Pittswood Birds

A warm morning greeted me at 06:00hrs as I set out for a 5hr walk round my patch. When the sun came out it was very warm, and it was a relief when it occasionally went behind the clouds. A CUCKOO was heard almost immediately, and more summer migrants were added quickly, COMMON WHITETHROAT, LESSER WHITETHROAT, CHIFFCHAFF, WILLOW WARBLER and BLACKCAP all in song, with SWALLOW, HOUSE MARTIN and SWIFT overhead. A pair of MUTE SWANS visited the lake area again, good to get them on the may list, another first for the month was a YELLOWHAMMER, in fine song, and a flyover CORMORANT, not often recorded in May. The GARDEN WARBLERS at the college grounds had dispersed, apart from one, which sang all the time I was there, giving me the chance to again get used to its song - which is second only to the Nightingale in my opinion. A LAPWING that flew over migrant alley was the second this month, the same bird perhaps? Another not often recorded in May. A GREY HERON that also flew over was the 54th species for the day, a joint high day total. One more and a record would have been set, the no shows today that could have been expected were few -: Treecreeper, Turtle dove, and of all the species a Sparrowhawk!

Plenty of butterflies were about today, this Speckled wood was the pick of the day.

A Common Whitethroat using a power line for a song post.

Squirrel - Up to no good in the hederow