SORA RAIL at Lower Moors

This is the best I could do of the adult SORA RAIL

   Today Nigel Hudson came across a BEE-EATER in trees at Nowhere carpark. Just before dark I made a visit to Lower Moors and while observing the Spotted Crake at very close range I heard the Bee-eater. I rushed out from under the Willow and found the bird hawking above my heard before disappearing behind the willows. It reappeared a few times after this and every time returned behind the willows infront of me. When everyone arrived it was late and it had more than likely gone to roost nearby.
  Also today Phil found a Wryneck on the main path towards the Great Bay, St Martins and there was a fall of both Ring Ouzel and Wheatear. On St Mary's there were 14 of the former species with singles on both Martins and Agnes.  A count of 167 Wheater were on the golf course with over 60 on the airfield. A Green Sandpiper was at Porth Hellick, I had a female Redstart on the Garrison and the Rook I had yesterday over Hugh Town ended up with the yesterdays CHOUGH on St Agnes where there was also a Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Tree Pipit and 3 Common Sandpiper.

If only the Sora peformed like this Spotted Crake

There were also 2 Brown Rat knocking around with the rails and crake

 

After not seeing it in October last year and dipping out on it in Febuary, it was on the 9th April when I finally caught up with the adult SORA RAIL feeding under the flooded isolated willow between the Shooters Pool and the two hides at Lower Moors. The following day I had much better views in the early afternoon and after this it was never seen again. However, birders continued to seaching for it and Paul Varney was rewarded with a Spotted Crake the following day. The crake showed superbly a few meters away infront of all the birders. Over a week ago Will Wagstaff had a flyover CHOUGH on Bryher. Yesterday it was rediscovered on St Agnes and by the colour rings it proved to be from Cornwall. I had a single Common Sandpiper at Porthloo while in the Twince fields, Robin counted up to 8 Ring Ouzel feeding together. 3 Dotteral also turned up in the Chapel fields on St Martins.

 

The SORA always showed well but was a devil to get any good pics of it

 

 

Little Egret at Lower Moors

 

The 2 adult Greenland White-fronted Geese are still present on Porth Hellick and were briefly joined by these 2 Canada Geese. Last week 6 Canada Geese were in the harbour

 

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