Pittswood Birds

A bit of a change today. I spent the afternoon watching the garden feeders, after being inspired by seeing a pair of BULLFINCH'S in my honeysuckle bush, only the second record in my garden this year, and the first December visit since 2005. I settled down at the bedroom window and within a few minutes another garden first for this month a GOLDCREST, it fed in the leylandi type tree. The comings and goings of all the usual finch's and tits were observed - apart from the Marsh Tits, maybe they had been in this morning ? STARLINGS, ROBINS, COLLARED DOVES and a single BLACKBIRD also visited, and then, what would have been the star bird for the day (if the Bullfinch weren't seen!) a SISKIN came in to feed, a female, yet another new garden species for the month, and Decembers 24th visitor, that gives this month the joint highest species list along with Dec 2005, and Dec 2006.
Other birds to use the garden were DUNNOCK, HOUSE SPARROW, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, MAGPIE and NUTHATCH. I wonder what I missed this morning !

PS. Thanks Greenie, http://greenieinthewild.blogspot.com/ and Steve http://newhythe.blogspot.com/ for confirming your offers of help with the barn owl box. Bring the ladders and rope.
Ken http://disabledbirderofhalling.blogspot.com/ come along and watch, should be comical at times!!


Above: The female Siskin. and below an ever present garden friend the Robin

A Great Spotted Woodpecker . below

A couple of Starlings at the suet block. below

and then a Blue Tit fed from it.

Below is one of the 4 COAL TITS that came in

A Goldfinch at its usual place on the sunflower hearts. Below

Ans a GREENFINCH waits it's turn

Then it flies in for dinner

below is the last pic. Its of a GREY HERON that was feeding out in the fields at the front of my house. The trees in the background had a nice flock of 11 LINNET in them, the 30th species for the afternoon.