Blackbirds falling out of the sky over St Mary's!

Part of the flock of 60+Blackbirds flying high in off the sea over Porth Hellick!

  With a SE breeze overnight, Graham and I thought it would be a good idea to have an early start. While he was making the coffee, I opened the french windows and the first bird I hear is a fly over Brambling. Not a bad start. I venture outside and am immediately aware that there are a lot of Blackbirds in. We watched 15 leave my garden  followed by another 35, all heading out ESE! Other birds were also flying overhead in a ESE direction with small flocks of winter thrushes and Chaffinches, 2 more Brambling, 1 Skylark, and an impressive line of over 2000 Starling. As the Starlings were all going in the opposite direction to everything else, it was thought that they were possibly coming from a nearby roost. 60+Fieldfare was the biggest flock to fly over. At the same time, Jim called to say he had just trapped a Jack Snipe at Porth Hellick.

Over 45 Blackbird flew out of me garden first thing this morning!

  It was hard to leave the garden, but we arrived at Porth Hellick at 07.30 and it was evident that Blackbirds were falling out of the sky. However, the first thing we heard, besides the thrushes overhead, was a Siberian Chiffchaff, or was it? We were both confused as it gave it's short Dunnock type call, followed by a few collybita type Chiffchaff calls. We soon lost interest in the chiffchaff as more and more Blackbirds were moving from a SWW direction heading ENE. It was a constant flow of small groups of 4-7 birds with as many as 15-25 on a two occasions moving through at different levels. Some were like dots in the sky, while others were zooming over our heads. We wanted to move on somewhere else, but we were so close to getting 200 and stayed a few minutes extra. This payed off as we observed a large flock of over 40 birds come high in off the sea and slowly descend, immediately followed by over 20 more birds with smaller numbers behind them. A loose flock of nearly 100 Blackbirds over Porth Hellick! By 09.50, we had just observed a total of 420 Blackbirds!! They were still moving, but I had to get to work. Also moving with the Blackbirds were at least 150 each of Fieldfare and Redwing, 20 Chaffinch, 1 redpoll sp, 1 Skylark, 1 Lapwing, 1 Woodcock, and 7 Snipe. The 6 Greenland White-fronted Geese were still present on the pool
  Higgo called to say that he was watching the 3 Ring-necked Duck and 6 Whooper Swan on Tresco Great Pool. My reply was that we have just had 420 Blackbird over Porth Hellick! There was a silence and then 'I've had a Brambling' oh that's good.

 

The Blackbirds were moving over at different levels.

Also single Skylark and Lapwing flew through

  Before I went to work, we had a brief look at the Garrison campsite and observed a flock of 12 followed by 8 Blackbird drop out of the sky, with other birds already grounded. 3 Crossbill showed very well and there were 2 Chiffchaff in the area. While driving around, I saw 1-5 Blackbirds overhead, including a flock of 19 over Rose Hill. Graham went to Lower Moors and got the singing male Siberian Chiffchaff and very few Chiffchaff. By mid-day, and only a few Blackbirds were high overhead and it was now hard to say whether these birds were coming in or arrived earlier on. Late afternoon and there were 6 Crossbill and 2 Siskin feeding in the pines at the stables. I kicked over 100 Blackbird at Green Farm with smaller numbers elsewhere.

1 male and 2 female Crossbill were at the campsite

 

There seemed to be no increase in Goldcrests

Gomez are an English indie rock band from Southport, comprising Ian Ball (vocals, guitar), Paul "Blackie" Blackburn (bass), Tom Gray (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitars) and Olly Peacock (drums, synths, computers). The band is distinguished in having three singers and four songwriters, employing traditional and electronic instruments. Their sound is versatile and evades typical music genres falling into blues, indie, alternative, rock, folk, psychedelic and experimental. In 2005, Gomez signed a new deal with Dave Matthews' (of the Dave Matthews Band) ATO Records and later In 2008, they opened up several of his shows. This was followed in June 2009, opening for Pearl Jam on the European leg of the Backspacer Tour

Serin over the Garrison

There were 2 male Siberian Chiffchaff singing at Lower Moors this morning. Despite this one singing, note the pale edging on the bill. Apparently according to the books, it should not show this feature.

