2nd EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL for Scilly

The possibly EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL that a few of us had five days ago on St Mary's moved to Tresco and was pinned down two days ago, thanks to David Campbell and Co. Pic taken by Hrafn Archer and this was his 500th BOU British bird!! Well done mate! 

  Hurricane Calum moved through from across the Atlantic and didn't drop any yanks for us so far anyways. Overnight the wind turned NNE with heavy rain and by first thing this morning the rain gave away to the sun and I was on the airfield. There was a large arrival of Wheatear with smaller numbers of Blackbird. I was just about to leave the airfield when I got a call telling me to get my butt up to the football field. In total I got 30+wheatear, 20+Blackbird, 12 Skylark, 1 Whinchat and Black Redstart and 2 Reed Bunting (one flying north followed by another at the south turning circle.
  On the football pitch, I wasn't chasing a bird or a locust but chasing a football or trying to anyways. I played in mid-defence for the birders, although there were only five birders playing. The rest were made up of local kids and by half time we were losing 5-0 to the Islanders. I was put in goal for the second half and let four more goals in. I did save a penalty! However, I also let a penalty in but we scored a consolation goal to make the final result 9-1!!

I had over 30 Wheatear on the airfield. There was a large fall of Wheatear with another 50 seen elsewhere on St Mary's and on St Agnes, 20, wingletang and 14 on Gugh. Over 110 Wheatear in total is pretty impressive for this time of year!!

Whinchat at the airfield

Over 20 Blackbird were also on the airfield

 At 13.00 I was back in the field and made my ways straight to Peacehavan up country. Yesterday Ben Lewis told me, while we were searching for a possible catharsis thrush seen by another observer at Telegraph, that he heard a possible flava wagtail with a rasping call but didn't see it. I went to have a look but there was no sign of it. This afternoon however, I did see it but it was flying out of the horse paddock straight into the sun towards Pelistry giving away that rasping call until I lost it. I thought I would return later, hoping it might return and went down road and kicked the Standing Stones Field. Together the 4 Reed Bunting got up with only 3 Whinchat now. Nearby I also had a 20+chiffchaff, 3 Swallow 1 Willow and Yellow-browed Warbler.
  15.30 I made my ways back to Peacehavan and parked the car at Newford Duckpond where I got 2 Swallow, 2 Willow Warbler and heard the Yellow-browed Warbler. I was strolling towards the horse paddocks when news broke of the Wryneck still opposite the riding stables and Jake Everitt had a Vagrant Emperor patrolling the beach of Porthloo. I dipped on the dragonfly and decided to twitch the Wryneck which I saw on the deck distantly. I thought I would check the riding stables for the rasping wagtail. There was a Yellow Wagtail with 14 alba Wagtail and 2 Black Redstart and a single Redstart and Wheatear. All the wagtails split and flew off. While I was at the stables, David Campbell told me that he heard the rasping wagtail over Pelistry about ten minutes ago. Where the hell was it? At Green Farm nearby there is a field with cattle in and scanning that field, I got a call from Cliff Smith telling me that he has just had the rasping wagtail fly out from the stables with the Yellow Wagtail. Shite!! I knew I should of stayed there. I was heading back to the latter site only to be diverted by news on the Scilly Bird News WhatsApp group that there was a Red-backed Shrike at Pelistry. A couple of minutes later, with others, I was getting stonking views as I also observed a Ring Ouzel fly up the valley. there was no sign of the wagtail and lets hope that someone pins it down tomorrow.

There were still 4 Reed Bunting in the Standing Stones Fields with a single at the Shooters Pool end of Lower Moors

I had 3 Willow Warbler today including this individual at Lower Moors

One of the Willow Warblers at Newford

There were 2 Black Redstart at Pelistry stables.

This Redstart was also at the stables and earlier on I saw the individual at Porth Mellon Beach

I only stuck around for ten minutes and in that time this juvenile Red-backed Shrike showed superbly at Pelistry. On St Agnes, the juvenile was still present at Wanna's Cove with the Greenish Warbler showing very well in The Parsonage.

  At the end of the day, I joined others birders at Peacehaven to view the first Scilly record of SILVER-STRIPED HAWKMOTH that Chris and Ben Lewis trapped overnight. Other moths that they also trapped, including two other first for Scilly, were

BOX-TREE MOTH 1st for Scilly

HERPETOGRAMMA LICARSISALIS (Grass Webworm) 15th for UK 1st for St Mary’s

Radfords Flame Shoulder - rare migrant but now regular in October on Scilly

Cosmopolitan- regular migrant in small numbers 

Small Mottled Willow- ditto

Porters Rustic - rare migrant

Agonopteryx rotundella or kuznetzovi- Id to be confirmed- either is 1st for Scilly

  Akso on St Agnes, Mike Hicks also trapped a HERPETOGRAMMA LICARSISALIS (Grass Webworm) 

SILVER-STRIPED HAWKMOTH

HERPETOGRAMMA LICARSISALIS (Grass Webworm) 

Porters Rustic

Radfords Flame Shoulder

Cosmopolitan

All pics of moths by Chris Lewis except the top one of the hawkmoth which was taken by Martin Goodey. Thanks to Chris and Ben for allowing us to invade his digs to see all the moths.

Another pic by Archer of the 4th EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL for Britain!!

The heavens opened yesterday as you can see by this beaded Lapland Bunting on golf course yesterday that's been present for nearly two weeks now.

As there is no longer any mud exposed in front of the hides, due to amount of rain that's fallen, there ain't goin to be any Snipe showing well like this anymore.

The sheep on Scilly grow real wired!

This tune was put on Youtube in 2012, six years ago, and there are only 351 views!! I can't get my head around that one! Blue States are an English electronic music group, headed up by Andy Dragazis. The band has been active since 1997, and is currently based in London, England. A track from their 2002 album Man Mountain, "Season Song", is featured on the soundtrack to the British horror film 28 Days Later. The album 'Restless Spheres' was released on 16 September 2016.