Pittswood Birds

Another downpour last night left everything hanging with water, but it wasn't raining when I left at 06:50 this morning. I put on my boots, that were still wet from yesterday, and set off round my patch. It was a bit of a change from tuesday, I didn't hear Turtle Dove, Lesser Whitethroat, or Garden Warbler, and there wasn't much song from the CHIFFCHAFFS or COMMON WHITETHROAT or the BLACKCAPS. Whilst walking across the golfcourse I confirmed breeding for PIED WAGTAIL when a parent bird was seen feeding a recently fledged youngster. I walked on to the lake area, via Cuckoo lane - which had a torrent of water flowing down it! The WILLOW WARBLER was just about the only noteworthy record there, along with a CUCKOO. The wet woods was alive with mosquitoes, and every bit of bare flesh was being bitten, bringing out large itchy lumps, I didn't record anything there!
At migrant alley, HERRING and BLACK HEADED GULLS flew over, and the SPARROWHAWK was active as well as a KESTREL. Only the other Willow Warbler was of interest at the college grounds, and despite a good look for the Spotted Flycatcher it could not be located, its been a while since i've seen them now.
The wind and rain set in at 10.30, so I conceded defeat, my boots, socks and jeans were soaked, and a cup of tea seemed in order. A total of 47 species was a respectable effort.

I spent a good part of the afternoon recording garden visitors for the BTO Garden Birdwatch Scheme. This pair of BULLFINCH'S would of been a nice garden tick for the year, but they stayed in the large garden next door.

This moth was one of a couple of hundred massing under an oak tree, just look at the antennae on it! I looked in my little gem moth book, and I identified it as a 'Nemophora Degeerella' Has it got an English name Tony ?

Another deluge last night, this was Cuckoo lane at 07:30.