5th April 2021
I’ve seen Hoopoe all over the shop abroad and many on Scilly included two already this year. To get one only meters away from your bedroom window, where I took this pic of it having a good ole stretch, makes this individual pretty special out of the other 100s I’ve seen.
My nose felt freezing as I ventured outside to work this morning in a blowing bitter cold NNE. As I worked over last Friday, I finished early this afternoon and the first place that I was goin to was the warmth back home and to stay indoors. However, the sun came through mid-afternoon and I ended up at Rose Hill where I kicked a Tree Pipit. The pipit showed well very briefly and 4 Siskin flew east. For next few hours, all I had seen of note were the Great Spotted Woodpecker, 10 Stock Dove and at Content in the horse paddocks, yet another male Pied Flycatcher. My third male in equal amount of days.
This Tree Pipit at Rose Hill, showed very well compared to the three I had yesterday
This Great Tit nearby was keeping a close eye on me
Five of the 10 Stock Dove near Content
Feeding with the doves were over 30 Wood pigeon
This Pied Flycatcher kept it’s distance in the horse paddocks at Content and was my third male in three days.
Returning home, I immediately put the heater on and sat next to it for the next hour. In that time I had a quick look out of the window to see if the Gold and Greenfinch had increased on the feeders. Stuff the finches! Meters from the window there was a Hoopoe actively feeding!! I first took some record shots before settling down and getting the tripod out. Within minutes, it started stretching it’s wings and at the same time, raising it’s crown. I couldn’t believe that I had a Hoopoe directly in front of my window, although it was slowly moving away from me towards the stable in the paddock as the light was fading. Not long ago I was waking up to ‘Ralf’ the Glaucous Gull on my bird table every morning for two months. Now hopefully the first bird I see tomorrow morning is this Hoopoe.
This was the first pic I took just incase it decided to make a move and disappear
One of the local Song Thrush doesn’t know what to make of the exotic visitor in his garden
All images of the Hoopoe were taken from the bedroom window and hopefully there will be more to come tomorrow. Do you think that it will visit the bird table if I put Leatherjackets on there? In less than a year I’ve had three most colourful species of migrant in the garden. First a male Golden Oriole, followed by a Bee-eater and now this Hoopoe.
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