S/P Slavonian Grebe at Porthcressa

S/P Slavonian Grebe at Porthcressa Bay Martin Goodey

  I awoke to thick fog this morning, but by 11.00 the fog gave way to bright warm sunshine. I arranged to meet Higgo at Porth Hellick first thing, hoping to see yesterdays Bluethroat. However, there was no sign of the bird and there was no sign of Higgo! 8 Sand Martin were over the pool and a single Willow Warbler and 6+Chiffchaff were singing. At Carn Friars there was a single Fieldfare in the pine belt, single Brambling and Blackcap and only 11 Golden Plover were on the beach with 3 Greenshank.

 Dence fog covering Porth Hellick

 

Fieldfare at Carn Friars, if you can make it out in the foggy conditions?

  I had twenty minutes off work and a walk across the football field to the shop of the campsite, produced a single Willow Warbler and White Wagtail, 6 Pied Wagtail, including the dusky individual that's been present here now for fifteen days, lots of Robin and a cracking male Black Redstart. Another male was also showing well on the roofs near the chemist in town.

 

Willow Warbler at the campsite, Garrison  

 

 

 

Male Black Redstart at the campsite, Garrison with Sallyport in the background  

 

Over 25 Robins were at the Star Castle/football field area 

  A call from Higgo, just after 12.00, found me at Porthcressa with in seconds. Ren had gone and found a summer plumage Slavonian Grebe in the bay! This was the first time that Ren, Martin and I, have ever seen one in this plumage! Although it had not completed it's moult, it was still a very smart bird to observe as it graced the area called the Pilchard Pool. It was still present at 17.30, but distant. I gave Higgo a lift to Porth Hellick on the way to the airport and as we passed Sandy Banks, 2 Swallow flew by.

 

S/P Slavonian Grebe at Porthcressa in crap light! 

 

Birders and non-birders enjoying Ren's find! Note how Ritchie is always in the crowd shots!

  Mid-afternoon and I was observing up to 11 Black Redstart at Bants Carn, including a single male. An immature male Sparrowhawk also flew through and 10+Robin were in the area.

 

This female Stonechat was a new arrival at Carn Morval and showed a lot of white on the wings than usual. 

 

Up to 11 Black Redstart were feeding together at Bant's Carn! 

  Later after work, I walked from the airfield to Porth Helleck. There was a male Weatear and 3 Black Redstart at Giants Castle and as I approached PH, 19 Sand Martin flew out high, SE. In the hides I met Higgo and Robin who had seen a Reed Bunting earlier. 

 

The Scillonian made it's first crossing of the year from Penzance.     

DON'T FORGET TO PUT YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD!  

2 Willow Warbler at Porth Hellick

Porth Hellick this evening 

 

Over 30 Robins were in the campsite area on the Garrison

Arrived at Porth Hellick just after 07.00 and the first bird I see of note, is the immature female Marsh Harrier flying away towards Salkee. This was quickly followed by my first Willow Warbler of the year with a single singing on the loop trail and another in between the two hides. A migrating Whimbrel was heard in the bay and a look at Carn Friars found a stunning summer plumage male Brambling feeding with 25+Chaffinch in the horse paddock. There were also 2 imm/fem Black Redstart, 5 Chiffchaff and a male Blackcap. Over 20 Robin were at Porth Hellick/Carn Friars. A call from work saw me leaving sooner than I'd liked. 

Later in the day, I found that Robins were still in good numbers on the Garrison with over 30 birds just in the campsite area! There was also 4 Blackcap, 2 White and 4 Pied Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, an immature male Sparrowhawk and female Kestrel. At the Woolpack, 3 male Black Redstart, 10+Meadow Pipit and a male Wheatear. 

  

 

 Meadow Pipit, Wheatear and Robin, all seen in the campsite area, Garrison. These Robins were never easy to get close to! 

                 

I decided to check areas for Black Redstart where I didn't have time to look yesterday. As a result, there were 11 at Pelistry, inclunding 6 on the beach and 7 at the stables. Also, a single Chiffchaff and over 30 Meadow Pipit were put up by a male Kestrel.

An hour after I left Carn Friars this morning, Jim trapped a WHITE-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT at Porth Hellick, only the forth Scilly record!! If it wasn't for that call from work, then I would of gone to see how he was getting on and maybe I would of been there when he caught it! So, this evening, Robin, Ritchie and I tried our luck. However, there was no sign of it. Instead, there were 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Snipe, 2 pairs of Teal and the female Pochard all on the pool. 5 Sand Martin arrived and ended up roosting in the reeds. Ritchie and I saw the immature female Marsh Harrier briefly and 12 Golden Plover, 3 White and 2 Pied Wagtail on the beach.  

A nice male Grey Wagtail at Porth Hellickat Porth Hellick Martin Goodey 

 

A pair of Shelduck at Porth Hellick 

 

Martin took this shot from the Sussex hide of us all looking for the Bluethroat . From the left,  Ritchie, great camo gear, Robin, which strand of  grass? and myself, it's in the bottom of the top of the bush! A?

