Pittswood Birds

It was windy, with spots of rain when I left for a four hour walk round my patch this morning. I wasn't really expecting much in the way of birds, but I was pleasantly surprised when, at one of the gardens by the lakeside scrub, (the garden has an overgrown, largish pond, with just a few remaining phragmites in it.) I came across a singing REED WARBLER 89 , the first on my patch this year, brilliant! I rarely get to record this species on my patch, there isn't any suitable breeding habitat, so its only the spring and autumn movements that I get to see the odd one, but they are not seen every year. Other summer songsters that were heard were, COMMON and LESSER WHITETHROAT, CHIFFCHAFF, BLACKCAP, and TURTLE DOVE, all in small numbers, ones and two's mainly.
Three types of Gull flew over migrant alley, also a GREY HERON, the SWALLOWS were skimming low, hunting for insects, but SWIFTS and HOUSE MARTINS were fewer than of late. In the college grounds I again found a SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, where there were also a few Damselflies and Chasers about, as well as a Common Darter. At the scrub headland, at the north end of migrant alley I found my first Gatekeeper butterfly of the year.
So in the end it was well worth getting out early - you just don't know what you might find!

A Female Broad Bodied Chaser

A Female Common Darter

My First Gatekeeper Butterfly Of The Year

Spotted Flycatcher

The MOORHEN on the right is one of the young born early in the year, it was helping feed the young that have recently fledged, - it's brother or sister. A good strategy for survival.

Another attempt to photo the skimming Swallows. They're just too quick!