  Mid-afternoon and I was walking through the campsite when I heard a Serin. I picked it up coming, what looked like, in off the sea from a SSW direction. It flew overhead and headed towards town. I immediately called Ren, and while I was talking to him, he heard and then saw it over his garden and he told me that it seemed to come down in the gardens in the police station area. Despite searching, it was never seen again. Before all this happened, I had a few hours off this morning and in the SSE breeze, I thought Porth Hellick would be a good place to look. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew overhead and I heard a Reed Bunting in the reeds. The 6 Greenland White-fronted Geese were still on the pool and 2 Siberian Chiffchaff were calling near the path with singles also at Higher Moors and Holy Vale, (both heard calling).

 

The 6 Greenland White-fronted Geese stretched their wings very briefly before returning to Porth Hellick Pool

 While listening to a Siberian Chiffchaff calling at Porth Hellick. 2 pale chiffchaff, (pics above)looking very similar to the Siberian, were also feeding in the same Sallows and looked good candidates for Siberian 'type' However, the call was very similar to that of collybita Chiffchaff. So, is it possible that Siberian Chiffchaff can give a call similar to collybita and show pale edgings on the bill or are these just very pale Chiffchaffs that look identical to the Siberians?

  In the warm bright sunshine, 2 singing male Siberian Chiffchaff could be heard at Lower Moors. Except for 2 Brambling and 2 male Sparrowhawk, there was not much else of note. At Porthloo, 2 Black Redstart were on the beach and two days ago I had a Wheatear here

Male Brambling at Lower Moors

 

 

Siberian 'type' Chiffchaff

The one on the left is one of the singing male Siberian Chiffchaff. The chiffchaff to the right, looked identical to the male, but instead of the Dunnock type call, it sounded very similar to that of a collybita Chiffchff. Also, both these birds spent a lot of time interacting with one another. For over 2 minutes, I observed the right hand bird, flittering it's wings, like a kind of courtship display, and that what it doing in above pic.

  

2 Black Redstart were busy catching flies at Porthloo

  Graham returned home today after leaving in May. He was straight in the field and around the Content fields we managed to see 3 Crossbill. 3 Brambling, 5 Siskin, 2 Goldfinch, 30 Redwing and 2 Fieldfare.

Note the broken leg on this Woodcock at Content

 

Lots of Red Admirals on the wing today

 

I love listening to Miles Davis late in the evening. So What" is the first track on the 1959 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. So What" is one of the best known examples of modal jazz,  The piano-and-bass introduction for the piece was written by Gil Evans for Bill Evans (no relation) and Paul Chambers on Kind of Blue.  This is an orchestrated version by Gil Evans of this introduction by Miles' Quintet (minus Cannonball Adderley who was ill that day) and the Gil Evans Orchestra; the orchestra gave the introduction, after which the quintet played the rest of "So What".

Barred Warbler at Longstones

Record shot of the 1st winter Barred Warbler in Mick's garden, Longstones

 

  First of all, Higgo would like to say a big thank you to everyone who wished him well and a swift recovery. Having a heart attack, he was flown off to Treliske Hospital, Truro on Tuesday. Here he had an MOT and felt like a new man when he walked out on Friday. Right, thats enough of Higgo.

  Mid-morning and I had a quick look at Lower Moors and heard and observed 2 Siberian Chiffchaff with 20+Chiffchaff and a very vocal Yellow-browed Warbler. There was also an immature Black Redstart on Porthloo.
  After shopping with Higgo, god that was great fun, we both headed off to Porth Hellick and immediately heard the Siberian Chiffchaff at Higher Moors. The wind was picking up a little, but we heard 2 more on the Porth Hellick side

 

 

Up to 5 Siberian Chiffchaff were all heard calling there short pipping sound, like a Dunnock. These included 3 in the Higher Moors/Porth Hellick area, where this one was taken, with another 2 at Lower Moors. Will also had 2 Siberian 'type' Chiffchaff on Tresco a few days ago.

