Siberian Stonechat at Content

1st winter male Siberian Stonechat this evening at Content

  As I had my windows open, throughout the night I could hear Redwings overhead and at first light I could hear a Fieldfare in the garden. I made my ways outside and small numbers of Redwing were flying west. At 8.15 I found myself at Harry's walls and in 10 minutes 57 Redwing flew west. Distantly I could see a Short-eared Owl over Peninnis. From first thing, Will Scott had 250 redwing over Longstones, but when I got to Pelistry to continue vismiging, Will called to tell me that he had 1400 Redwing and a single Brambing overhead. It was then that I got my first flock moving through, over 200 birds. A total of 1100 Redwing, including a flock of 300, 60 Fieldfare and 2 Skylark were streaming out to sea, WNW. 08.45-09.20. 3 Firecrest were also in the area.
  Throughout the day, I would be working on and off and after returning from work, I thought that I would stay up country. At Trenowth there were 2 Yellow-browed Warbler and 3 Firecrest. On the radio news came on of the Osprey over Pentle Bay, Tresco. I could see the island and lifting me bins I immediately picked it up 100 miles away very briefly touching down on the beach, before flying towards the Great Pool. It wasn't until I made my ways to Helvear that I came across 100's of Redwing (400+) and Fieldfare (200+) feeding in the Hawthorns. At Newford I missed the Spotted Flycatcher, but in the back fields was a male Merlin, 2 Firecrest and the Yellow-browed Warbler.

Feeding the hawthorns with Fieldfare at Helvear were over 400 Redwing

I observed over 1100 Redwing from Pelistry move out west including a flock of 300

In the Helvear area there were over 200 Fieldfare

Male Ring Ouzel at Lower Moors

kl

Up to 50 Siskin were mobile in the Trenowth area

I got up to 8 Firecrest including 3 each at Pelistry and Trenowth

Goldfinch

I saw just 15+ Chiffchaff

A Comma on the same leaf as a Speckled Wood

   I was leaning on the gate that looks into the cattle field at the Old Town end of Lower Moors with Big Al, when a male Ring Ouzel appeared from nowhere in the field. Just then Will Scott came on the radio with a possible Siberian Stonechat in the Content fields. I had to get back to work, but twenty minutes later I was watching a pale looking stonechat with will who was almost certain that he had got a Siberian. The light wasn't so good and I decided to get the sun behind me and moved in to the next field. From here I could get better views and pics. Just before I left to return to work, I called Will to tell him that the pics that I had taken showed off a plain rump and the black axillars and underwings (something that the other birders couldn't see so easily while observing it) and this confirmed what he already knew what it was, a 1st winter male Siberian Stonechat.
  Again I had to return to work, but came back to get to grips with it just in case it's not present tomorrow. It proved mobile on the other side of Pungis Lane, but it was finally pinned down back in it's favored field. Then at 17.30 Scilly hit back again when news broke of a HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL at Gimble Porth, Tresco!

The Siberian Stonechat shared the fields with 2 Stonechat and is only my one that I've ever seen aftyer John chapel finding one on Peninnis 100 years ago! I don't know what year it was.

 The BLYTH'S and Red-throated Pipit were still up at Peninnis with the Short-toed Lark still on the airfield. The RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL continued to please everybody on St Agnes. The latter island also hosted a Common Rosefinch with the individual still present on St Martin. On Bryher, there were a Hen Harrier, 4 Yellow-browed Warbler and the Red-breasted Flycatcher

Scott Matthews, is a singer/songwriter from Wolverhampton, England. His first album Passing Stranger was released on 13 March 2006 on San Remo Records before being re-released on Island Recordslater in the year. Janice Long was the first of the BBC DJs to play his music. Soon, tracks from Passing Stranger were also being played by Mark Radcliffe and Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2. In April, Scott played sessions on BBC Radio 2 & BBC 6 Music.