Pittswood Birds

This morning started off like many of the mornings this week, variable cloud cover, but bright and warm, so why have all the birds suddenly moved off ? It was a real struggle to find anything on my patch today. The actual number of birds seen was only a fraction of what has been recorded this week, and it took a full 6 hours to find 49 species, it was like something had gone round my patch overnight and scared everthing off.

I put it down to the number of SPARROWHAWK and HOBBY attacks! Last night I went over to migrant alley, and as I went to walk the Maize edge, I met a Sparrowhawk speeding the other way, just 6inches of the floor! Above me were 2 Hobbies, circling low, needless to say all the PIED WAGS, SKYLARKS and LINNETS went to cover. It was the same this morning, At least 3 Sparrowhawks and 2 Hobbies continually hunted on my patch, and my garden feeders have been targeted this week for the first time since March, Oh, and a big ginger cat came out of the maize crop and dashed across the paddocks - that doesn't help matters.

There were still some good birds recorded today, but they stayed low and in cover. At migrant alley a SEDGE WARBLER was seen briefly in the Tall Hedge, and a TURTLE DOVE was seen on a fence rail. A KINGFISHER was on the Lake, it actually settled 10 feet from me, but was obscured by vegetation, so I couldn't phtograph it!

I couldn't locate any feeding flocks at the College grounds, or in the wet woods, so species lke Spotted Flycatcher and Willow Warbler weren't seen. Lets hope these raptors are just passing through, nice to see but, I don't want them hanging around!

I didn't even point my camera at a bird today! So here's a couple of photo's of the Tall hedge at migrant alley, its about 50 Meters long, to the left is the Greenhouse complex, to the right is the maize crop.

Below: Tell tale signs of a hawk attack. I think this was once a Great Spotted Woodpecker, going by the Primary wing feathers I found. It was just after finding this, that another Great Spotted Woodpecker went over Ashes Lane, being hotly persued by a Sparrowhawk!!!!!