Pittswood Birds

A four hour walk this morning, in warm sunshine (to start with!) was a pleasure. Although not much birdsong was heard, there were plenty calling and showing themselves as they collected food for their young. A party of TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, GOLDCREST, BLUE and GREAT TITS, were seen feeding together in a large oak, and around adjacent gardens in Ashes Lane. The golf course was busy with golfers, and not much was seen there, apart from the many MOORHEN on the fareways, and the ever present PIED WAGTAILS. At the lake area, CHIFFCHAFF and BLACKCAP sang, and a WHITETHROAT was 'churring'. 36 species for the mainly woodland, first half of the walk is a reasonable count, although I didn't find a Jay.
The second, mainly farmland part of the walk was breezy, cloudy and cool. A KESTREL was hunting over the tree nursery, and as I watched, a steady flow of HERRING GULLS went over, with a couple of BLACKHEADED and LESSER BLACKBACKS. I walked up the foot path along migrant alley, and disturbed a family of 4 maybe 5 foxes, they ran of into the maize crop, but as I froze and watched, one yougster came back out for a second, just to check me out, they nearly always do that, such curiosity! A bit futher along, the footpath splits to go to the college, and placed here, in a large pile, is all the dung from the horses, LINNETS were feeding there, along with two TURTLE DOVES. A walk down the edge of the college and along the stream, added little to my list, but as I cut across into the college grounds a GREY HERON flew up from one of the small ponds. The last bird on my list was a YELLOWHAMMER, seen as I walked back through migrant alley on my way back home. I was especially pleased to see it was a female carrying a large caterpillar, as it confirmed breeding for another species on my patch.

butterflies seen today included this handsome Gatekeeper, a common species on my patch

A curious young fox comes out for ''just one more look''

A smashing Turtle Dove, one of a pair at the dung pile. How the hell can anyone want to blast these beautful doves into extinction?.................. Mediterranean Morons!!

Here's the Grey Heron that flew from a pond at the college

last of all one of the Herring gulls that continually flew SW. This looks like a second summer bird.