Birds continuing to arrive...

On paper, today looks like another fine day on 'The Rock' but in reality things were a lot more difficult. The day started fine - it was warm and sunny, and there was real hope something new might be discovered. However, the weather became greyer and windier as the day wore on and then the rain started about 2pm. Indeed, the weather was so bad (plenty of lightning and thunder!) that the plane had to delay its landing by over half an hour, doing circles of the island until a break appeared! However, by early evening it had cleared up and become calmer once more...

Anyway, bird of the day was the year's second Black-and-white Warbler in the Lighthouse Valley, found by Tommy Frandsen and Lars Mortensen. It was initially very elusive but then showed well, posing for some nice shots to a group of Finns in the afternoon and then an assorted party of twitchers in the evening - in fact, it frequented the very same part of the valley as last year's Black-and-white! No Golden-wing today though!

Black-and-white Warbler, 9 October 2013, Lighthouse Valley, Corvo

Other birds today include the American Redstart still showing well at times in the lower part of da Ponte either side of the storm, much to the pleasure of newly-arrived WP player Chris Bell (for whom it was a tick)! Two Northern Parulas (village, do Vinte), two Cliff Swallows (Lighthouse Valley), Red-eyed Vireo and the Rough-legged Hawk made up the roll call for significant Yanks, and the Lapland Buntings and Glossy Ibis flock also remain.

Two birders left today with an impressive fourteen arriving - this takes the total of birders on Corvo to record levels - somewhere in the mid-forties! Let's hope that more eyes equates to more birds this week...