Pittswood Birds

It was bright and sunny for this mornings walk, but noticeably chillier. The heavy overnight rain had left its mark, with large puddles everywhere. I found myself scratching around a bit- where have all the birds gone? I managed 41 species but it was hard going. Three TEAL I found in the waterlogged woods were just about the highlight, and a lone YELLOWHAMMER that flew from migrant alley was the first since Dec. 8th. This species has really declined on my patch. In the first year of recording I found at least one Yellowhammer on 86% of my visits, by 2005 this had dropped to 69%. This year it has been seen on 64% of visits, with a peak count of just 12 birds. In 2002 a peak count of 60 birds was made! Away from the birds, I observed a WEASEL scampering away with a small rodent in its mouth, an unusual encounter.