8th TAWNY OWL for Scilly

This Short-toed Lark showed down to a less than 10 meters on the airfield

  Day off and in the warm sunshine at Lower Moors I came across the Northern Willow Warbler that I first had at Newford some two weeks ago, then later at Content and now at Lower Moors. There were also single Yellow-browed Warbler, Jack Snipe, flyover redpoll and 30+Chiffchaff in the area. The Short-toed Lark was reported on the airfield yesterday and so I thought I would give it a shot. At the terminal building there were 2 Black Redstart and a single Golden Plover was on the airfield. Just opposite  the windsock I relocated the lark feeding in company with a single Meadow Pipit. I lay down as both birds started grovelling towards me and just continued coming closer and closer, until I could almost touch them! After 20 minutes, I crawled away backwards and behind me was Paul Freestone waiting for me to get out of the way so he could take his turn.

Note the displaced narrow white feather on the left wing identifying the Northern Willow Warbler as the Newford/Content individual.  

The Northern Willow Warbler that's moved from content up road to Lower Moors. Note the white underparts and undertail coverts reaching half the length of the tail. 

Jack Snipe at Lower Moors

This crazy Short-toed Lark showed ridiculously well!

It was Paul's turn to try the lark. He's got such lovely soles on his boots!

2 Black Redstart were around the terminal building. 

  While on the airfield news came out of a Hawfinch at Green Lane. Just before I left to make my ways to the finch, Robin called to say that he had 2 Hawfinch. Ideal! But when we got to the site, distantly there was a female at the far end of the field in a line of Hawthorns. I continued to kick the fields nearby, but all I got were 80+Chaffinch and 3 Siskin. I text Darren Mason with the news of what birds are around at the moment. His reply was 'Cheers Kris Had TAWNY OWL calling this morning outside our house' It's only the 8th Scilly record with the last being a bird heard in the Abbey Woods in '95. He didn't realize how rare this owl was over here and I immediately contacted him. He told me that he heard it for an hour just outside his house at dawn. I wasn't far away from where Darren lived and thought I'll go and have a look in the trees nearby. No joy and there was no sight or sound of it later this evening when a few of us went to have a listen. Higgo, who was with us, was the only person that's seen a Tawny Owl on Scilly back in '84 at Bar Point. I ain't goin to tell you how he saw it.

There were 2 Hawfinch at Green Lane, but I could only find was this female getting stuck into the Hawthorn berries

  Earlier, a birder showed me pics of the 3 Firecrest he had at Sharks Pit this morning and a superb shot of a Siberian Chiffchaff at Newford Duckpond. However when I got to the latter site all I could find were a single Yellow-browed Warbler, Woodcock and 3 Firecrest. Close by at Trenowth, I had another 2 Yellow-browed Warbler and 2 Firecrest and in the fields a male Ring Ouzel.
  As the BLYTH'S PIPIT was showing well in the coastal fields west of Peninnis, I decided to go and see it. However, when I got there though, it was 10 miles at the top of the field! Well at least I saw it and it ended on what was a cracking day!

I saw up to 7 Firecrest today including this one at Trenowth

This male Ring Ouzel was also at Trenowth

I managed to see up to 60+Chiffchaff today

  The only new birds found today were 2 Palla's Warbler with singles on St Agnes and Bryher. Up to 4 Yellow-browed Warbler were on Tresco with 2, including one trapped and ringed, on St Agnes.


Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir (born September 10, 1982 in London, England), better known by her stage name, Lay Low, is an Icelandic artist and singer. Just a few months after her discovery she released her debut album, Please Don't Hate Me, which went gold only two months after its release. The following year she was nominated for four of the 2006 Icelandic Music Awards, winning two; Best female singer and best album cover. She was also voted by the nation through phone election as the most popular artist of 2006.

Islanders 4 Birders 0

If it wasn't for the outstanding saves from our goal keeper and man of the match, Kevin Kelly, then the score would of been a lot higher Jim Almond

  It was 12 years ago, 2003, that the last football match between the Islanders v Birders took place after starting sometime in the '70's. At 10.30, Sunday just gone, the tradition was back on track again, thanks to the efforts from both Scott Reid and Elliot Mudd. Even though I've lived on the island for nearly 20 years, since '92, when I was first visiting Scilly, I've always played for the islanders. So it only seemed right to continue playing for the same team. A team that have never played with each other before, came on The Garrison football pitch full of confidants, passion and commitment. The islanders, who I play with every week, our young, fit, skillful (non of these I'm not) and know each other inside out. So realistically it didn't look so hopeful for us. However, even though the ball spent most of it's time in our half of the pitch, we held it together, thanks to Kevin Kelly, and it wasn't until over 30 minutes into the game that the islanders scored. Just before half time we were down to 2-0.
  We came out with our heads held high and it looked a bit more promising as we started to push forward and as a result, we hit the post. An own goal at the other end made it 3-0 and shortly afterwards, it was 4 before the whistle blew to end a tough physical game. We all gave it 100% and look forward to winning next year!

All photos taken by our sports photographer Jim almond. See more pics on his blog  http://shropshirebirder.blogspot.co.uk/

Warming up our muscles 

Zac laying off a pass

Jay skinning the Islanders alive!

Ollie putting the ball out to safety 

A counter attack by us...

...Nearly paid off

and again with Mike's shot just brushing off the post

Mike and I decided to show off some disco moves. I think mine is better than his

Me pointing at somethin A fly I think

 

Kevin pulling off so many great saves to the frustration of the Islanders

I don't know if the crowd are clapping or just warming their hands. Or maybe they got bored and started clapping to Chesney singing

Next year guys this will be ours!

2015 Birders football team

and this was taken in 1994 when we won 4-2. I'm on the far right with the rugby boots and hair!

Thanks to Birdguides for sponsoring us and non other than Killian Mullarney for the art work on the badge of a Black and Warbler on the kit. 

Today a lot of stuff seems to have moved out with only a scattering of Yellow-browed Warblers on the islands and the BLYTH'S PIPIT continue to show well on Pennins. 

Yesterday at Content, I had this Northern Willow Warbler and by the dispaced white narrow feather on it's left wing, it proved to be the individual that I found over a week ago just up road at Newford. 

Also 2 Yellow-browed Warbler were feeding in the same Sycamores as a Firecrest and the warbler. At the same time there were another 2 Yellow-browed Warbler and a single Firecrest at Newford and the Crossbill was in the area. 

Up to 60 Meadow Pipit on the Garrison

Note that this female Stonechat has a ring on left leg. This might indicate that it was ringed as a pullas in the nest locally.

Blackbirds and Fieldfare

  Yesterday on St Mary's, the Richard's Pipit was still  present on the airfield with the Short-toed Lark. A Little Bunting was found freshly dead under a window at Porthloo. The Ortolan Bunting and the Olive-backed Pipit were on St Martins. The pipit was on it's last legs and was observed falling over. The second Spotted Sandpiper of the year was a one day juvenile on Tresco Great Pool, 21st.

From her latest Lp 'Indian Ocean' Frazey Ford is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was a founding member of The Be Good Tanyas. Her solo debut Obadiah was released on Nettwerk on July 20, 2010. Jenny Charlesworth of The Georgia Straight wrote that a few of the songs "swing with a mellow neo-soul beat enlivened by buttery vocals", and noted influences from rhythm and blues singers Ann Peebles, Roberta Flack, and Donny Hathaway.