Pittswood Birds

I felt more human this morning, and so, set off out for a full circuit of my patch. i was on full alert for the most likely addition to the year list - the Redpoll- but alas, no matter how I tried to make every small passerine streaky brown with a black chin, and red forehead, one did not appear. However it was still a worthwhile trip out, 44 species did want to be seen and noted down, a KINGFISHER flew across the lake, just a small piece of colour, on a grey day. Four different parties of LONG TAILED TIT were located, one of them partying along with TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, and GOLDCREST. As I walked through migrant alley, I saw that manure piles had been recently dumped in one of the larger sheep fields. No doubt ready to be spread, and then ploughed into said field, probably in late April for a Maize crop. This is good and bad - good, as the piles attract migrant birds down to feed on the insects in March/April. Bad as any Skylarks nesting in that field will be ploughed in! Today though, it was the haunt of 70 odd ROOKS and 100 or so STARLINGS, with a few JACKDAWS. Haunt was the right word, there's nothing more eery than the sound of a mixed corvid flock in winter, especially in the dim light. on the far side of the field was a female SPARROWHAWK, it was minding its own bussiness on a fencepost, until 3 JAYS decided to taunt it, I watched for some minutes as they all played ''Touch the accipiter and scarper''