Paul St Piere found a juvenile Pectoral and this juvenile Baird's Sandpiper today on Tresco Abbey Pool
Yesterday after work I had a look at Higher Moors and observed a large warbler very briefly flying away from me into cover. Damn, that looked good for a Barred Warbler! I pished and Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Reed and Willow Warbler came out but not the bird in question. I thought I would play the song of Barred Warbler on my mobile to hopefully get it to pop out but there was no internet and had to walk all the way down to the hides at Porth Hellick to get reception. I returned to Higher Moors and played the song and out blasted Barry Manilow, if you can even blast out Barry Manilow? The first thing that went in my mind was 'What the hell is Barry Manilow doin on my Spotify?' I had accidently got onto my Spotify and right now you could hear Barry Manilow all over St Mary's singing 'Mandy' I was trying desperately to turn it off but panicking I flicked onto the next song and out came 'Copacabana!!' I can't stand that song and I can't stand Manilow. However, it was so loud it was like I was having my own personal Barry Manilow in concert at Higher Moors. I was repeatedly pressing, flicking, pushing on my mobile. Anything I could do to stop 'I can't Smile Without You' It worked! It did stop and after a very short pause, Engelbert Humpadong, what a stupid stage name he chose for himself. started to sing 'Please Release me' Oh dear. I didn't realise it at the time but my Spotify was on radom of dodgy singers and now you could hear at top of his voice, Neil Diamond, singing 'Jingle Bells' A?? Jingle Bells?? I'm sorry but I will never understand how Diamond ever got onto 'The Last Waltz' with Ronnie Hawkins (The hawk) and The Band, Neil Young, Van the Man, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters and so many other greats. Diamond just didn't fit in this crowd.
Anyways, if there was a Canada Warbler at Porth Hellick and Neil Diamond singing from a mobile at Higher Moors at full blast, everyone would be getting crippling views of the warbler while Steve Young would be the only one listening to 'Sweet Caroline!' at Higher Moors!! That is a fact!!
So, there I was trying to get my head together and pressed gently on my mobile and out came Barred Warbler. I mean, out came a Barred Warbler!! The recording had been playing for a less than a minute and there it was out in the open at the top of a willow for a few seconds only to fly across the path and back into cover again. I continued to play the song and got cracking flight views as the warbler passed twice across the path I was standing on. I got reception down road and put the news out but after searching in the area with others later, there was no sign of it.
Paul St Piere also had a Wryneck at Bryher campsite
Juvenile Stonechat
So today at 07.15 this morning, Mark Halliday and I were at Higher Moors hoping to relocate yesterday's Barred Warbler that I found but with no sign of it we moved on to Porth Hellick where there were 3 Teal and my first Grey Wagtail of the autumn. On the beach there were 2 Whimbrel with 9 Greenshank. I suggested to go to the golf course to look for maybe a Buff-breasted Sandpiper but there were golfers all over the shop and we ended up at the airfield instead. Dog walkers were in force and as we walked up the southern runway 'A up!' Mark calmly said 'What's this? Buff-breasted Sandpiper!' The yank flew in low from the west runway and landed on the tarmac in front of us. However, after entaining us for a good fifthteen minutes it flew off east and was lost in the burning sun. With others, we searched for the sandpiper but only 5 Wheatear were of note on the airfield. Later we discovered that Dave Scanian had it or another over Peninnis 45 minutes before us.
At Lowers Moors there were 4 Snipe and a single Spotted Flycatcher. While we were there, there was a report of a Citrine Wagtail at Old Town Bay but unfortunly it could not be seen when a few of us arrived shortly afterwards.
This Grey Wagtail at Porth Hellick was my first of the autumn
Mark Halliday was just ahead of me when he observed this juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper come in to land on the airfield
I wanted to get to Tresco and check out the pools. After dropping Mark off I was preparing to get my gear together to kayak across to Tresco when Paul St Piere called 'Got a Baird's and Pectoral Sandpiper on Tresco Abbey Pool!' My reply was that I'll be there very shortly and as I arrived at the shore of South Porth Beach on Tresco some thirty minutes later, I could hear a calidris wader. Although I had never heard a Baird's before, I strongly expected that that is what it was going to be. Scanning over 80 Sanderling I heard it again and picked it up on it's own away from the main flock. It then flew back towards the Abbey Pool and for the next thirty minutes I observed it at close range feeding and taking a bath before flying back to the beach. What wasn't at close range on the NW side of the pool was the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper. While this was all goin on, Darren Mason found a Icterine Warbler at Newford Duckpond back on St Mary's
I could hear the Baird's Sandpiper as I paddled into South Porth Beach and this was my first sighting of it
On the Abbey Pool the juvenile Baird's Sandpiper showed a lot better and was my second this year on Scilly after the adult that was on the nearby Great Pool over three weeks ago
Like the Baird's Sandpiper, the sun could be a pain while observing this juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper also on the Abbey Pool and these were the only waders on the pool. However, When Scott arrived later in the afternoon, he had a juvenile Knot/
After chatting to the main man, Paul St Piere, I went for a walk along Pool Road and at the SE end of the Great Pool was a Whinchat and with 16 Teal and 19 Greenshank was a single juvenile Black-tailed Godwit asleep. From Simpson's Field there were 7 Dunlin, 6 Redshank, 6 Yellow and 4 White Wagtail and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull flew straight through but despite scanning, there
was no sign of the Spotted Crake seen two days ago.
