Pittswood Birds

Male Sparrowhawk - Gliding Over slowly - Taunting me

This Dunnock Was In Full Song This Morning. It looks Stunning When You enlarge The Photo!

Plenty Of Teasel, But Where Are The Goldfinch, just 2 seen all weekend.

The same weather, maybe a bit less windy, but altogether different birdwise. After a slow start along ashes lane and through the golf course, things picked up at the lake area and waterlogged woods. As I was talking to the owner of one of the small lakes 4 GOOSANDER flew low, almost splashing down, but they must have seen us, and flew up and off again - a good species to have on the year list, as it is seen less than annually, in 02, 03, and 07. Also on the lake were 2 CORMORANT, a GREY HERON and 24 MALLARD. The waterlogged woods had only 1 TEAL, but also had a pair of MANDARIN, probably the same pair seen earlier in the month. I went on to migrant alley, where I was surprised to see masses of birds! FIELDFARE, REDWING and STARLINGS covering acres of sheep pasture. I set to counting but it was near impossible, I did count 500 Fieldfare in one field, and saw another similar amount in another field, so I made it a conservative 800 Min. I did head count 350 Starling amongst them, and 70 Redwing. All consevative counts as I couldn't see all the field at once, due to the undulations. I went on to the college grounds and along the stream and found a small flock of SISKIN, and walking back through the winter thrushes, a group gulls flew over, 2 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL with 2 BLACK HEADED Gulls and 2 HERRING GULL. In all 47 species were seen, a very pleasing total.With the two new additions to the month, the list now stands at 60, the best jan tally since 2003.