Another Bloody HOOPOE!

HOOPOE at Carn Moval

  Well it's more than likely the same one that Ritchie and I found on Sunday, as it was just up road. The HOOPOE was flushed from the coastal path at Carn Moval and showed well but always distance. It was on view for a few minutes before flying up towards the golf course where I lost it. I also saw the Lapwing was at Telegraph and a single Willow Warbler at Carn Friars.

Always a long ways off

3 Wheatear were also in the area

  The only other HOOPOE seen today included the bird from St Agnes from last Sunday and a new individual found by two Cardiff birders at the Woolpack, Garrison this morning with 5 Black Redstart. While other visiting birders scored with the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH at Lower Moors. Paul Semmens had a Ring Ouzel on the Peninnis.

Looking from Carn Moval towards Tresco/Tean

  Yesterday Graham and I went to Porth Hellick and all we got was 2 Swallow and I heard my first Willow Warbler of the year.  Also 3 Black Redstart


Great song by Marsmobil 'Call Me'

SCOPS OWL at Porth Hellick!!

HOOPOE at Bants Carn. The 4th or 5th in two days. Martin Goodey 

  So what happened today? Higgo went to Bryher and in the first hour saw a male Ring Ouzel, 20+Chiffchaff and an early Tree Pipit. Later he got 10 Willow Warbler, 6 Black Redstart and stumbled across a Wryneck at Popplestone Bay. Not bad. On St Mary's he got the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH at Lower Moors and then went down to Porth Hellick an hour before dark. Just after 20.00, as he was approaching the crossroads, he could hear birds mobbing something in trees on the opposite side of the road. He poked his head through, expecting to see a cat, saw some movement, and got a shock when it turned out to be a bloody SCOPS OWL!! Pretty good! As always when Higgo shows his face to birds, the owl quickly moved deeper into cover. He immediately put the news out to Birdnet and was later in the club celebrating with a Guinness or 2, maybe 3, 4...

HOOPOE putting on a good show at Bants Carn

  I didn't have a bad day, I guess. At 11.00 I teamed up with Ritchie and we walked the coastal path from Juliets. Already I had seen 5 Black Redstart and Redwing at Content. We were walking on the lower track of Bants Carn Burial Chamber and was telling Ritchie that I came across a Hoopoe 14-15 odd years ago on this very track. Just as I said that we turned a bend and I casually said 'There's one now' Ritchie came back with 'It's still here after 14 years' The HOOPOE flew overhead and landed at the bottom of the burial Chamber. From here we got to 35-40 ft from it showing very well for the twenty minutes. We also heard a Jackdaw and Whimbrel on the beach below. We left both Martin and Joe with it and continued towards Bar Point. In the space of 5 minutes I saw 3 firsts for the year. 2 Swallow, a Comma Butterfly and in the large pines, the Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Saw 3 Comma Butterflies today

  After it went down hill, but up to 12 White Wagtail, 10+Chiffchaff, the Lapwing and 2 more Comma's all at Carn Friars. The SERIN was relocated at the riding stables by visiting birders and others looking for the Hoopoe got 3 Black Redstart, House Martin and Joe had a female Ring Ouzel. 2 more House Martins wee seen in Town.

Up to 12 White Wagtail were at Carn Friars

Lapwing over Porth Hellick Down

The only Wheatear that I saw alday was this male on the airfield

Have a guess what was sitting on this at 20.10?

Robin got 3 Short-eared Owl on Tresco and got some good pics

'Ashes To Ashes' by Steve Earle

2 HOOPOE in a day!

HOOPOE flying away from me at Mount Todden Farm

  At 9.30 Ritchie called me to say that Julian at Normandy House had a HOOPOE in his garden. I couldn't get up there for another 30 minutes and at 10.00, Robin called to tell me that they had seen it in the fields on the opposite side of the road from Normandy House. Another 40 minutes and I was almost at Normandy when I came across a visiting birder on the road. He told me that he just had the Hoopoe fly from Carn Friars towards Porth Hellick. Thinking that this could be a different one, we exchanged mobile numbers and he headed off to Porth Hellick and I carried on to Normandy. It was not until 11.45, after seaching all over the shop and only seeing 2 Redwing, that I flushed the damn thing off a wall at Mount Todden Farm in front of me. Just then Jim called and asked me where the Hoopoe was and as him and Jacqueline walked up the farm track, they got overhead heading off high towards Maypole. Jim also got a Swallow and trapped a Willow Warbler at Porth Hellick.

