MOOR WALL LANE - PORTH MELLON - PORTHLOO - SUNNYSIDE - HOLY VALE - HIGHER MOORS - PORTH HELLICK - PORTH WRECK - NORMANDY FARM - OLD TOWN - PENINNIS HEAD
WEATHER: strong winds and light rain to start - then clearer sky and sunshine with light winds. Top temp 14C
We stayed on St Marys today because of the strong winds, boat travel to other islands was delayed or cancelled. Our plan was to walk up to the Wryneck site at Porth Wreck quarry via Holy Vale and Higher Moors.
Our first port of call was Moor Wall Lane, specifically the allotments near the Landfill and Recycle Centre site. The ellusive Red-backed Shrike had been seen again this morning and we wanted better views of it.
After searching for 30 minutes or so we gave up, many birders were looking for the shrike but it wasn't showing, niether were the Pied and Spotted Flycatchers. At the nearby Porth Mellon beach we watched several wader species, we logged Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin and Ringed Plover, a single Black-headed Gull was also present.
Great White Egret seen at Porth Hellick
Round at Porthloo beach we added Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Heron, Shag, Cormorant and both Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. Dozens of White Wagtails dashed about chasing kelp flies on the beach as Rock Pipits picked up morsels of food from the piles of kelp on the sand.
Our walk from Porthloo to Holy Vale was punctuated with stops to look at small birdie shapes in the bushes, we soon realised that a fall of Chiffchaffs must have occured overnight as they seemed to be in every bush. Plenty of Goldcrests were about too.
the dense vegetation along the board walk from |Holy Vale to Higher Moor
I lost my group to the lures of coffee and cake as we walked past the track to Longstones cafe, but they returned with gifts of take-away-cake and a cup of coffee. The walk through the Holy Vale track produced several more Chifcchaffs, Goldcrests, Spotted Flycatcher and a Firecrest. In the sallows near the road that has to be crossed to get to Higher Moor, Phil was sure he got onto a Yellow-browed Warbler and we saw several more Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs.
a Painted Lady taken by Phil Naylor
We ate our picnic lunch sitting on rocks along Poryth Hellick, the beauty of the rock-strewn bay with white sand was exemplified when the sun came and enhanced the colours. We watched Great White and Little Egrets, with more waders including several Greenshanks. We could see through our scopes an endless string of Cory's Shearwaters passing out at sea with Gannets and Gulls. Painted Lady, Red Admiral and Peacock Butterflies also entertained us during our time on the beach.
record shot of a Whinchat
After lunch we walked up the hill the Burial Mounds and over to the 'Wryneck' Quarry, we stopped to look at Whinchats and Wheatears and a few more butterflies. The Quarry was bereft of Wrynecks, but we saw Wheatears, Rock Pipits, Greenfinches, Stonechats and one or two Clouded Yellow Butterflies.
Turtle Dove at Normandy Farm
a second shot of the Turtle Dove
At Normandy Farm we searched through flocks of Linnets and Goldfinches for the prized Common Rosefinch, our reward was a sighting of a Turtle Dove. We walked down to Old Town seeing very little in the many bulb fields, but in the fields behind Old Town Beach we found our very own Red-backed Shrike.
two shots of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike, this nasty piece of work looks so cute and innocent!
Further on Phil and Lyn may have seen a Common Redstart but we couldn't relocate it. Dave had rushed ahead of us to fetch our dinner, take-away Fish and Chips which we all enjoyed in the dining room at the guest house. After the bird log, news came out of a sighting of a Short-toed Lark in fields at the nearby Peninnis Head. Three of us went out to investigate at 7pm, it was almost dark when we got there. After a short while we found it, Lyn got onto it first, the bird sat and preened a little before it flew off over a hedge never to be seen again. We walked back in the near dark, we had been out just twenty five minutes, the shortest 'twitch' of all time.