Pallid or Montagu's Harrier at Pelistry!

1st winter Ring-billed Gull at the airfield

 Yesterday evening in the SE drizzle, I could hear Redwings throughout most of the night. A Black Redstart was also attracted to the Star Castle lights. At first light I was at the entrance of the castle and could hear Redwings still moving through. As it started to get lighter, I moved onto Newford and got the 2 Siberian Chiffchaff. However, twenty minutes later all I got were a single siskin, 50 redwing and a few Chaffinch overhead . So I thought Pelistry would be a good move. As I aapproached the stables, I could see small numbers of winter thrushes in the bushes. In an hour of being at Pelistry, over 650 Wood Pigeon, including a flock of 400, 2 Stock Dove, 300+Fieldfare, 250+Redwing, 4 Blackbird, 50+Meadow pipit, 110+Chaffinch and 13 Goldfinch moved through.  The Wood Pigeon were dots in the sky and going west, while the thrushes with 120 Starling flew east out to sea. By 09.30,  it had more or less stopped with a few thrushes trickling throuhg. A male Ring Ouzel dropped in with Redwings and there was 2 Black Redstart on the beach. However, the best bird, that I saw very briefly, kinda of got away. A ring-tailed harrier sp was silhouetted flying away from me hunting over the fields towards Normandy. It was too far away, but what I observed I didn't think was a Hen Harrier and when I contacted everyone I told them that it's more than likely a Montagu's or Pallid!? Later in the morning it was on Gugh and St Agnes and here it was thought to also be a juvenile Montagu's or Pallid Harrier but views were not so good. A quick look at Trenowth got me the 2 Firecrest.

Male Ring Ouzel with Redwings

Over 650 Wood pigeon moved through. The above bird were part of the flock of 120

 At lower Moors there were 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, 3 Siberian Chiffchaff and 25 Chiffchaff. Another 3 Siberian Chiffchaff, 2 Yellow-browed Warbler, 1 Firecrest and 20+Chiffchaff were at Porth Hellick. All these birds have probably been on the island for the last few days or more.  A call from Bob Dawson, telling me that the harrier had possibly left St Agnes, got me and Higgo looking around the Content fields. As there had been good numbers of finches here, we thought this is where the harrier might turn up. An immature male Merlin had the right idea and flushed 40+Linnet, 400+Chaffinch, 2 Brambling and 5 Skylark.
  Throughout the afternoon Martin was calling me to say that the Ring-billed Gull, that arrived last Sunday, was showing well at the airport. I had not seen it and I joined Martin and we both got cracking views of the gull with 9 Skylark.

A male and female Brambling were with the 400+ Chaffinch at Content

2 different Siberian Chiffchaff. Altogether I saw 8 birds and except for one, I located them by there call. There were also 2 on St Agnes with a Yellow-browed Warbler.

I had up to 60 Chiffchaff scattered around the island

Small numbers of Ringed Plover were at Porth Hellick

 

1st winter Ring-billed Gull with Peninnis Head in the distance just before dark. Surprisingly a rare bird on Scilly with the last record 12 years ago when I discovered a 1st winter that stuck around over a week from Jan 7th. However, Will Wagstaff today went and found an adult on Tresco Great Pool! This could be the first adult to be observed on Scilly.

Calexico is a Tucson, Arizona-based Americana / Tex-Mex / indie rock band. The band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums onQuarterstick Records, while their 2005 EP In the Reins recorded with Iron & Wine has reached the Billboard 200 album charts. Their musical style is influenced by traditional Latin sounds of mariachi / conjunto / cumbia / Tejano music and also the Southwestern United States country music as well as '50s-'60s jazz and '90s-'00s post-rock, and they have been described by some as "desert noir" or indie rock. The band is named for the border town of Calexico, California.