Squacco Heron on st Mary's

Today I saw a adult Night Heron, male little Bittern, sub-adult COMMON CRANE and the best of the lot, this 1st summer Squacco Heron! And there was a Purple Heron also seen on Bryher

  This morning I said hello to the Crane at Porth Hellick from me wagon. Later I was told that a visitor, John Connolly had a male Little Bittern at Lower Moors yesterday at 17.00. I spread the news around, but at 11.00 Tim Rogers observed a Squacco Heron come in off the sea at Porth Hellick. It flew in front of him and continued N towards Holy Vale. Shortly afterwards I got a call from Alan Bone telling me that he was watching the male Little Bittern at Shooters Pool with the adult Night Heron. I put the news out and raced down there to be told that it had just walked into the reeds and was out of sight. I wanted to go and find the Squacco and started looking in the ditches at Rose Hill. I hads only been in there a few minutes when the bittern flew in low from Lower Moors and landed in a small Hawthorn no more than a few meters in front of me at eye level! I couldn't move, but the bittern did and it flew into a apple tree nearby where it was still on view. It then flew off to Porthloo where I lost it. I tried the back of Porthloo Duckpond and almost stood on the thing as it flew up from my feet! Again it did not go far and came down in a ditch only to fly out again shortly afterwards back towards Lower Moors. Ten minutes later I had pinned it down in the ditch that borders the horse paddock at Rose Hill. Soon everyone arrived, when Mark Anderson called to say that he had relocated the Squacco on rocks at Porth Hellick Bay.

Male Little Bittern in the Porthloo/Rose Hill area. This is my firth one I've seen on Scilly with the last being a pair that I had at Lower Moors, May '06

 

 

Sub-adult COMMON CRANE at Porth Hellick. Later in the day Bob Dawson relocated it on St Agnes

  I had to return to work and Robin called to say that the Squacco had been flushed on purpose by a visiting birder towards Lower Moors. At the latter site, Will Scott and I made our way down there to be told by a couple that it was in front of the hide but had flown off. Shite! We were near to the ISBG hide, when shouted 'shit Spider there it is!' I just left my camera alone and just watched it in flight just over the reeds as it flew off over to Parting Carn. Some time later, we all got crippling views of it at the Porth Hellick, perched and in flight. I made the two minute walk up to Porth Hellick down to see Mark Anderson's male Woodchat Shrike that he had found, but soon returned to the Squacco where it was being booted all over the shop, trying to feed in the ditch bordering Carn Friars.
  At dusk, Will, Mark and I thiought it would be good to cap it all off with the Night Herons coming out from their roost at Lower Moors. At 21.20, an adult flew out and seemed to come down by Higgo's Pool.

  Also seen today were a Golden Oriole and the Purple Heron on Bryher, the Hen Harrier and Short-toed Lark on st Martins and on Mary's in the last two days up to 10 Golden Oriole. On St Agnes, 2 male Tufted Duck and a possible Grey-headed wagtail by the Big pool. Yesterday Higgo got a 2nd summer Montagu's Harrier on Bryher
 

Record shots of the 1st summer Squacco Heron at Porth Hellick/Carn Friars The only other Squacco Heron that I've ever seen was an adult that Robin found at Porth Hellick in '05

The female Garganey was joined by a female Teal on Shooters Pool

This Golden Plover was also on the airfield

 

One of the 2 adult Night Heron at Shooters Pool yesterday

Had this Jackdaw at the airport yesterday. Could be the only one I see this year. We also got a female Blue-headed wagtail in the same area and I had an immature Golden Oriole at Bar Point.

Great great song by Eliza Gilkyson 'Man of God'