Pittswood Birds

After a night of heavy rain, it was a wet and muddy walk round my patch this morning, the wind blew a near gale again, but brief snatches of sunshine were had, before more rain set in around 11:00am.

I recorded 49 species in the 4 hour visit, but the number of actual birds seen was low. Setting off along Ashes Lane, GREENFINCH, COLLARED DOVE, WREN, WOOD PIGEON, SWALLOW, CARRION CROW, BLUE TIT, BLACKBIRD and a singing LESSER WHITETHROAT were the first species to be encountered, with STOCK DOVE, LINNET, SONGTHRUSH, HERRING GULL, CHAFFINCH, ROBIN, PIED WAGTAIL, GREAT TIT, GOLDFINCH, STARLING, ROOK and SKYLARK all being found as I walked the Green House Complex and Migrant Alley.

The next stop was the College Grounds and gardens, where CHIFFCHAFF, HOUSE SPARROW, DUNNOCK, JACKDAW, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, JAY, MAGPIE, MOORHEN, and the NUTHATCH that I saw yesterday were all entered in the book, there were flyovers from SWIFT and more surprisingly 2 KINGFISHERS, which zoomed across the gardens heading for the Stream. I couldn't find the Spotted Flycatchers here, but i'm sure they are around this area somewhere, secretively nesting.

Moving back through Migrant Alley, then along the edge of the Maize crop in the pub field, and on through the Tree Nursery, only produced five more species for the morning, those being GOLDCREST, GREEN WOODPECKER, WHITETHROAT, PHEASANT and a flyover HOUSE MARTIN, however it was good to see another family of Swallows on a fence line at the Tree Nursery, 3 youngsters were being fed there.

After a halfway stop for a drink and snack, it was over to the Lakes and scrubby Woods, via the Small Holding and Wet Woods, I was pleased to see one of the other pair of SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS in a large Garden just off Ashes lane, also another young Nuthatch, but the walk to the lakes only produced one more species for the day list, a TREECREEPER, that was calling from deep in the dark and very Wet Wood.

On the Lakes today, it was much the same as previous visits, as I expect at this time of year, although I might just get a Mandarin Duck for the month, but anything else is only a remote possibility. So it was down to the GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE families to entertain me, plus the pair of COOTS, which seem to have sadly failed in their breeding attempts to date, also 4 MALLARDS and a couple of Moorhen were about, and whilst there a GREY HERON dropped in as a bonus :-)

In the Scrubby Woods I found BLACKCAPS, BULLFINCH, COAL TIT, and at least 4 TURTLE DOVES all singing. a SPARROWHAWK was up hunting as I walked home across the Tree Nursery again, that being the final species of the morning.

I was surprised to see a few Butterflies today: Red Admiral, Small White, Meadow Brown, and a Purple Hairstreak were all on the wing.

Despite some poor light, I got a few photo's. Below is one of the young Swallows from the Tree Nursery being fed.

Above: The Swallow having been fed :-)

Below: A Linnet at Migrant Alley

Below is a young Moorhen, seen at the College Grounds

Lastly this Male Blackbird was singing it's flutey song, also at the College Grounds.