 

As soon as we arrived at Porth Hellick, Higgo rushed over to the side of the road and peered into the hedge with his bins. I shouted 'What yer got?' He replied, with his Frank Bruno chunkle, and said 'This is where I had the Scops Owl boy!' As he went on about how he saw the cat, I mean owl, I carried on walking and left him talking to himself. I think by the time he had finished going on about the damn thing, I had reached the pool.

 

At Lower Moors there were 5 Brambling with singles heard overhead

 

We didn't get to see the 6 Greenland White-fronted Geese on the pool. We had just entered the Sussex Hide when my phone went off. Mick had just found a Barred Warbler in his garden at Longstones. Ten minutes later we were seeing part of the bird in the hedge. Howeve, it was always obscured by twigs, leaves, branches, jumbo jets, elephants, etc. Well it might as well had been as the thing just sat there sunning itself and all you could see was part of a wing. A few minutes later, it did very briefly come out into the open, but it soon disappeared. Thanks Mick for the call

 

 

If only it showed like this male Blackcap that was also in the garden

 

It was time to get to the club and watch the big match. Spurs and City! Before we reached the club, I pulled over at Town Beach and spotted the Red-throated Diver just off shore.

 

 

 

Higgo watching the Red-throated Diver off Town Beach. It was not showing like it was when it was first found at the end of October. Spurs lost 2-1 to the enjoyment of Higgo

 

This female Stonechat was at Content

 

 

 

 

These 2 male Siskin showed at very close range feeding in the weedy field at Content

 

A Wheatear was at Morning Point, Garrison on the 7th November

 

 

This is one of my favourite songs of his. John Davies Cale, OBE (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground Though best known for his work in rock music, Cale has worked in various genres including drone and classical. Since departing from the Velvet Underground in 1968 he has released approximately 30 albums. Of his solo work, Cale is perhaps best known for his album Paris 1919, and his cover version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" 'Boffalo Ballet' appears on his 1974 LP 'Fear'

5 Siberian 'type' Chiffchaff

However, this is a Siberian Chiffchaff, because we both heard it call

   I spent most of the day with Ren today. The first Siberian 'type' Chiffchaff we had was at the Dump Clump, where there was a Yellow-browed Warbler (heard only). At Lower Moors, there were at least 3 Siberian 'type' Chiffchaff, 15+Chiffchaff, 10+Goldcrest, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 5 Brambling and 1 Woodcock. It was only when we got to Higher Moors that I could hear a Siberian Chiffchaff and we soon located it in the Sallows calling on and off. All the other 4 birds that we observed earlier, all looked very like the bird above. Mid-morning I observed 13 Blackbirds fly off high out to sea, NNE, from Star Castle

2 of the 3 Siberian 'type' Chiffchaff at Lower Moors. Non of these birds were heard.

Siberian Chiffchaff at Higher Moors

 

Nearby at Porth Hellick the 6 juvenile Greenland White-fronted Geese were still present

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higgo called me yesterday morning to tell me that he had 3 WAXWING on the wires at Maypole. Martin relocated them feeding on berries in a garden. 5 minutes before I saw these birds, I had a sinlge also at Parsons Field

 

 

 

Also yesterday there were large numbers of winter thrushes on the island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Green Farm these two were play fighting and causing havoc among the thrushes and the flock of 250-300 Chaffinch which only held 3 Brambling.

 

There were 5 Crossbill, 4 Siskin and over 150 Chaffinch at Content

 

Higgo was rushed to Treliske Hospital, Truro, this afternoon. We all wish him a speedy recovery and I hope to be in the field with him very soon. You take care mate!

 

 THIS ONES FOR HIGGO