Silence is Deadly (or REDly)

Yeah yeah yeah. I ain't done shit in like bare time bruv you get me? Is cos I saw dis, like, well fit bird from me kitchen window one morning. Proper like buff innit? Needless to say the cataclysm created by finding a Red-footed Falcon at 6:30am whilst making a cuppa rendered me such, that no amount of cod liver oil or similar lubricants could muster more than a gargled 'f#ck me it happened' from my partially disintegrated face. Dub birder returns....

Cue  repetitive pic fest of the bird, but C'MON NOW! Its a fooking honking great first summer male Red-foot, like look at its ass!!!!

So I havn't updated in a long time. Sorry. I know you missed me. To be honest I forgot about the whole blog thing what with the MENTAL CRAZY COLOURFUL spring full of more scarcities than the average Chinese diner plate and brimming with excitement, followed by an incredible perfect summer that did what it should - stroke both heat and sun, redder than a Lobster on acid.

Anyway while I'm on the subject of Red...The weather had been hot with High Pressure featuring heavily in May's weather patterns, something that even now, as I write in October (SLACK), has continued, almost unabated (or masturbated) until now. Of course, these conditions in spring deliver hot weather along with an occasional wiff of southeasterly winds. As you can imagine I was excited hard. Tactically I was between jobs in late May, and on the 17th I awoke early to go birding, full of anticipation and angst. I took the dogs out for their customary AM shit then took mine. I wandered into the kitchen to stick some tea on while I went vismigging outside. I looked out to the sky, as I, like so many birders I'm sure, always do and saw a small falcon perched on the pines behind my house. Now, lets face it, late May. Ain't gona be no Merlin is it! I ran and grabbed my scope and could barely comprehend the red tainted beauty the I beheld! Holy tits its a Red-foot! How is this happening?! I ran and got my dad up who confirmed I wasn't entirely mental. I then tried and failed to text resident birders before finally finding signal. The rest is history, got it on the 'having a pooh' list, always good leverage.

Just LOOK at it maaaaaan!!!!!

Briefly it graced us with epic close up views on wires outside my bedroom window! #Scillyproblems

Not a particularly advanced bird showing alot of streaking on the unders like a football slut. However the bare parts certainly were on par! Get yourself some aftersun son!

An angle know one else got, cos its from me sh#tter!

The locals hated it, with a steady parade or confused and scared breeders taking it in turns to oust this ruby gem.

Before the Falcon came and made Stilton soup of my brain the birding had been good with Wood Warbler down at Higher Moors and mega-distant stringy but not stringy cos it looked like rope Black Kite followed by my second Purple Heron of the spring which I jammed flying over a BBQ at Shark's Pit after the boys watched it leave Holy Vale area. Classic shit your pants Scilly.

Oh yeah and freezed my left ass check nearly off trying to see this little blighter..Short-toed Lark blud.

After the chaos of Red-foot morning I wandered up to Harry's Walls and had this Marsh Harrier which caused some confusion what with its dirty great fat forked tail!

Then the following day I jammed this Hawfinch on the away Patch, along with Bee-eater! An incredible few days that lacked a mega, but I can tell you, I've spent enough on prosthetics what with all the hyper ball rotting birds this spring so I was happy!...and unable to sit down.

One of my favourite pics of spring, iconic in that the influx of birds was impressive at times with several Blackcap holding territory in an area usually occupied by only one pair!

 Then it got even better. And I got wetter. In many places. A tough few days ensued where all dayight hours were spent in the field with little excitement, and the seemingly perpetual chase to see a Golden Oriole. But then it all changed. Late evening and I watch a male Pied Fly mob the Bant's Carn Woodchat Shrike as it called at me. Then heading to Carreg Dhu on some golden gen, I crept to view the Sycamore I'd always had the same reoccurring fantasy about, saw a yellow dash and whispered to myself  'it's here!', before the Golden Oriole sat in full view for over a minute. I prolapsed right there. Out my eyes. Like a Pitta backrub.

The Oriole, turned into Orioles, and proceeded to put on an amazing display of singing and calling at close range just behind my house at Longstone!

Another Brucey bonus came a few days later in blue shades. What a heady bugger!

Then this big fat pig tuned up trying to sell spices and murdering Sparrows.

The Longstone House Martins bred again and fledged two chicks.

 Then it all went quiet...I concentrated on other enjoyment for most of the summer, enjoying the perfect weather on an amazing island. However we are all soft on the inside; humans, birds, moths. Exotherm these: