Red-backed Shrike at Porth Hellick

Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson found this cracking male Red-backed Shrike at Porth Hellick

  Yesterday afternoon Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson found a male Red-backed Shrike in the field behind the two hides at Porth Hellick. By the time I had got there after work, most had already seen it but after seeing John Headon's Wood Sandpiper on the pool, Martin Goodey and I had brief but good views of the shrike in the bramble patches. It was last seen flying possibly towards Carn Friars shortly afterwards.

This Wood Sandpiper kept it's distance

While the Common Sandpiper showed very well

The resident pair of Shelduck at Porth Hellick were causing havoc on the pool chasing ducklings

 
  This morning at Porth Hellick, with others, I had a quick look for the shrike but there was no sign of it or the Wood Sandpiper. Instead I got my first Garden Warbler of the year singing next to the seaward hide and a single Cuckoo. On the Garrison there was another Cuckoo and a single Spotted Flycatcher and some 40 Swallow and 15+House and 2 Sand Martin moved through.

  With the ESE continuing from yesterday I decided to try Bryher with 'Dazzler' Dawson. Bryher can be hit or miss and with no sign of the Dotterel from a few days ago and nothing of note elsewhere on the island, we made the short crossing to Tresco at 13.30. On the latter island we split and ten minutes later I saw my bird of the day, a stunning summer plumage Grey Plover with 17 Whimbrel at Great Rock. Both pools were very quiet but there was an obvious arrival of hirundines all over the island with 70+House and 6 Sand Martin, 50+Swallow and 2 Swift. After three hours, all I had seen were 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Cuckoo, 3 Wheatear, the Buzzard and Gimble Porth, a male Pintail. 'Dazzler' Dawson also had a summer plumage Great Northern Diver

This is the first Grey Plover I've seen on Scilly in summer plumage. The only other birds in this plumage I've observed were both in Salop, Whixall Moss and Woodlane over 25 year ago!

There were up to 17 Whimbrel at Great Bay with the plover

Good numbers of pairs of Stonechat on both Bryher and Tresco

This Meadow Pipit was breeding on Castle Down, Tresco

Male House Sparrow

Up to 3 Wheatear were on Tresco

The Israeli Terrorist State killed 60 Palestinians on the day of the US embassy moving to Jerusalem and recognise it as the capital of Israel! And they blamed it on Hamas! Really!?? Altogether in the last month over 100 Palestinians have been killed, including children and a 8 month old baby, by the IOF!! Every day the Israeli Government commits war crimes against the Palestinians!

Brilliant remix of Bob Dylan - Masters of War (The Avener Rework) by Ultra Music