Purple Heron at Porth Hellick

22nd April 2022

Standing looking south at Porth Hellick, I observed this Purple Heron fly in off the sea and pitch down at the east end of the pool.

Overcast and with north easterlies can produce the goods and early this morning down at Porth Hellick, I observed a Purple Heron that appeared to arrive from the SE in off the sea at Porth Hellick. It circled the pool before settling down by the ringing station. There were also 2 Reed Warbler and a single Sedge Warbler in full song and good numbers of hirundines were also moving straight through.

Fortunately, the Purple Heron stuck around and almost everyone caught up with it throughout the day as commuted with Porth Hellick and Lower Moors.

Shortly after leaving Porth Hellick, I did a few taxis and then tried out the golf course where there was an obvious fall of Wheatear with a total of over 150. Also present were a single Golden Plover and 2 male Ring Ouzel. It wasn’t until 19.00 that I got back out in field again, when I finished work, and on the airfield there were up to 60 Wheatear, Merlin and a stunning male Black Redstart near the terminal building. At the stables there were 4 Fieldfare and more Wheatear before I returned home.

My first Ring Ouzel of the year were 2 males on the golf course

On the airfield there were another 60 Wheatear and this cracking male Black Redstart

And a few days ago, as I was just around the corner, I twitched this Rook in Chas and Katherine’s garden at Higher Lanes