10-SPOT LADYBIRD on St Mary's

This 10-SPOT LADYBIRD, found by Bob Dawson at east end of Porthcressa Bay, was the first Scilly record since 1973! Note the yellowish legs.

  With stiff easterlies overnight, I made a visit to Porth Hellick first thing this morning only to note down more or less the same birds that have been on the pool for the last few days. 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Dunlin, 3 Sand Martin, 2 Swift, 2 Teal, 12 Greenshank, my first Water Rail of the autumn and a single Painted Lady. There was also a single Spotted Flycatcher at Carn Friars. Only an adult Hobby and a single Green sandpiper were at lower Moors. At mid-day, news came out that there was a Wood Sandpiper at Porth Hellick but it wasn't till gone 14.00 that Jim Almond and I made ours ways to the latter site. The bird showed well and a call to Graham on St Agnes proved it to be one of the two juveniles that he had on the Big Pool yesterday as he observed an individual leave the St Agnes after 11.00 this morning.

Juvenile Wood Sandpiper at Porth Hellick

Juvenile Green Sandpiper Lower Moors. There were up to 9 birds on Tresco yesterday

3 of the 4 Dunlin at Porth Hellick

Up to 12 Greenshank were at Porth Hellick

Only a handful of Willow Warbler in the Porth Hellick area.

Large numbers of Linnet scattered around St Marys

  Yesterday I pulled up at the front of Star Castle and everyone jumped out. One of the children that got out shouted 'Look at this!' I thought he was pointing at Dave who was waiting for me next to the steps but he was pointing to the ground. 'I got pretty excited, as there crawling in the grass was the larva of a Deaths-head Hawkmoth! I picked it up to put it in a pot and it felt soft and baggy. When Dawson saw it he told me that it's in this condition because it's ready to hit the ground and pupate. After everyone had seen it, Martin took care of the larva and now we can all look forward to the day when it emerges from the soil in a container that Martin has got it in.

 

The only other Deaths-head Hawkmoth larva that I've every seen was in the campsite garden some ten years ago.

Small Copper

I observed up to 3 Comma together at Higher Moors 

Another pic of the mega find by Bob Dawson of the 10-SPOT LADYBIRD

In the last month over 10 juvenile Yellow-legged Gull have been observed on St Agnes including this individual today Robin Mawer

Migrants are just starting to trickle through with single Spotted and Pied Flycatcher on the Garison today and yesterday the first Redstart of the autumn was at Porth Hellick. Wheatear were in over a week ago in ones and twos. However, today's highlight was a brief Icterine Warbler in the campsite garden, Garrison that Chesney found. Hopefully we will all connect with it tomorrow 

Another great band that no one has heard of. Blitzen Trapper is a Portland, Oregon-based experimental country/folk/rock band associated with Sub Pop Records,^[1] Vagrant Records^[2] and Lojinx. Formed in 2000, the band currently operates as a quintet, with Eric Earley (guitar/harmonica/vocals/keyboard), Erik Menteer (guitar/keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums/vocals/harmonica), Michael Van Pelt (bass), and Marty Marquis (guitar/keyboards/vocals/melodica).^[4] Blitzen Trapper self-released its first three albums. "Wild Mountain Nation" was No. 98 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The release of Furr in 2008 was a high-water mark for the group as their eclectic new songs received a two-page feature in Rolling Stone. The album was ranked No. 13 on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2008^[6] while the title track was ranked No. 4 on the magazine's Best Singles of 2008.^[7] The albums Destroyer of the Void and American Goldwing followed, to similarly high acclaim.