Pittswood Birds

Another warm summers morning, and as I left for work a SPARROWHAWK led the way along Ashes lane, flying at hedgetop height for a while, before hopping over into the tree nursery. In the distance both SONGTHRUSH and YELLOWHAMMER sang again, and the now daily event of GREY LAG GEESE flew over, 36 in all - as I write this, 52 just flew in the opposite direction right over my house! Whilst crossing Migrant Alley there were a group of HOUSE MARTINS feeding over the manure heap, and with them a single SAND MARTIN. As I passed the stables and machine shops at the college, there were a dozen SWALLOWS perched on the side of a pre-fabricated building, I watched and saw that they were picking of insects.
This afternoon was hot again, so I left it until 18:00 until going out. I spent a pleasant couple of hours walking across to the college grounds, via the tree nursery and Migrant Alley. I was pleased when I came aross a KINGFISHER at the small pool at the edge of the nursery. It flew up, and alighted in some bushes, I fired of a few shots but they came out a blue and orange blur! Then it was gone............ one day!! i walked up the hedgerow that leads from the pool to Migrant Alley and again saw the Yellowhammer, singing loudly, it must have sung all day. A group of 10 LINNETS were drinking and bathing in the puddle fed by the leaking water trough at migrant alley, and nearby 4 GOLDFINCH fed on the seeding thistleheads.
Quite a few common birds were in the college grounds, a GREY HERON flew up off one of the ponds, a family party of CHIFFCHAFF fed together, as did a family of LONG TAILED TITS, but there was no sigh of the Flycatchers or the young.


Above and below: Goldfinch feeding on thistle seeds - thats why it shouldn't be cut down!!

Above: One of the long Tailed Tits at the College grounds.

On the way back home, I noticed these 100 or so STARLINGS on the power lines that cross Migrant alley

View from the sports pitch at the college, looking NW