PALLID SWIFT at Porth Hellick

This PALLID SWIFT spent all day at Porth Hellick

  Mid-morning and a call from Robin to tell me about a PALLID SWIFT at Porth Hellick. I immediately contacted Higgo and a few others as they too didn't know anything about it, but it was not until the afternoon that I could go. Picking up 925 in town, we arrived at Porth Hellick and joined up with Higgo and Robin on the west slope looking over the beach. From here, the swift was feeding with a handful of House Martin and Swallow performing very well as it swept past us, at times, almost arms lengh away! Ten minutes later it disappeared and so did I as I had to return to work.

 

 

In the ten minutes I observed the swift, the light was pretty crap! However, just as I left, the sun appeared. It stuck around the area for the rest of the day. This was my 6th for Scilly, while Higgo has now seen 8 and 3 of them he found himself! The best one has got to be when he found a Pallid on Bryher. It flew out of sight behind a hill and when he waiting for it to reappear from behind the hill, it turned into a Alpine Swift!! It must be the only UK record of the 2 species feeding together.

Robin and 925 looking at the swift hawking over the pine belt

  Late this afternoon, in the choppy conditions,  I canoed to Bryher and spent just an hour there. I saw more Swallows and a single House Martin, 5 White and 2 Pied Wagtail, 4 Whimbrel and just off samson showing at very close range as I drifted by, the female Eider and 2 Great Norther Diver. These pics of Samson were taken last week

 

Returning to St Mary's

 

Last week this male Firecrest was very vocal at Rose Hill

 

Still a lot of Wood Pigeons around

I had my first Willow Warbler on Samson, 10th April. This one was on the Garrison.

A cracking image of a weather dog taken by Robin last week off Porthloo

 

Steve Earle's latest album, Low Highway, just out today! Here's 'Invisible' it's about  the homeless. Other great tracks are typical Earle like, 'Thinking about burning Wal-Mart Down' while other songs shows his roots.