Pittswood Birds

After work this afternoon, I carried on my quest to hear the Nightingale or maybe find a Common or lesser Whitethroat. The Nightingale only really occurr in the scrubby wood next to the lake area, thier mean arrival date for the last 6 springs is the 20th Apr. but the latest arrival date was on the 23rd Apr. in 2005. As I didn't hear one today they can be officially described as late (for my patch!) Common Whitethroats can turn up in any odd bits of hedge or srub, but only 2 - 3 pairs stay to breed, one traditional area has been destroyed, so it will be even harder to find one this spring. Their mean arrival date is also the 20th Apr. and the latest spring arrival date was also 23rd Apr in 2005. (They are late on my patch this year as well!) As for the LESSER WHITETHROAT (79), bingo! I heard the first of the year, rattling away in the small scrubby headland at the noth end of migrant alley. Now this species is the second earliest recorded, 9 days later than last years earliest record, the mean arrival date for lesser Whitethroat is the 25th Apr. The latest spring arrival date was the 30th Apr again in 2005 - That year is suggested by my data as being a late spring (albeit only 6years data).

Also seen today was the springs first ORANGE TIP and SPECKLED WOOD butterflies. They didn't stop for a photo though.

Pied Wagtail

Yesterdays excitement at migrant alley was not reproduced today, the field was being Harrowed. But the were 4 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS, and 5 HERRING GULLS feeding, along with what I thought was 6-10 PIED WAGTAILS, however when a SPARROWHAWK came over the field low and mean at least 30 Pied Wags flew up and saw it off.!

Another Pied Wagtail...........................One of the hero's to see off the Sparrowhawk!