It was now gone five and on Pentle Bay was the Black-tailed Godwit feeding with over 100 Sanderling, 80 Ringed Plover and 12 Dunlin. The clouds were turning black and the wind was getting a lot stronger and as a result it was a pretty exciting ride returning back to St Mary's in me kayak. What a cracking day!!
Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit at Pentle Bay was my second of the year
Right after an awesome day I'm goin to listen to 'The Last Waltz' and skipping out Neil Diamond!!
I had this 1st winter Grey-headed Wagtail come into roost with 5 Yellow Wagtail last night at Porth Hellick
Another foggy morning and there were 2 Pied Flycatcher in the pines in my garden. shortly after 08.00, Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson found a Tawny Pipit in a ploughed field at Peninnis! A few minutes later, Viv Stratton called me to tell me he had a Citrine Wagtail at Lower Moors in front the hide! Scott was the only other birder who saw the pipit and I just caught the Citrine Wagtail flying off from Lower Moors later on that was seen later at Porthloo Duckpond.
Mid-afternoon on the way to the airport I dropped Big Al off at Carn Friars and as a result he stumbled up on a Hoopoe on the main track. I returned to watch the arse end of the Hoopoe over a hedge before getting back to work. It was not until after work at 19.00 that Higgo and I observed the Hoopoe on the main grassy track at Carn Friars. Our minds now were on trying to refind the Tawny Pipit as it's a very long time since we've both seen one on Scilly but on the airfield there were just 2 Whinchat and 1 Tree Pipit.
A heavily cropped shot of the Hoopoe at Carn Friars this evening
I took this shot of the second 1st winter Citrine Wagtail in two weeks to grace Lower Moors just before it went to roost
The SE brought more migrants in yesterday with a few goodies. It started off with Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson finding a Melodious Warbler at Lower Town Farm, St Agnes. On St Mary's, Viv had the forth Wood Warbler of the autumn at Rose Hill and later an Osprey fishing in the Tresco Channel.
It was nearly 10.00 when I had a quick look at the airfield and counted 3 Tree Pipit, 2 Whitethroat, 3 Whinchat, 13 Wheatear and 150+Linnet. At the Golf course I spent a few hours in the area and observed 11 Grey Heron heading WNW. An hour later I could hear a Ortolan Bunting and picked it up flying low SE towards Content. I also had 6 Pied and 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Whinchat, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Whitethroat and 15 Willow Warbler. At Lower Moors there were 7 Tree Pipit, 1 Pied Flycatcher and 2 Whitethroat. News came on that there was a Citrine Wagtail on Tresco Great Pool and is presumed to be the individual that was at Lower Moors today.
2 of the 7 Tree Pipit at Lower Moors
Whinchat
Don't observe flocks of Grey Heron like this on Scilly
I saw up 35 Willow Warbler in total but only a single Chiffchaff
On the Garrison there were 1 Garden Warbler, 7 Pied and 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whitethroat, 3 Sand Martin and 1 Tree Pipit. Off Morning Point there were 8 Mediterranean Gull on the rocks with 70+Sandwich Tern.
Garden Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher
I had just cycled past Old Town Bay when I heard a Herring Gull alarm. I turned round to see the Osprey that had been observed all over the shop, flying on the Peninnis side of the bay towards Porthcressa. I finished the day off at Porth Hellick and just before dark 5 Yellow Wagtail came in with a eastern type (Black or Grey-headed Wagtail) I also had 3 Pied and 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 1 Whinchat. Later in the evening it was identified by others by my record shots, as a 1st winter Grey-headed Wagtail. .
This Osprey over Old Town Bay was my forth this year
1st winter Grey-headed Wagtail with Yellow Wagtail at Porth Hellick
One of the Yellow Wagtail came a little closer to the hide
Two days ago, it was later after work that I got out in the dense fog. Already I had 5 Pied Flycatcher on the Garrison just a few minutes away from home, including one on the Star Castle steps. At Telegraph there were 2 Whitethroat, 5 Pied and 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Willow Warbler and my first Whinchat of the year. However, shortly afterwards on the airfield I had 3 Whinchat with 6 Wheatear. At Lower Moors Higgo and I only saw 2 Tree Pipit, 3 Water Rail, 5 Sedge Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher and Whitethroat. With Robin I finished off the day with 7 Yellow Wagtail at Porth Hellick.
Tree Pipit
I had this wet Pied Flycatcher on the steps of Star Castle with another 4 on the Garrison nearby
Wheatear
Sedge Warbler
At last I got close to the summering Merlin but I could only see the top half of this female sat in a pine at Pelisistry Farm
On St Martins, Viv Jackson had a summer plumage pluvalis plover on Middle Town Beach that he believed might of been a possible Pacific Golden Plover! It was last seen flying towards Great Bay.
Blue States - Lost and Found is from a compilation of B-Sides known as The Sum of the Parts. Released in 2009 as an iTunes exclusive, it contains the works of Andy Dragazis from between 1998 to 2007.
