Pittswood Birds

Friday at last! On the walks to and from work there seems to be getting less and less birdsong, only a SONGTHRUSH and LESSER WHITETHROAT were heard singing with any enthusiasm, they were in Ashes lane. A single SKYLARK did do its best over the maize crop at migrant alley, and the only other song heard was from a CHIFFCHAFF in the college grounds.
Even less was singing this afternoon, but I would have missed most of it if there had been some song, as the wind was so strong again. I walked over to the lake area - just a few moulting MALLARDS, and a GREY HERON on the water. I heard the weak calls of young fledglings coming from above me, and I looked up and saw a nest, some 15ft up in a pine tree, it looked like a GOLDCREST nest, but I didn't see any parents come in. I walked back through the edge of the wet woods (didn't go right in for fear of being drained of blood by the swarms of mossies!) and into the tree nursery, all was still and quiet, just a BLACKHEADED GULL and a few HERRING GULLS went over, however as I scanned the old shack, some 200m away, I saw the BARN OWL going in, strange I didn't think it would be around at 16.00, maybe it was flushed out earlier, a new bird for this month's list anyway.
Butterflies were fewer today in the absence of any long sunny periods, but Small and Large Whites, Comma, Skippers, and Meadow Browns were all doing there best in the windy conditions.

This is the first Large White I have had a chance to photograph

I snapped this Jay, even though it wouldn't show its face, I wanted to confirm that it was a young bird, and it does seem so.