Hooded Crow in Hugh Town

This Hooded Crow has been hanging in town for nearly two weeks and was still present today as I observed it while driving past sat on roofs.

  On the 10th June, I got a call from my boss telling me that he had a Hooded Crow outside his office at Star Castle. I told him that it was probably one of the hybrids from the Hooded Crow on Bryher. The following day, Barry text to say that he had a Hooded Crow over Porth Mellon and this was shortly followed afterwards by the boss saying it's outside again. I ain't goin anywhere as England are just about to play Russia! We should of finished off Russia in the first half but it don't matter now. With Wales, we made it to the last 16!
  The next day, Martin Smith let me know that he had the Hooded Crow in his garden! A few minutes later with Higgo, we were all having cracking views of it as it sat on top of a garage roof at close range.

I think we can say this Hooded Crow has turned up from an urban area, maybe an Irish bird, as it's very approachable and use to people. Similar to the individual that turned up last year and hung out around Old Town in back gardens!   

At the same time I found this young Carrion Crow at Porth Hellick. It was very healthy but it was born with deformed legs and unfortunly didn't make it. As you can see in the bottom pic, there is a bit of Hooded Crow in this individual 

Dave the Herring Gull follows me all over the shop!

  

This was him at the end of March....

Now look at him!

Pammene aurana Moth 

Cydia ulicetana Moth Today 925 found a Jersey Tiger at the Garrison campsite. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd Scilly record! 

Jennifer Anne Ognibene, known by her stage name Jenny O., is an American singer-songwriter, based in Los Angeles, California.

Over a million Diamond-backed Moth invade Scilly!

It was estimated that 50-100 million Diamond-backed Moths arrived in the UK between 5-7th June with well over a million on Scilly!  

  On the 5th June while Walking through the fields of Pelistry, clouds of micro moths would fly up in front me from the grass. I thought they were grass moth, but Bob Dawson informed me that they were Diamond-backed Moths and a hell of a lot of them! For the next few days it was thought that over a million arrived on Scilly! On the small island of Gugh, Bob reckoned there were 1 per square metre=400,000! I was kicking 10-20 per m at Pelistry and the following day maybe, 20-30 per m at times in other fields on St Mary's! The 8th saw less numbers most had a lot had moved on. As I write this post, looking out towards Samson, I can see single Diamondback Moths flying and a short walk around the Garrison still produced hundreds flying out from cover  Also with the Diamond-backed Moths were a large arrival of Painted Lady Butterfly with 100's and smaller numbers of Silver-Y Moth.

There are up 12 Diamond-backed Moth on this photo

On this pic, 40-50 Diamond-backed Moth feeding on Hemlock Water-dropwort! 

Diamond-backed Moth

Also associated with the movement of Diamond-backs were Silver-Y Moth. 

There are up to 9 Painted Lady on this photo feding on Pale Dewplant

Large numbers of Painted Lady Butterfly also arrived at the same time. I had up to 70 from Star Castle to The Pottery feeding on Red Valerian with at least 50+at The Pottery.  

eupeodes Hoverfly

Marmalade Hoverfly

Today there was a small influx of Marmalade and eupeodes Hoverfly. I took these on the Garrison this evening

  On the bird front, yesterday there was a very unusual record, for this time of year, of a Red-rumped Swallow at Porth Hellick continuing the good run of this species this spring. Dave Flum also had a Honey Buzzard over Tresco where the Iceland Gull and IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF were still present.

  On the 5th June I observed the Alpine Swift in the late afternoon high above Maypole with 3 Swift. On St agnes, Bob Dawson had a Golden Oriole at Wingletang. Early the following morning, I got a call from Bob telling me that he had an adult Purple Heron over St Agnes heading towards St Mary's. I rushed out into the garden but couldn't see it and there was no sign of it for the rest of the day. The male Marsh Harrier is still around the islands.

First Scilly June record of Red-rumped Swallow was at Porth Hellick. I observed it hawking over Porth Hellick House with some 30 Swallow, 10+House Martin and 3 Swift..

This male Peregrine was also at Porth Hellick

Here's me with my arm around my mate,  the amazing Muhammad Ali with my brother, nan and aunt Do. Later Ali invited all the family to his hotel room where I had a play box with him and slapped him in the face! Henry Cooper and I must be the only English men to hit Ali in the face!!

A great live performers from PJ Harvey

Willow Warbler Chiffchaff hybrid?

Male Red-backed Shrike trapped and ringed at Porth Hellick this morning

Early this morning Darren Mason called me to say he had a singing Marsh warbler at Bar Farm. I was on my ways when a few minutes larer I got a call from Jim 'Nice male Red-backed Shrike in the bag!' Which one do I go far? The shrike won! Although I've already seen a male Red-backed in the hand before, I guessed that the warbler would still be singing when I got there. However, after the shrike was being shown around, we all made our ways to Bar Farm and the Marsh warbler was nowhere to be seen or heard.

This is the second Red-backed Shrike so far this year

  Later in the day the Alpine Swift was at Lower Moors and briefly seen at Porth Hellick. Also the Red-backed Shrike was relocated at Carn Friers and that's where Martin and I saw it in the field distantly on top of a bush before disappearing. Just after 16.00 a Wryneck was found on the track to the Bio-Bubble at lower Moors. A few of us searched around but there was no sign of it and I also missed an exhausted late Spotted Flycatcher.

This male Pied Wagtail has been feeding on my works lawn for the last three days

Male Blackbird

  After work I made my ways to Trenowth hoping that this morning Marsh Warbler might be singing in the overgrown fields nearby. I flushed a female 'type' Golden Oriole from out of the Elms but no sign of the warbler. I could hear, what I first thought was a Willow Warbler at first, but as I got closer it would start singing like a Chiffchaff before breaking into part of a Willow Warbler and then returning to the sound of a Chiffchaff. Sometimes it would sing like a willow and then break through with chiffchaffing, then continuing back to a Willow again. I decided to record it and after a while, it came out in the open, but was always too far away for the camera. A Willow Warbler x Chiffcchaff maybe?

As you can see it looks more like a Chiffchaff with pale legs. It's also ringed on the right leg.

Here is a recording of the warbler. Although you can hear more of Willow Warbler, Although it's not spot on, shortly after recording this, it switched more towards Chiffchaff. Any comments welcome

 

Yesterday Mark Halliday let me know that the Alpine Swift was performing well at Porth Hellick.

This Swift showed briefly for comparison

Will Wagstaff can multi-task by climbing over a barbed wired fence while searching through his photos on his camera to see which ones he can delete! That's all of them then!

Most of us have to look through the viewfinder of the camera when taking pics. Joe Pender is so good at taking photos that he doesn't need no use a viewfinder!

Amelia Curran is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born and resides in St. John's. The National Post describes her music as “a bit like Leonard Cohen being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline.”