  Later I was on the mobile to Graham and watched number 2 HOOPOE of the day fly over the Garrison football field towards Star Castle where 925 observed it continue down towards the pottery. There were also 3 Black Redstart in the area and I got another 4 birds at Content. Graham had 2 Willow Warbler, White Wagtail and 3 Black Redstart on the St Agnes. He also trapped the 2nd St Agnes record of a TWIN-SPOTTED QUAKER two nights ago. With Doug Page having another Hoopoe on Agnes, were there 4 birds involved or was the Normandy individual very mobile, briefly visiting Carn Friars?  

TWIN-SPOTTED QUAKER Graham Gorden

3 Black Redstart and only 5 Chiffchaff were on the Garrison

3 of the 4 Black Redstart at Content

  A quick look at Lower Moors this evening produced this Green Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, White Wagtail and Grey Wagtail. Martin also got 7 White Wagtail at Porth Hellick

A first for me was a Coot on Porthloo Duckpond

  A quick look at Porth Hellick yeserday morning produced a Reeve feeding with a single Snipe and Greenshank on the far side. My first 2 White Wagtail of the year were on the beach and there up to 10 Chiffchaff in the area. At Deep Point there was a female Wheatear, on the Garrison 2 Black Redstart and the Lapwing flew over the airfield S. Later on while watching a single Black Redstart and 3 male Wheatear at Carn Moval, Robin called to say that he had a Reeve on the Tresco Abbey Pool. He also got 3 Short-eared Owl near the wood pile.

Greenshank, male Teal and Reeve

The guys went to have a look at the Reeve at Porth Hellick soon after I had found it. However, Robin was watching it on Tresco Great Pool where this pic was taken.

Male and female Wheatear

Wren and Blackbird

Springsteen and the one and only, Range Against Machine and The Night Nightwatchman, Tom Morello, singing 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' Live!

SERIN at Maypole

Male SERIN at Maypole Farm

  For the last week it's been very quiet. On Bryher Geoff Dent has had 2 Ring Ouzel, the odd Wheatear and Sand Martin and yesterday the first House Martin of the year. On the 19th, I saw 3 Sand Martin fly S over work and the first Willow Warbler included singles at Lower Moors, 17th and St Agnes, 19th and a single Swallow was at Porth Hellick, 18th. Except for the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH showing almost daily by the pumping station at Lower Moors, for everyone it's been hard work.
  However, just after 14.00, I was walking down a track at Maypole Farm and could hear a male SERIN in sub-song nearby. I could still hear it as I approached the large Hawthorn it was in, but it stayed out of sight. It took me a few minutes to locate it and when Robin, Tony and Higgo arrived, it had disappeared. Some 15 minutes later, after seaching in the area, I found it at close range drinking from a puddle with a small group of House Sparrow near the entrance of the riding stables. For Tony this was a new bird and it showed well on and off for the next 20 minutes. I think the Serin brighted up a dull week.

This male SERIN never came closer enough for me camera.

  Other birds that I saw today included a vocal Siberian Chiffchaff at Lower Moors, 3 Redwing, pair of Blackcap and 10+Chiffchaff and in off the sea, 2 Stock Dove, all  on the Garrison. Later at Maypole, 7 Stock Dove flew NW. Yesterday I had a Grey Wagtail in the same puddle from where the Serin was drinking.

Over 10 Chiffchaff were on the Garrison

I saw 6-7 Goldcrest today including this one at Maypole

A Wren holding it's territory

Collard Dove on the Garrison

Higgo thought he had better chances of seeing the Serin dressed up as one!