1st September 2020
After Robin sending a pic last night of what he thought was the possibly Spotted Sandpiper at Porth Hellick and me confirming it that it was one, I had to go and see it for myself today and did it show well
Shortly after 08.00, I had only been on the path to Porth Hellick Pool for less than a minute when I met Scott Reid returning from the pool and he told that there was no sign of the Spotted Sandpiper. We both made our ways back to the road and as I was just about to get into my wagon, I heard a Spotted Redshank overhead. I looked up but couldn’t see it but when it called again, I picked it up fairly high heading south. I tried to call Scott, only to see him pulling out of the water plant where he works, driving towards me and he didn’t hear anythin. Early afternoon and I had a quick look at the Dead Pine Walk where I got 3 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Blackcap, 1 Willow Warbler and a Greenshank arrived in off the sea from the SW. Later I had a Yellow Wagtail north over the airfield and a male Merlin at Newford Duckpond while searching for the Black Kite that Mick Scott had over his house at Longstones.
I finished work late and while I was walking on the airfield, Bobby ‘Dazzler’ Dawson had relocated the Spotted Sandpiper in Porth Hellick Bay that was seen earlier in the day. On the airfield there were 40 Wheatear and 20 Meadow Pipit before I observed the Black Kite coming from out of the Salkee pines. It was a long ways off but I ran like the devil towards the raptor as it started circling gaining height all the time. I got some record shots before it flew off north towards Kittidown.
This Black Kite was first seen this morning on Tresco and is presumably one of the two individuals from yesterday that roamed St Mary’s
There were up to 40 Wheatear on the airfield
When I put the news out of the kite, that’s when Bobby ‘Dazzler’ realised that I was nearby to where he was watching the sandpiper. He contacted me to let me know that it was showing at close range. Within minutes, I joined Bob who left me alone with the wader. For the next 30 minutes, the Spotted Sandpiper performed superbly as it continued to feed, at times, only a meter away. Unfortunately, the sun had disappeared behind the hill behind me and therefore the conditions were not ideal for photography. At the same time, the Black Kite flew east over the pool and returning through the fields of Salkee, I had a single Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher. I joined other folks to watch the awesome sunset at Porthloo and there below me was the Curlew Sandpiper feeding with Dunlin.
Yesterday evening I was alone with a rare wader, Temmink’s Stint on Tresco and today I finished the evening with another rare wader in the same style with this Spotted Sandpiper that showed off superbly as it fed in among the boulders only meters away from me.
This Whinchat was at Salkee
Stunning sunset over Samson from Porthloo this evening
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SCILLYSPIDER 2 