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Sunday, 26 October 2014

Possible this, possible that!?

Robin Mawer did a better job than me by getting all 3 Short-toed Lark in the same shot on the airfield

  Guess what? It's Sunday! So like the last two Sundays I find myself searching around the airfield. Just before I got up there, a single Short-toed Lark had come on the pager, but I was observing the 3 Short-toed Lark with 9 Skylark feeding on the edge of the runway with a single Snow Bunting and 2 Wheatear. Overheard, very small numbers of Chaffinch and Redwing seemed to be coming in off the sea with a male Sparrowhawk. Last week I was the only one to see all 3 Short-toes. However, this time everybody caught up with them and later in the afternoon, a brief Red-throated Pipit joined the larks! Like to have seen that.
  A short walk down the road to see the juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Porth Hellick that was discovered yesterday. Here the bird performed well, at very close range at times, but mainly stuck to the center of the bramble field behind the hides that borders the coastal path. 7 Swallow were also present in the area with single Yellow-browed Warbler and Firecrest at Higher Moors. At Newford, out of the 3 Yellow-browed Warbler seen yesterday, I only heard one, but there was a possible Siberian Chiifchaff by the pond. Porthloo could only 3 Black Redstart, 7 Pied and 1 White Wagtail.


The 3 Short-toed Lark were pushed all over the shop by dog walkers, shooters and workmen



This Juvenile Red-backed Shrike is more than likely the only one I'll see this year

  The last week continues to be quiet and the only yanks to arrive from Hurricane Gonzalo were all on Tresco, First, a male Green-winged Teal was on the Great Pool, (20th) followed on the 22nd by a pair of American Wigeon on the Abbey Pool. The day before the wigeon, I flushed a dark Mallard flying out of the black and white wood at Lower Moors. I only saw the bird briefly back on and observed purple speculum without white borders. I shouted out 'Black Duck!' Some two hours later, birders at Juliets and on the Scillonian, saw 6 Mallards, including a darker individual showing off white underwing and purple speculum, flying out in the direction between Tresco and St Martins. It was just a little too far to claim it as a Black Duck. So it went down as a possible? I thought it would of been relocated elsewhere, but there hasn't been a sniff of it. I still reckon it will turn up in the next month and might be hiding out off Tean or Samson. 925 also had a possible American Golden Plover over town, 21st.

Only a handful of Redwing around at the moment

At Content I've had up to 80 Chaffinch, 50 Goldfinch, 40 Linnet and early last week 17 Blackcap

This Sedge Warbler has been present in the weedy Content field for a week and I last saw it on the 24th




An interesting snipe that I had at Porth Hellick. Note on the bottom pic between the record shots of the two Snipe. On the left hand individual, the shorter tail, equal black and white barring on the flanks and more black on the tertials.  The other feature is the left hand bird appearing more black and white in plumage, but Snipe can vary so much. So it will have to go down as a possible?


Mark William Lanegan (born November 25, 1964) is an American alternative rock musician and singer-songwriter. Born and raised inEllensburg, Washington, Lanegan began his musical career in 1984, forming the grunge band Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner,Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band, Lanegan also started a low-key solo career and released his first solo studio album, The Winding Sheet, in 1990. Since 1990, he has released a further six studio albums and has received critical recognition and moderate commercial success.

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