Pittswood Birds

One of the 3 Cormorant that flew over this morning



This morning started off gloriously sunny, and a promising southerly wind was blowing. However, half an hour into my walk, clouds drifted over and a few light showers fell, most of the 4 hour walk was dry though. It was disappointing not to hear a Blackcap, I anticipate this species to be the next migrant to arrive, but not today!
A good total of 48 species was recorded, winter species were still in evidence, TEAL in the wet woods, the LITTLE GREBE was at the lake area, MEADOW PIPIT at migrant alley as well as a mixed flock of FIELDFARE and REDWING, numbering at least 200, the vast majority being Fieldfare. BLACK HEADED and COMMON GULL were seen among the lambs there, and HERRING GULLS flew over, as did a single and a pair of CORMORANTS. The usual SPARROWHAWK flushed up the mixed thrush flock, but when a KESTREL flew low over them, it didn't have any effect at all. A pair of LINNET and a YELLOWHAMMER alighted on a short hedgerow on the boundary between the greenhouse complex and the fields of migrant alley. After I got home, I received a call from a friend who watches the area to the north of my patch to say he had found a Stonechat, just 150m from the northern boundary of migrant alley, a species that I have only recorded on return passage in the Autumn. I'm not envious at all............