Pittswood Birds

NEWS FROM LAST NIGHT;
A session of looking out from my front bedroom window, over the greenhouse complex, and part of Migrant Alley yesterday evening, proved worthwhile. As I was watching the SWALLOWS on a pre-roost gathering, they were taking a drink from the small reservoir of rainwater, every now and then they were joined by small numbers (10-15) of SANDMARTIN (90). I watched for some time and right up till dusk they kept coming. Another one for the year list, inching towards that 100 mark! The excitement didn't end there, as I also saw a WHIMBREL go over! An excellent record for July. Both these species are new to my ''seen from house'' list bringing it up to 88.


As I was putting the new species onto my spreadsheets, this LITTLE OWL was perched up in the Leylandii.

It seems as though it's going to be a regular visitor for a while.

Today, after all of the previous evenings excitement, I walked to work full of enthusiasm, scanning the sky, and checking everything, But the only bird of note was a HOBBY flying over the college.

I postponed the afternoon walk in favour of an evening skywatch at migrant alley. I sat on my usual seat between the maize crop and the greenhouses and waited for a repeat of last evening. I watched for 2 hours, and did eventually see 3 SANDMARTINS flying over the sheep pasture with at least 40 SWALLOWS. Other noteable birds going over were, HERRING, BLACKHEADED, and LESSER BLACKBACKED GULLS, a lone GREY HERON and a SPARROWHAWK that landed on the greenhouses, and took all the insults from dozens of Swallows. SWIFTS seemed to be everywhere I looked, sometimes one or two, other times 20 or 30 would be wheeling about. All the time I was sat there I had the background song of two SKYLARK, a nice relaxing evening.