Pittswood Birds

The last day of June, the months seem to zoom past! I didn't record any new species for the months list today, but this June still turned out to have the best species list of any june, with a total of 67, beating the previous best of 64 set in 2005. The total for all junes is 78, with the average june total at 62. New species not recorded in this month before, were -: Willow Warbler, (just goes to show how lucky I was to have two on territory this year), Little Egret and of coarse Barnie the barn owl (or is it Tyto!). Despite setting new records for almost every month this year, I still have only got a year list of 88, some way to go to get that elusive 100.
Back to this afternoon, there were few birds to be seen, the usual LINNETS, WHITETHROATS and SKYLARK were in the tree nursery, where I also saw a Red Admiral butterfly, only the second this year. The small pool, adjacent to the tree nursery is rapidly drying out, but a family of MOORHENS still makes their home there, as does a mixture of damselflies. Over at migrant alley, I watched SWIFTS, SWALLOWS and HOUSE MARTINS chasing insects, and a KESTREL make a poor attempt at trying to catch them while they did! A nice site, was a couple of fox cubs 'mock fighting' after being brought a freshly killed rabbit by the vixen.

Swift over migrant alley

This adult fox had just sighted a rabbit. Unfortunately it also saw me, and it went round the corner, to the left of this pic. I stood and waited, and out came a Rabbit from the left, swiftly followed by the fox. It went into the bushes to the right where I heard the rabbits last squeals. I the heard, the cubs yelping and barking as they fed.

a few minutes of waiting, and out bundled two well grown cubs, I just got a pic. of one before they were disturbed by a bunch of horse riders.

Fox Cub on the lookout!

Only the second record of Red Admiral this year

One of the Moorhens on the small pool of water next to the tree nursery

A pair of what look to be White legged Damselflies, the male clasping the female as she lays her eggs. In two years time they in turn will be adult damselflies.