Male Pied Flycatcher at Parting Carn

18th April 2020

There was a small arrival of spring migrants today and with them was this male Pied Flycatcher at Parting Carn

I was just about to turn and roll over and go back to sleep in bed when I could hear the sweet song of a Willow Warbler outside my window. It was 07.30 and after I got somethin down my neck, I arrived at Lower Moors an hour and half later. 4 Reed Warbler in song were new in but the male Ring Ouzel at Giants Castle has been present in the area for two days now. As I approached Porth Hellick from Salkee, at the same time as watching the first Whinchat of the year, I could also hear my first Whitethroat of the year. A walk around on the boardwalk produced 6-7 Reed and 2 Sedge Warbler singing. A female Teal was on the pool with 30+Swallow, 6 Sand and 5 House Martin on the wires. The adult male LESSER KESTREL was still hanging out at Porth Hellick Down where I also had 3 female Ring Ouzel.

Altogether I had 3 Whitethroat today including this individual at Porth Hellick

Swallow were tinkling through in off the sea

As usual a pair of Shelduck have arrived at Porth Hellick

The LESSER KESTREL made a couple of flybys at Porth Hellick Down in the dull light, after flushing it at very close range without knowing it was there, before it flew towards the airfield where it was seen later on

While watching the 2 female Riing Ouzel also on the down, I could hear another nearby. I turned aeound to see this female come in off the sea.

This singing male Linnet was on territory also on the down

Robin

It was not until mid-afternoon that I was at Parting Carn where I could see the Jackdaw flying NW towards Lower Moors. Shortly afterwards it was picked up back on the golf course by Robin. I took the trail up to the airfield and was rewarded with a single Whitethroat and a cracking male Pied Flycatcher. Swallows were hawking over the airfield and on the north side was my second Whinchat of the day. Higgo appeared from nowhere and after spending some time with the chat, we made our ways home and found with the Turnstone flock at Porth Mellon the Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit. After dinner I had a poke around the Garrison and out in the calm waters were a single Black-headed Gull, 2 Sandwich Tern, 6 Great Northern Diver and between Gugh and Samson some 400 Manx Shearwater.

So pleased to stumble upon to this 1st summer male Pied Flycatcher at Parting Carn. However, by the time others arrived it had moved on.

I had 2 Whinchat including this female at the airfield

1st summer Black-headed Gull

Including 20 in the garden I saw up to 50 Linnet today

Also 10 Goldfinch

There were only 11 Wheatear altogether

With 20 Chiffchaff

And 25 Willow Warbler. There was also an arrival of 35 Blackcap.

Yesterday morning, my third Grasshopper Warbler of the spring was reeling in the pig field on the Garrison. Later in the afternnon in the drizzle while working in the vines at Trenowth. I took a look over a low hedge into the next field and flushed a stonking male Brambling. Fortunately when Joe Pender arrived, we relocated it and got this time I got better flight views. After work, in the drizzle, I got a cracking but a very flighty male Black Redstart and I heard my first Cuckoo of the year south of Carreg Dhu Gardens after being informed that it has be there for the last two days. A look at the golf course produced the Lapwing, Jackdaw, Common Gull, 2 Whimbrel, 8 Wheatear and at the entrance of the golf club, the first Turtle Dove of the year.

The Lapwing at the golf course

Record shots of the Turtle Dove before being spooked by Wood Pigeons and flying off south

When I returned home it was almost dark but there were still some 50 Herring Gull just in front of the bedroom window

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