega twitch for the TREECREEPER This is the rarest bird on the island at the moment, with only 14 Scilly records, after the Northern Waterthrush which is still present.

 A quick look around the campsite area, Garrison, produced a Redstart and HAWFINCH! Not knowing that it was there, I flushed the Hawfinch from the NE end of the campsite. It circled above me, calling, and then headed off NE over the football pitch and I lost it behind the trees. I shouted down the radio, just in case someone was near the pitch, but when I ran out, there was not a soul there. In fact, that's the way it is on Scilly at the moment. Not many birders and you can walk around for hours and not see anyone. Lack of eyes, means the lack of birds.
 
  In the afternoon, at Rose Hill, there were a single YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER and Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff and Blackcap. At Newford Duckpond, I was told that the YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER that was there, had only been seen for 30 seconds in two hours! When everyone had moved on and I was all alone, I pished and what did I hear? With in seconds, with 3 Chiffchaff, it performed really well in front of me, before returning to the back. In the nearby fields there were a Woodcock, Black Redsart, 20+Redwing and 29 Swallow.

Willow Warbler and YELLOW-BROWEED WARBLER at Rose Hill

A bit of pishing brought this YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER out of cover at Newford Duckpond

Redwing and Swallows at Trenowth all enjoying the sun

  Finished work late this evening and the usual thing, had a look at the back of me garden just before dark. 5 Chiifchaff, male Blackcap, 1 Goldcrest and my 4th YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER of the day.

A good way to end the day is with a YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER

This evening looking from me house

'I used to be Cop' by the Drive-by Truckers. Great song and nearly every song that sing has Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Young and Merle Haggard in it. I want to go and see this band