Canoeing Tresco and Samson

Up to 3 Wood Sandpiper were on Tresco Abbey Pool

  The idea was that I was going to canoe to Samson followed by Tresco this morning. However the heavy rain put a stop to that. About 11.00, it was starting to ease off and I was ready to go. However, things changed again when Higgo called to tell me that he had 3 Wood Sandpiper, 11 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot and 3 Ruff all on Tresco Abbey Pool and he had no time to go around the Great Pool as he was going to wade across, at low tide, from Tresco to his beloved Bryher. So I left Porthloo in the burning sun and 30 minutes later I was observing 11 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 17 Dunlin, (only 1 adult) only 2 Wood Sandpiper and now 4 juvenile Ruff.

As I passed through St Mary's Harbour I came across 17 Sandwich and a single Common Tern. With the canoe, I was almost on top of them! I must of been a metre away and they weren't concerned one little bit.

6 of the 11 Black-tailed Godwit

4 Ruff, 2 Knot and 10 Dunlin

  With a walk around the pool, I thought there was only 5 Green Sandpiper, but they became very vocal and I counted 10 together flying towards the Great Pool. 6 Common Sandpiper also flew together around the pool and all the time I could the Buzzard nearby. No rarities, but by far the best selection of waders that I've seen on the Abbey Pool. Returning to South Beach, there was a Wheatear feeding by my canoe.
 The Great Pool was crap with 20 Green and 12 Redshank. Up to 4 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Chiffchaff and a single Willow Warbler along Pool Road. 3 Crossbill flew over Abbey Drive and a Migrant Hawker was near the David Hunt hide.

The smell of the Eucalypyus Trees along Abbey Drive, Tresco,  remind me of when I worked on the Great Ocoan Road, Australia.

 As planned I visited Samson and in the 30 minutes that I was there, except for 5 Snipe and 2 Clouded Yellow, I saw nothing else of note.

 On Bryher, Higgo could only find of note 15 Pied and 1 Spotted Flycatcher and Whitethroat.

Setting off from South Beach, Tresco with St Mary's in the distance

Looking towards South Hill from North Hill, Samson

I drifted directly under the Belem that was anchored in The Roads. As you can see it's a French working ship and I had a good chat with them as I passed by. There English was very good but they couldn't understand my Shropshire twang. She was originally a cargo ship, transporting sugar from the West Indies, cocoa, and coffee from Brazil and French Guiana to Nantes, France. By chance she escaped the eruption of the Mount Pelée in Saint-Pierre de la Martinique on 8 May 1902. All Saint Pierre roads were full of vessels, no place to anchor the ship. Captain Julien Chauvelon angrily decided to anchor some miles further on in a beach - sheltered from the exploding volcano. In January 1979, she came back to her home port as the Belem under tow by a French sea-going tug, flying the French flag after 65 years. Fully restored to her original condition, she began a new career as a sail training ship

Returning into Porthloo and there was an adult Mediterranean Gull. Do you want to know how close I got to this one? All the above shots were taken with my camcorder

Up to 6 Pied Flycatcher and a single Whinchat were on the Dead Pine Walk, Garrison

3 juvenile Herring Gull begging to their parents on top of one of the guard houses at work

A great soul song by an amazing singer 'I'm Not The One' by Bettye LaVette released as a single a few months ago. This women has been around and has toured with rhythm and blues musicians Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, Barbara Lynn, and at the time, then-newcomer Otis Redding. More recentley she has played with The Who, Sir Paul McCartney, Sinead O'conner, Jon Bon Jovi, Dolly Parton and many more. 'Let Me Down Easy” she sang on Calla in 1965. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest soul recordings of all time. She was also on the 'Chimes of Freedom' The songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, singing one of my favourite Dylan songs 'Most Of The Time'