Subalpine Warbler at Pelistry

This Subalpine Warbler was a surprise for Graham and I while doing the fields at Pelistry

This afternoon I had a look at Porthloo and in the area below where the cars park, there were up to 10 Black Redstart including a male. All the birds were concentrated in the one corner sheltering from the strong SW wind. Early afternoon and I was joined by Graham from St Agnes. Three days ago in the Content fields I had over 300 Chaffinch, 150+Goldfinch, 40 Linnet, Siskin, Reed Bunting, my first Woodcock of the autumn and in the trees bordering the fields, a single Yellow-browed Warbler, we thought that would the area to find something good. It was dead!

Black Redstart

Black Redstart,  Meadow Pipit and Blackbird

 By mid-afternoon and we were at Pelistry where I thought it would be sheltered from the wind. It wasn't and in the dull light I was looking into the Sallows, while Graham went ahead into the field. I could see movement in the back and after a few minutes I had picked out the 2 Yellow-browed Warbler I had 3 days ago and a few Chiffchaffs. Mean while Graham, who had been seeing Yellow-browed Warbler for the last fortnight in his garden, had his hands in his pockets, looking sulky and impatient to move on. While I continued to look at the same bush that I had been starring at for the last year! Then suddenly he whipped up his bins and siad, bloody ell is that a Subalpine Warbler!? It was an anxious ten minutes before it popped up on the outside of the Sallows and I said, yes it is, Subalpine Warbler! What then followed was an extraordinary hour during which we had continues views of the bird at point blank range, along with Martin who was the only one to join us after I put the news out.
  For Graham who has lived on Scilly for six years, it was a new Scilly bird and a find tick, a dream bird he rates almost as much as the male Siberian Rubythroat that he found on Fair Isles last year! It was a gorgeous little bird with a subtle peachy wash underneath and lavender-grey head.

Up to 2 Yellow-browed Warbler were also feeding in the same Sallows as the Subalp

Our first real view of the Subalp

If only the light was better. We've looked at identifying race, age and sex of this warbler and are non the wiser. Hopefully tomorrow we can put some more light to this bird and come up with the answers.

Over a period of two days, I had up to 14 Yellow-browed Warbler including 4 at Pelistry\Green Farm, 3 at Newford, 2 at Holy Vale and Trenowth and singles at Porth Hellick, Porthloo and Old Town Church. I would of had a lot more if I visited other areas of St Mary's.

This Siberian Chiffchaff was in the same tree as a Yellow-browed Warbler at Carn Withers, Pelistry

Yesterday I had this Willow Warbler at Porth Hellick with an interesting Lesser Whitethroat that I only saw very briefly. There were also 2 Swallow at the airport

The 30th and this Common Sandpipier was on the rocks below the Pottery, Garrison

Very small numbers of Siskin around at the moment

Harry Manx is a musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. His official website calls his music a "blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour." Manx plays the slide guitar, harmonica, six-string banjo, mohan veena and Ellis stomp box. He studied for five years in India with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Bhatt is the inventor of the 20-stringed Mohan Veena, which has become Harry’s signature instrument He has released twelve albums in a twelve years, and has his a record label "Dog My Cats Records". He has had must recognition and received many awards, including: seven Maple Blues Awards, six Juno nominations, the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 for Best Solo Artist and won CBC Radio’s “Great Canadian Blues Award” in 2007. Manx was a nominee in the 8th AnnualIndependent Music Awards for his cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire"