2nd July record of Red-rumped Swallow for Scilly!

Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson' found this cracking Red-rumped Swallow at St Agnes this morning. This evening Robin and I relocated it at Porth Hellick 

  At 07.30 this morning, Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson' text to say he had observed on St Agnes, a great  record of White Wagtail breeding and at Broweth, only the second July sighting of Red-rumped Swallow on the Scilly after Geoff  Barter had a single in 2014! The swallow was only present in the morning and later on at 18.00, Robin picked me up and we thought we would try Porth Hellick to see if maybe it was there. First we stopped off at Porthloo and got a single juvenile and 2 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull. At Porth Hellick there were up to 20 Swallow, 5 House Martin and a very high number of 8 Sand Martin for this time of year. A Hobby flew through but after an hour of searching there was no sign of the red-rump. Robin wanted to go to Deep Point and as we drove past Porth Hellick I asked him to slow down so I could check out the hirundines on the wires. Still moving looking through the screen with my bins I said, I think I've got it! Sure enough it was there and we got cracking views as it stretched it's wings just above our heads from the path. Although very mobile, Martin was the only one who twitched it and it stuck around the area being harassed with the other hirundines by the Hobby.
  This is the first time I've been out for over a month but on the Tuesday the 4th, while playing football next to Nowhere, I heard a Serin and watched it come down into the garden. I could only put the news out at half time but ten minutes into the game I heard again and saw it perched on top of an Elm before returning to the garden!

There were 2 2nd summer and a single juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Porth Hellick

Reed Warbler

The swallow proved very mobile after leaving the wires

This Hobby made return visits to Porth Hellick

As soon as I open my door first thing in the morning, these lot are waiting and jump in and have a party!! If the door is slightly ajar, they are there hoping around my feet looking for spiders and currents!! 

While Ben was doing a great cover of the White Stripes song, the crowd were singing in their heads 'OH JEREMY CORBYN, OH JEREMY CORBYN' just like the millions across the nation even here on Scilly it's taken off and can be heard by both locals and visitors from The Mermaid Pub!!