Siberian Stonechat at Maypole

Siberian Stonechat showing well at Maypole found by Mark Halliday

  There were more winter thrushes first thing this morning than yesterday over me digs. Dots high up in the sky heading NE turned out to be 40+Fieldare and 25+Redwing. A quick look along the Dead Pine Walk and there were single Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler and 2 Swallow. At the same time, I missed out on a Short-eared Owl over the football field by another birder and at Longstones a Richard's Pipit flew over.
  Inbetween working, a look at Newford produced 3 Grey Wagtail, 4 Chiffchaff, 2 Yellow-browed Warbler, 1 Firecrest and the Pied Flycatcher. Thrushes were on the move with the largest flock, 150+Redwing and 100+Fieldfare. 

100's of winter thrushes arrived today with a flock of 300 dropping out of the sky on St Agnes. Altogether I saw up to 250+Redwing and 200+Fieldfare

  Graham Gorden text me with news that two birders had a PALLIED HARRIER performing well over Browarth, St Agnes, before flying out over The Roads towards Tresco/St Mary's. With the easterlies, everyone was expecting more birds to hit Scilly. By mid-morning there was no sign of any of yesterdays Red-flanked Bluetails but the Little Bunting was still on Tresco.

  At 12.20 I got a call from Mark Halliday telling me that he had just found a Siberian Stonechat at Maypole. It was nearly an hour later when I arrived with Higgo and Chesney and found the stonechat showing at some distance at the other end of the field. However, five minutes later it was only a few meters away from us but soon returned to the far corner. I made my ways back to work and returned again later in the afternoon and observed it a lot longer at close range.

 

The only other Siberian Stonechat that I've ever seen is a bird on Peninnis found by John Chapple over ten years ago I think?

I went to tell Nigel Hudson about the stonechat and found himself and Jim messing around with the Pale-legged or Sakhalin Leaf Warbler that was found dead yesterday on St Agnes. It weighed in at over 9 grams. Took with my iPhone.

Slackwax is a German musical duo of electronic music formed in 2005 and made up of Bernd Batke and Peter Hoppe. Batke, at the same time frontman, singer and bass player of the neo-country band Smokestack Lightnin' whereas Hoppe was a Nuremberg-based music producer. The style of the duo is electro, moody and atmospheric with elements of jazz, blues, soul, country together with contemporary beats and modern production techniques. They are signed to the German label Modernsoul. The duo released a self-titled EP titled Slackwax in 2008, followed by EP "Close to My Fire (in 2010), their best known hit and EP Night Out (2012) and are preparing for a full studio album for 2013 with "Night Out" as the first single from the release.^[1] They also released two mix EPs, Night Out – The Remixes in 2012 and Slackwax reworks Mousse T. also in 2012 offering a completely new perspective on Mousse T. hits with vocals from Anna Leyne on the tracks.