Sunday 10 April 2011

NO PURPLE HERON BUT A PURPLE PATCH

Early start again this morning, left home at 06.50am and drove down to Lelant to pick Up Ashley of Ashley Hugo Photography Blog.
Then it was straight down to Lands End for the Gull Billed Tern that has been around for a few days.
So having parked we walked up the lane to Trevilley Farm and onto the field were it likes to frequent. After a wait of about 15mins it turned up and proceeded to fly around the field feeding,and it gave the opportunity for a few photo's. We spent about 30 mins until it flew off to the West to other ploughed Fields it likes to visit, We then left and drove to Lands End and decided to walk along the cycle track towards Sennen.
Further along the track we meet a another birding friend Lynton from Newlyn,he told us that he had a Tree Pipit along the track but it had flown off and did not see it again.
So Ash and I walked further along the track and the best we could come up with was a Willow Warbler.
It was at this point my Mobile Phone rang and it was Lynton to say that a Woodchat Shrike had been found on Treve Common, which was only two fields away.
So it was over the fence (And yes I did stay on my feet) across the fields and onto the Common where we could see Martin Elliot the Birder who found it.
We walked over to him and arrived the same time as Lynton who came from the opposite direction, Martin pointed out the Shrike and we got onto it straight away it was then that Lynton said I can see a Subalpine Warbler in the same hedgerow about 2 metres from the Shrike, looking closer it most certainly was, and this was a lifer for Ash and myself so it was turning out to be a great morning. Also here we had three Whitethroats which were year ticks.
So below is a list of this mornings year ticks and the birds I managed to Photograph.

Gull Billed Tern
Willow Warbler
Wheatears 8
Woodchat Shrike
Subalpine Warbler  Lifer
Whitethroats 3






GULL BILLED TERN.



GULL BILLED TERN.



VIEW FROM THE CYCLE TRACK OUT TO THE LONGSTONES LIGHT.




WOODCHAT SHRIKE
This was the best I could get of the Woodchat and the Subalpine was to far away for good pics.
So after this it was back home where I spent the afternoon in the back garden enjoying the sunshine and playing with my old EF 100-300 F5.6L where I took the images below.




JACKDAW.




MAGPIE.



                           


BLACKBIRD.

So today turned out to be a real Purple Patch, and "Guess What"
The Purple Heron has turned up again at College Res.
Question is "Will I won't I?"





5 comments:

  1. Go for it! I'll probably go tomorrow evening, even just for the Garganey's.
    It was a very good morning,Subalp and Woodchat in the same scope view is pretty decent!!
    Yet to look through my images yet

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  2. Glad you nailed the Gull Billed tern monts,great images.
    Looks like you had a fantastic day.
    Pity i had to work.
    john.

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  3. I am going to have to come over there and visit you. Sounds like you had a ball. Great post and I love the pictures.

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  4. Sounds like you had a great day, cracking images and it sounds like a yes to me.

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  5. Hi Monts,
    Glad to see you saw a Woodchat Shrike, too. Great birds, aren't they?!

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