32 Black Redstart!!

  The strong ESE winds played there part and it was estimated that over 40 Black Redstart arrived on St Mary's! They were all over the shop and I observed a total of 32 Black Redstart! The largest count was 13 on the Garrison with 5 of each at Porthcressa, Carn Moval and Deep Point, and ones and twos dotted elsewhere. Higgo also had 21 birds on Bryher! What we both noted was that there were a lot of stunning males. Other birds caught up in this influx that I managed to see were, continental Song Thrushes, winter thrushes, Robins, Chiffchaffs and Wheatears.
  Mid-afternoon and I was up Mcfarland's Down, watching a male Black Redstart at close range in one of the gardens, when Robin called. He told me that a visiting birder had just told him about a male Red-backed Shrike at Watermill!! I'm sure this would be the first UK March record of a R B Shrike! We were both soon at the orchard, where the shrike had been seen, but after a good hour of looking in the area, there was no sign of it. Instead we saw a single Redwing, a large flock of 19 Fieldfare and a female Merlin at Green Farm.   Earlier this morning the male Merlin zoomed past the airport, 6 Stock Dove were at Carn Vean, a single Lapwing was at Telegraph and an adult Common Gull was at Little Porth.
  After work, I had a walk around the Garrison and on the football field, 4 continental Song Thrush flew off high NE. I had already had 4 with 5 Redwing at Porthloo. There was also single Wheatear, Black Redstart, White and Pied Wagtail on the football field. Visiting various sights on the island, I noticed the slight increase of Robins, but here on the Garrison they were everywhere! From the campsite along the coastal path to the pottery, I saw over 45 birds. Up to 13 Black Redstart, 5 Wheatear were also seen on the same walk with a single Fieldfare.
 
   Lots of Butterflies were on the wing enjoying the sun and included my first Large White of the year at Telegraph and at Star Castle, moths included, 2 Double-lined Pug and 1 Early Thorn.
  Also, Robin had a the first Willow Warbler of the year singing at Porth Hellick.

TOTALS FOR TODAY

32 BLACK REDSTART
60+ROBIN
8 CONTINENTAL SONG THRUSH 
20 FIELDFARE
8 WHEATEAR
6 REDWING
10+CHIFFCHAFF 


 On Bryher, Higgo totals included, 20+ continental Song Thrush, 30 Wheatear, 12 Blackcap, 10 Chiffchaff, 21 Black Redstart, 20+Robin, and a single Mistle Thrush.  

Small Tortoiseshell at Bants Carn 

Greenshank at Porth Hellick 

Yestarday morning, while driving to Porth Hellick, I noticed a cracking male Black Redstart on a post next to the road at the stables, Pelistry. At Porth Hellick there was nothing of note. However, a visit in the evening turned up 6 Wheatear on the beach and 2 Sand Martin went straight through. The single Redwing was feeding with the 2 Fieldfare in the nearby fields. Also, 5 Fieldfare flew SW over Star Castle in the afternoon.  

 

Male Black Redstart at Pelistry 

Male Pied Wagtail at Porthloo

Adult Herring Gull at Little Porth. All photos Martin Goodey 

Marsh Harrier and House Martin at Porth Hellick

 

An immature female Marsh Harrier at Porth Hellick was the first of the year! 

  The first House Martin of the year was feeding with 3 Sand Martin over Porth Hellick Pool this morning in the crap light. With in five minutes of the being in the hide, 2 Snipe alarming, flew fast low across the water in front of me and immediately following behind them, was an immature female Marsh Harrier! The harrier performed very well before flying up towards Salkee. It returned shortly afterwards and flew straight through towards Holy Vale.


  By the afternoon, the sun came out and there was no sign of the hirundines or harrier when I made a short visit to Porth Hellick. However, a smart male Wheatear was in the field next to the boardwalk and 2 White and Pied Wagtail were at Carn Friers. There was also 2 White Wagtail and a male Sparrowhawk at Porthloo and 12 Golden Plover flew around the airfield.

 

 

Male Wheatear at Porth Hellick top photo Martin Goodey 

 

 This spider sp? was crawling infront of me in the Seaward hide 

 

2 White Wagtail were at Porthloo  

  

 

There at least 4 or 5 Kestrel on St Mary's at the moment. This shot was taken at Star Castle 

Black Redstart singing!

 2 Early Thorn were at Star Castle

As I went through the gate out towards Porth Hellick Beach this evening, I could hear an unfamiliar song to my right. It sounded like a mixture of a Yellowhammer/Corn Bunting singing. I stood there for a second and then it came to me. It was the male Black Redstart and I found him high up on top of Caramel Rock! This is only the second time I've heard a Black Redstart singing and that was over 25 years ago. A single Skylark with 12 Linnet flew high SW and on the pool there were 3 Snipe, 2 pairs of Teal and the female Pochard. 7 Chiffchaff were heard and seen on the walk back to the road.  

It was like glass out in The Roads and a scan out from Star Castle produced my first Sandwich Tern of the year, a female Merlin, 26+Great Northern Diver and south of Samson, one of the Black-necked Grebe.  The dusky looking Pied Wagtail was on the lawn this morning for it's sixth day. 

 At Star Castle, there was a battle going on in the garden between a Common Garden Centipede and Shiney Woodlouse, but want do you think happened?  

 

The jaws were not strong enough to pierce through the hard shell of the woodlouse and after a good three minutes of trying, the ceterpede gave up and had no choice but to let it go of the unharmed woodlouse! 

  

 

St Mark's Fly at Porth Hellick 

 

Glossy Glass Snail at Star Castle

 

Common Striped Woodlouse of a yellow form at Star Castle

 

Darkling Beetle at Star Castle

 

Male Kestrel at Porth Hellick just before dark