Solar Radiation

While the mainland remains below freezing, and with some at least also remaining under snow or ice today Scilly was honoured by t-shirt weather! A real oxymoron of cold sharp warmth. Anyway obviously these glorious conditions had to be capitalised upon and these were the results:

Lower Moors was stunning.

and this Snipe put on a lovely if not slightly deluded show of being cryptic or invisible.

One of the Iceland Gulls was enjoying a steaming hot bowl of rubbish mmm. The presence of steam eludes to how warm it was in the sun!

Hugh Town was lovely but no sign of the Eider...

While up at Harrys Walls this Merlin unexpectedly dropped in gripping instantly!

Cumulatively all this sun-related niceness made for a distinctly early springish day. Here's some more (slightly more flappy) pictures from recent days that illustrate this point:

Blue Skies

Not much to report today so here's some Blue-winger pics taken today at Lower Moors.

The 1st winter drake Blue-winged Teal showed lovely in the sun at Lower Moors.

And this Greenshank was loving life.

Finally a Moorhen cos its got a nice bill.

As cold as Ice

Ironically today was rather warm and muggy thanks to a lovely warm front and drop in the pesky NW wind. Just as well as my morning was spent getting active brush-cutting down near Morning Point on the Garrison as part of my voluntary effort with the I.O.S. Wildlife Trust. Maybe I’m a twisted sick freak but I love brush-cutting and other practical conservation work; it’s just brilliant – hard work but so rewarding.

Just another day at the office....

Anyway reward duly arrived when I was removing the cut material and noticed that an adult Iceland Gull was feeding at the sewage outflow below with a load of shifty Larus types. Luckily I had my bins and phone nearby so took some dodgy handheld shots while Jim was telling me how he’d seen it and tried shouting me, but I was far too absorbed in brush-cutting, thinking and listening simultaneously is pretty difficult.

I have an unhealthy obsession with adult ‘white-winged’ gulls and this adult Iceland with its ice cold back and white tips caused eyeball haemorrhaging on site. What a stonker.

An afternoon sauté to Porthloo found  1^st and 2^nd winter Icelands feeding in the surf with 4 Common Gull and more sketchy Larus types.

This 1st winter (overexposed) was chilling, loving life.

Dawn til Dusky

Here's some pictures from my travels today. Might write something later but the pub is calling.

Semi-Chiff.

Retro-Dusky Wabler

Dusky Warbler vs. Goldcrest

Another brilliantly out of focus Dusky Warbler.

Probably my best effort at this bird which showed brilliantly, but was extremely active.

Coming to a wood near you...

Get your Woodcock out.

Female Blackcap photographed badly.

Back garden Redwings.

Anyone know what this awesome Fungi is?!?

Lovely.

You can just about make out two Pink-footed Geese flying away.

B-side Birding

If October and early November were an A track then the past week or so is definitely the B-side of my birding intensity. Not through lack of wanton lust, but more due to my new employment and voluntary effort with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. So despite birding the Dump, Old Town and Longstone areas daily I haven’t got much to show for it besides a fist full of scarce..or uncommon depending on your classification.

Calm, still, sunny...Scilly.

So birds. Firecrests have been getting gradually more and more thin on the ground post Firefest 2011 last week, or the week before I lose track. The Yellow-browed Warbler disappeared from Carreg Dhu a week ago while Black Redstarts are still bountiful with a hanger on by my garden and 1 then 2 yesterday and today within the school complex feeding together, at time fighting – quality!

I will never get bored of Yellow-browed Warblers....they are such little beansprouts!

The back garden is calming after it’s uber fest this autumn but a Serin on the 12^th which flew calling from within the garden as I stood at the back door drinking tea was awesome and a major garden record (my first) to add to 3 rare pipits (OBP, Red-throated and Richard’s), a Rosefinch, Yellow-browed Warbler, Siberian Chiffchaff, 3 Black Kites, Firecrest, Long-eared Owl plus all the rare insects it really has been a mega autumn for Longstone as well as Scilly!

Buteo mofo

Other birds up this end of ‘t island include 2 resident Blackcaps, 1 Chiffchaff up to 4 Woodcock, Common Buzzard, 4 Raven, daily raptors including Kestrel, Peregrne, Merlin and Sparrowhawk, usual autumnal Turdus assemblage, Grey and Pied Wagtails with the odd Skylark and group of Meadow Pipit for good measure.

Nominate form Black Redstart, none of that offensively gripping red underparts here.

The leps or should I say moths (as butterflies are becoming highly infrequent) are also still booming with baking hot night-time temperatures of 13 degrees Celsius we have been catching bits and pieces. The trapping effort is vastly reduced from 5 traps to 2 or 3 but numbers of Rusty Dot Pearl and White-speck remain in double figures while Silver Y, Rush Veneer and Diamond-backed Moth are all still being caught, albeit in small numbers. Oddly a Dingy Footman was caught a few days back, very late and had us checking our french macro guides!

And I'll leave you with some pics of recent things \I saw through my camera...

Hiding in the bushes clutching my lens watching Fiedfare. NORMAL

Mushrooms or Fingi or Toadstools.

Squiffy European Wigeon down at Porthellick