4 Yanks in one day!

One of the 2 Red-eyed Vireos that was observed feeding together in the Parsonage, St Agnes Ren Halfway Better pics on Rob Stonehouse's blog http://gatesheadandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/

  Yesterday morning I got a text from Adam Archer telling me that he had just found the forth Buff-breasted Sandpiper of the autumn on the airfield with Golden Plovers. An hour later news came out that they had been joined by a American Golden Plover! At the time I was at the airport and from the control tower at a distance, with some help from Ralph Parks, I could pick out which species was which. I needed to get closer and arranged to have half the day off work.
  In the early afternoon warm sunshine, I found myself only 40 meters away from all the waders. As the yanks had only just touched down after crossing the pond, they had not settled and were spooked quite easily when ever a plane flew. However, there was no sign of yesterdays Dotterel.

Juvenile American Golden Plover

Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper

 American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper

3 European, 1 American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper Chris and Juliet Moore 

  In the last few days, 2 Red-eyed Vireos have been showing well in the Parsonage, St Agnes. This morning only one was glimpsed but at 14.00 I made my ways across to the tiny island. I got the Lesser Yellowlegs and Curlew Sandpiper easily on the Big Pool and within ten minutes of arriving at the Parsonage, there was a shout and I briefly saw the Red-eyed Vireo at close range before it flew deeper into the Parsonage. I stuck around, thinking that it would return, but had to make do with a single Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Pied Flycatcher. Finished the evening off with one of Graham Gorden's awesome curry's!

Pied Flycatcher

Chiffchaff

A record shot of the juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs at the Big pool, St Agnes. After being present on this pool for 17 days, I only just got it as this was the last day that it was observed!

   On the 28th, Chris and Juliet Moore text me first in finding a Melodious Warbler in gardens opposite the Dutchy Office followed shortly afterwards with finding a Spotted Crake at Lower Moors. They both showed well when I twitched them. Later in the day, I had a look around the  Newford area I got cracking views of a Yellow-browed Warbler and Northern 'type' Willow Warbler. Also present was 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler and the Pied Flycatcher. Nearby I had another Yellow-browed Warbler at Content.

Something like 8 Melodious Warbler have been seen so far this year and this individual in gardens opposite the Duchy Office was my third 

  

Spotted Crake at Lower Moors

Yellow-browed Warbler and Northern Willow Warbler at Newford Duckpond

  After six weeks of giving Martin Goodey a Death's Head Haek Moth caterpillar, it has transformed into a stunning moth! The caterpiller was found at Star Catle on the Garrison and only two days ago a pristine Death's Head Hawkmoth was trapped at the campsite on the Garrison suggesting that it is probably local rather than a migrant. 

  Today on St Mary's, Andrew Gardner relocated both the Western Bonelli's Warbler at Peacehaven and the immature female Vagrant Emperor at Holy Vale. Also seen were the American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the airfield, the Melodious Warbler at the Duchy Office and the Black-necked Grebe at Porthcressa. Nearby a pale-bellied Brent Goose was at Little Porth.

  On St Agnes, one of the Red-eyed Vireos had moved to Covean with it or another later seen in the Parsonage. A Wryneck and the female Common Scoter were also at Covean. The Curlew Sandpiper was still on the Big Pool but there was no sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs.

  A pelagic today to the Seven Stones Reef produced 50 Grey Phalorope, 5 sooty Shearwater, 5 Great Skua and a single Long-tailed Skua.

  Yesterday on Bryher, Higgo and Alistair Orton found 3 Lapland Bunting and there was still a Common Rosefinch at the old post office. The day before they stumbled upon the first Snow Bunting of the autumn.

 

beth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963)^[1] sometimes also known as Liz Fraser is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician best known as the vocalist for the band Cocteau Twins. Fraser has a soprano vocal range.^[2] She is as well known for her perfectionism and reclusive nature as she is for her voice.^[3] She was described by critic Jason Ankeny as "an utterly unique performer whose swooping, operatic vocals relied less on any recognizable language than on the subjective sounds and textures of verbalized emotions".^[4] Fraser's distinctive singing has earned her much critical praise; she was once described as "the voice of God."^[5] Her lyrics range from straightforward English to semi-comprehensible sentences (glossolalia) and abstract mouth music. For some recordings, Fraser has said that she used foreign words without knowing what they meant – the words acquired meaning for her only as she sang them.^[6]

4th VAGRANT EMPEROR for Scilly

Will Scott found this 4th Male VAGRANT EMPEROR for Scilly in his garden at Longstones. When I returned from Tresco the dragonfly had moved on. Only last week one was indentified by photos at the Big Pool, St Agnes Will Scott

  After the westerly flow and rain, it felt good today that a yank might be found! By 08.30 I was at Newford Duckpond observing 3 Yellow-browed Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Grey Wagtail and 4 Chiffchaff. There was an obvious arrival of YBW and this was confirmed when other observers had 3 more birds on the Garrison with a single Firecrest. I thought of goin to St Agnes, but when Graham Gorden told me that there were at least twelve birders on the island, I made my ways to Tresco at 10.15. I picked the wrong island. Simon Colenutt let me know about a Red-breasted Flycatcher he found by Simpsons Hide but I dipped! He went on to find a Yellow-browed Warbler and Wryneck at Bourough Farm. 37 Greenshank on the Great Pool and while watching the Great-spotted Woodpecker that was discovered last week at Well Cover, a text came through from Graham 'Vireo parsonage!' Which one? I called Graham and he told me that it's a Red-eyed Vireo found by Mike and Kathy Young-Powell.

Red-eyed Vireo at the Parsonage. Chris and Juliet So somethin made it across the pond.

 Although Kevin Cade was on Bryher, at 14-30 I crossed the Tresco Channel and went looking for a Yank but all I got was 2 Whinchat, a flyover Lapland Bunting and at Samsons Hill, Wryneck. Kieth Pellow called me to say that he had found a Bonelli's Warbler sp at Peace Haven, St Mary's. When I returned home, I only saw the Western Bonelli's Warbler very briefly in the tall pines at Peace Haven in the dull light.

  Over the last week, the first Yellow-browed Warblers arrived with 4 birds on St Mary's, 22nd. I managed to catch up with singles at the golf course and Newford Duckpond. Martin Goodey 

At the latter site on the I had this Northern 'type' Willow Warbler (20th-23rd). 

This male Lapland Bunting was at Deep Point, 21st

I had this Firecrest at Trewince, 20th with another at Higher Moors.

Small numbers of Whinchat around

Higgo found this interesting juvenile Lesser-black-backed Gull at the St Mary's Tip yesterday. With the small size, long primary projection and jizz of the bird, I thought that it might be a Baltic Gull and told Higgo. His reply was 'For the first time, I agree with you!' My reply 'It's not the first time, it's the second time' I also told him that, even if it was a Baltic Gull, it would never be proved to be one. And that's what a gull expert said as well when seeing the pics. 'Looks like 'fuscus' but you'll never prove it and there are small female intermedius.  

 On St Agnes was the bird of the day. A Red-eyed Vireo in the Parsonage. A Grey Phalerope was off Browarth with the Wryneck in the fields nearby. A Bonxie flew over Burnt Island and a Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper have joined the Lesser Yellowlegs on the Big Pool. The first Red-breasted Flycatcher were 2 birds on 23rd with one still present today. A Hen Harrier was over Gugh, 20th. When Graham Gorden text me with 'Red-breasted Fly behind my house' I had no idea what the place was called where he lived and asked 'What's that called?' He came back with 'Ronnie the Red-breasted Fly!

On St Mary's, Kieth Pellow found the firth juvenile Red-backed Shrike of the autumn in fields below the golf course club house, 20th. Yesterday 2 Cory's, Baleric and 3 Sooty Shearwater were off Peninnis. At Bants Carn there was a Hen Harrier, 21st, where all week there has been a Wryneck. Another Wryneck was at Carn Friars, a Hoopoe was on Peninnis with the Black-necked Grebe is still in Porthcressa Bay.



Savages are a London-based post-punk revival, noise rock band, formed in 2011. Their debut album, Silence Yourself was released on May 6, 2013 via Matador Records. It reached number 19 in the UK Albums Chart in May 2013, and was critically acclaimed. It peaked at number 5 on Irish and UK Independent Albums Chart, and at number 13 on US Billboard Independent Albums. The band's sophomore album Adore Life, was released on January 22, 2016.^[1] Both albums were nominated for the 2013 and 2016Mercury Prize.

3 Common Rosefinch on Bryher

One of the 3 Common Rosefinch in the weedy fields at Fraggle Rock, Bryher

  Another very good day. Made my ways to Tresco this morning and went looking for the Woodchat Shrike around the Abbey Pool that Paul St Perrier found two days ago. I saw it very briefly flying away from an Elm and then bumped into Kevin Cade. He also saw it briefly and we both decided to split and try and relocate it but not before we got the Little Stint on the abbey Pool. After a while I returned to the pool. Over the sound of a helicopter nearby, I thought I heard a Citrine Wagtail call on the far side of the pool. I called Kevin and just be before he arrived, a got a Lesser Whitethroat in the ferns. Then I heard the wagtail again distantly, twice but Kevin didn't hear it. I was happy that it was a Citrine Wagtail and thinking Higgo was on his beloved Bryher I gave him a call. After working overnight he was still in bed! For the next hour I walked slowly around the pool in search of the wagtail with no success and that was the same on the Great Pool.

