Little Bittern at Porth Hellick

5th June 2022

This corking male Little Bittern showed off in front of the seaward hide at Porth Hellick for a good half an hour this afternoon to the delight of those present in the hide.

Yesterday just before dark, the Little Bittern that was discovered earlier in the day, I observed very briefly in flight from the right of the Sussex hide at Porth Helick to disappear into the reeds on the north shore. Shortly afterwards, a vocal Night Heron flew from the north straight through towards the bay. Before all this happened, I woke up to hear from my bed, a male Golden Oriole singing in the pine belt. And this morning, I entered the seaward hide just after 07.00 this morning to find a few resident birders were already present with no sign of the Little Bittern. Nearly an hour later, I saw it distantly for a few minutes on the far side climbing around at the base of reeds. We decided to go and get some breakfast after no sign of it an hour later. It was 12 50 that we returned, after Robin putting news out that the Little Bittern was in front of the seaward hide, and we got cracking views as it stalked the young Mullet in the shallows. For the next hour or so, we were entertained by the bittern showing off superbly at close range.

It was unsuccessful after four attempts at the young mullet it was stalking.

This is my ninth Scilly Little Bittern, including two I found myself, and all sightings have been at mainly two sites, Lower Moors and Porth Hellick with a brief sighting of an individual at Porthloo Duckpond before it returned to a flooded ditch at Rose Hill. And like the individual above, they all showed very well at close range.

Later on after observing the Little Bittern I had this Willow Warbler at Bants Carn feeding young

Nearby on the golf course there were up to 3 Wheatear

Families of Great Tit are all over the shop at the moment including these lot at Telegraph.

Good numbers of Meadow Pipit breeding on St Mary’s.

On the 30th May, up to 4 Bee-eater were first seen over the Garrison and then shortly afterwards were relocated at Porthloo Lane where I and others managed to connect with them before they moved on.

Get this! Carl Chapman, who alerted us about the Bee-eater at Porthloo, returned back home to Norfolk and his mate discovered the very 4 Bee-eater just down the road from where Carl lives!! What is the chances of that happening? Here is a link to Carl Chapman’s blog where you can read how he proved that they are the Porthloo Bee-eaters! https://letterfromnorfolk.wordpress.com/

It was while observing the Bee-eater that Carl Chapman got us onto this very distant male Hen Harrier heading north towards the golf course.

The last few days of May and there were 3 Golden Plover on the golf course

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