CIRL BUNTING on Scilly

3 of the 4 Night Heron flying out of their roost at lower Moors this evening

   Early yesterday evening Mark Anderson, Robin and I decided to go and look for Will Scott's 4 Golden Oriole that he had at Trenowth earlier in the day. In the dull light, I suggested that we should first try the fields first and go from there. We got a Marsh Harrier but there was no sign of any orioles, It was 20.30 and Robin left us. He had only been away for a few minutes when I heard an unfamiliar siong nearby and said what's that? Mark repeated 'Yeh, what is that?'  I thought maybe a Bonilli's Warbler and Mark agreed. The bird was singing from a bush at very close range, but out of sight. It just didn't sound right for Bonilli's and we were not sure what it was until Mark shouted CIRL BUNTING! Shite yeh! And it made a short fight into a row of bushes where it continued to sing, but again out of sight on the other side. I never knew what Cirl Bunting sounded like and only seen one bird before this. A male in Morocco. I quickly called Robin and then told Higgo to call everyone. It was getting dark when everyone arrived and it was thought that the bunting had gone to roost.
  A few of us at 06.00 this morning made our way to Trenowth and as we stepped into the field where the bunting was yesterday, I could hear it singing in the same hedge and then the others heard it. We stayed put, thinking that it would show eventually. However after twenty minutes of singing, it shut up. So we all went to the other field to look from the other side, thinking we would get it from there. No sign and I left and went looking in the other fields in the area. I saw it very briefly on the deck and again a few minutes later on top of brambles. But when the others came around, we couldn't find it. At 0.800 a few of us had to leave for work and despite the sun burning off the fog, there was no sight or sound throughout the rest of the day. The last record of Cirl Bunting was Jan '77 when 12 birds were at Borough Farm, St Mary's.
  Birders looking in the surrounding area got a the sub-adult COMMON CRANE, Quail, male Redstart, the Marsh Harrier and Higgo reckons that were at least 8 Golden Oriole between Watermill and Trenowth. Singles were also seen at Lower Moors and Porth Hellick. Another Quail was flushed at Peninnis. The Short-toed Lark was still on St Martins.

Sedge warbler

Male Gadwall

Large numbers of swallow arrived today and included over 400 birds at Porth Hellick

Record shots of  the Marsh Harrier in foggy conditions at Trenowth

  For the last two nights there has been reported 5 Night Heron flying out from Lower Moors towards Old Town Bay to feed. This evening I joined three other observers and was rewarded with 4 adult Night Heron. Three of the heron were very vocal as they flew around the moor for a good five minutes. While the other seemed to come down at Higgo's Pool. The three birds returned to the Sallows on the moor and I was the only one that stayed on to see all three birds fly out again just above my head, out towards Old Town Bay. The female Garganey was also still on the Shooters Pool and a Snipe flew over

 

A crane with a crane

The sub-adult COMMON CRANE for the last few days has been jumping the islands. These I took two days ago at Porth Hellick 

It looks like the GBH has gone. These were taken last week on the 3rd at Lower Moors

Bill Callahan (born June 3, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders. Later he began releasing albums with the label Drag City, to which he remains signed today.