Pittswood Birds

SONGTHRUSH, COMMON WHITETHROAT, SKYLARK and YELLOWHAMMER all sang as I walked along Ashes Lane this morning, and looking down at me from a telephone pole was a male KESTREL. Crossing the sheep pasture, and horse paddocks at Migrant Alley I looked up and saw 15 - 20 SWIFTS in the cool, clear blue, wheeling and and calling their excited high pitched screaming call. It will only be a couple weeks now, before these masters of the sky leave for Africa, and in another month most will be gone, so enjoy them now!
This afternoon, just as I was heading off out, I looked out into the garden and saw a CARRION CROW on the lawn eating some of the soaked bread I chucked out, a rare bird in my garden indeed, only 1 - 2 sightings a year!
I walked over to the tree nursery, and did a circuit of the boundaries, scanning the hedgerows (such as they are!) I was hoping for some different butterfly species but only found, Small White, Meadow Brown and a Large Skipper, a Yellowhammer was hanging round a particular spot, it could have a nest with young, I haven't confirmed breeding for yellowhammer yet this year, i'll have to keep a watch here. I had a quick look round Migrant alley, just a few PIED WAGTAILS and LINNETS in the maize crop, and flyovers from HERRING GULL, LESSER BLACK BACK GULL, and a SPARROWHAWK, a bit early yet for a migrant 'chat' or Wheatear.

Large Skipper

Pied Wagtail