Hawfinch in Tony's garden!

Tony Gilbert called me this afternoon 'Ere, got a female Hawfinch in my garden!' Ideal! 'Be there in two secs jokey!'

  In the blustery cold straight northerlies I could only see 5 Skylark and no sign of the 2 Richard's Pipit on the airfield this morning. Walking the trail to the hides from Trench Lane I heard the Dusky Warbler by the sluice where it showed very well in the sun. in the area there were also 20+Chiffchaf,  4 Yellow-browed Warbler and a single Swallow flew through. There was a notable small arrival of winter thrushes also.

The Dusky Warbler performed really well but was always obscured by a leaf or twig when trying to take a photo

In the area I had up to 20+Chiffchaff

There was a small flock of Goldfinch at Trench Lane

Pied Wagtail

  Shortly afterwards, I dropped Viv Stratton at Newford Duckpond where we had 2 Yellow-browed Warbler chasing each other around the Willows. Just after 13.00 Tony let me know that he had a female bullfinch in his garden. As I was just around the corner, I was there pretty quick and looking through his kitchen window into the back garden, I got a shock when I could see that there was a female Hawfinch below his bird table! 'There's a Hawfinch!' I shouted I had misheard what Tony had said when he was talking to me on my mobile. I quickly put the news out on the Scilly Bird News WhatsApp group and enjoyed some cracking views of the finch feeding with 60+House Sparrow.
  In the late afternoon I was deciding whether to go and give it house with the Longstones Rustic Bunting but ended up joining Martin Goodey in company with the Dusky Warbler. However, the rain finally arrived and we left the warbler alone.

 

This female Hawfinch  was crowded by the local House Sparrow in Tony's garden

I saw small flocks of Redwing around totalling up to 150+Redwing with less than 10 Fieldfare. However, over 300 winter thrush arrived on St Agnes

Also small numbers of Chaffinch were observed dropping in

This Song Thrush decided to join Martin and I as we observed the Dusky Warbler

This is the best I could do late this afternoon of the Dusky Warbler in the dull light

This plastic duck was on the scrape at Lower Moors