Pittswood Birds

A 3 and a half hour walk round my patch, from 6:30am this morning, was a pleasure, with no wind, and no snow,sleet, or rain. although there were snow flurries around 10:30am. A good total of 48 species was recorded, Winter thrushes were in good supply, with almost every piece of grassland holding Some, mostly FIELDFARE but a good number of REDWING to. The only spring visitors were 6 CHIFFCHAFF, all in song in various parts of my patch. Gulls featured stongly today, with 8 HERRING seen going over, and two LESSER BLACK BACKED, at migrant alley I counted 51 BLACK HEADED and 2 COMMON GULLS. A SPARROWHAWK was hunting over the manured field at migrant alley, where the biggest concentration of Fieldfare were, some 200 birds being present.
Looking at the long range weather forcast, this cool spell could be with us into April, probably not as cold, but with the wind having a Northerly element, it will no doubt hold up our spring migrants - as in previous years.

This is the first time ive got near enough to a Moorhen to take a picture!

One of 5 TEAL that were on a small, temporary pond, made by run off water from a small greenhouse complex

Same TEAL. They won't be around much longer, they are a winter visitor to my patch. The latest record was of a pair in the wet woods that were seen on the 20th April 2004.