This Juvenile Little Stint at Tresco Abbey Pool, was the first I've seen in four years!

Lesser Whitethroat at abbey Pool

  The tide was at it's lowest and like 100's of others we walked across from Tresco to Bryher. Just as I steeped onto the latter island, news came on that a Citrine Wagtail had been seen flying from Church Quay towards Fraggle Rock! Great stuff!! I informed Higgo and he was on his ways as he needed it for Bryher. Another search in the area and nothin. So I went looking for the Common Rosaefinch at Fraggle Rock that's been there for the last few days. I immediately found it feeding on Fat Hen and only a few meters away was another one! I took a photo of one of the birds and when I looked at the pic on the back of me camera, I could see two in the same frame! The other was slightly obscured by the Fat Hen. I thought it must be the individual that was feeding nearby. It wasn't as that it was still there. 3 Common Rosefinch feeding together! Suddenly they all got up and off high and out of sight. I called Kevin and when he arrived there were two rosefinches on view. Shortly afterwards Seth and Higgo arrived but there were still only two birds. Higgo went looking for the wagtail but I stuck around and observed the rosefinches because I ain't seen one in years!

 

2 of the 3 Common Rosefinch feeding on Fat Hen

  Yesterday, when I had time during work, I kicked the Terwince fields and had 2 Whinchat, 2 Blackcap, 1 Redstart, 1 sedge warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 4 willow Watbler 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whitethroat, and 1 Wryneck  At Porthloo Rocky Robin had relocated the 10 pale-bellied Brent Geese that have been off St Martins for over a week. At Peninnis the Red-backed Shrike was joined by another juvenile (16th) in the same fields and managed to catch up with them with the Wryneck but dipped out on the Common Rosefinch. On the airfield I got the Buff-breasted Sandpiper with 2 Golden Plover.

 

one of 2 juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Peninnis

The Wryneck was still hanging out in the Trewince fields

Still good numbers of Whinchat around

Up to 3 Dunlin at Porth Hellick

 

There were two families of five pale-bellied Brent Geese at Porthloo 

There were also 2 Bar-tailed Godwit on the beach

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was flighty on the airfield

  Two nights ago there had been a  Convolvulus Hawk Moth phenomenon on St Agnes with some 40 moths feeding on Ginger Lillies at Covean Cottage! A few of us found out where there were Ginger Lillies on St Mary's and last night I made my ways to Carnwethers and Rocky Robin tried out Trenowth. So at 20.00 I walked into the guest house and found that they were just about to have their dinner. Louise, the owner, asked if I wanted to join them. 'What you hav'n?' I wasn't ready for this 'Jam sandwiches!' Really!! 'I rather have jam on toast' In the end I had chips from the chip van. well I guess they ain't goin to come from a plumbers van. Ideal! Talking about music and getting stuck into food,  I forgot what I came for. Anyways, Louise lead us into her garden and we walked from lilly to liily and immediately found one buzzing around. I called Robin who was watching 8 at Trenowth but we had now 2+hawkmoths. He decided to join us despite me telling him that the chips have all gone and you will have to make do with jam sandwiches! 2+Convolvulus Hawkmoths was the best that we could do for the next hour. At the same time 4 were on St Martins and 2 were on Bryher but that Covean Cottage on St Agnes attracted a total of 25!  

The small crowd observing 2 Convolvulus Hawk Moth at Carn Withers

Stray Dog were a blues-based hard rock band formed in Texas in the early 1970s. They recorded three albums before disbanding around 1976. The band originally formed in Texas under the name "Aphrodite". They moved to Denver, Colorado, where they became very popular.^{[citation needed]} They were introduced to Neville Chesters, a former road manager for Emerson, Lake & Palmer,^{[citation needed]}who convinced the band to go to London where, along with a friend and a former Tour Manager Lorenzio Mazzio, he introducedSnuffy Walden to Greg Lake, who signed them to ELP's label, Manticore Records. Randy Reader was replaced by Leslie Sampson. Lake produced three tracks on the 1973 debut self-titled album, Stray Dog, with the band producing the remainder.

In March 1973, the British music magazine, NME, reported that Stray Dog were to support ELP on their world tour, which was due to commence in Germany at the end of that month.