Pittswood Birds

More early fog made for a difficult patch visit this morning. The fog did lift eventually, but cloudy conditions persisted throughout the day, with only short brighter spells.

I did a bit better than yesterday, at the halfway point of my walk I had recorded 36 species, compared to just 30 yesterday. However, nothing really stood out as noteworthy, WOODPIGEON movement was still going on, observed through a ''hole'' in the fog that was directly above my patch, a few small parties of REDWING were heard going over, but fewer FIELDFARE were seen. A SPARROWHAWK flew from cover as I walked across the college sports pitch, and a KESTREL was at its usual hunting area around the greenhouse complex. All that was expected was seen at Migrant Alley, LINNNETS, PIED WAGTAILS, MEADOW PIPITS, SKYLARKS, YELLLOWHAMMERS and the ROOK and JACKDAW flock.

As I began the second half of my walk, a RING NECKED PARAKEET flew over, calling noisily, this must be the same bird as recorded in recent visits. Whilst walking through the wet woods, noting NUTHATCH among the LONG TAILED TIT flock, I recieved a text from Amanda, who lives by the lake, she let me know there was a Ring neck parakeet on her feeders, I took it that it was the one I had seen flyover me earlier. When I got to the lake, it was again the domain of MALLARD and MOORHEN, not even a Heron today! I checked out the scrub and found BULLFINCH on brambles and SISKIN in Alders, then checked the feeders in Amanda's garden, no Parakeet, but as I scanned the surrounding tree's I found it, feeding on Ash keys, so there are two of them in the area. I tried to get a photo of it, and did get some, but it was too far away, and the light was poor. I watched it drop back down to the feeders, when whoosh, in comes the Sparrowhawk ( bloody plagued with the things round here!). It missed the parakeet, but I had to laugh to myself, as the parakeet screamed off into the distance - wont see that again!

A further visit to migrant alley, for a skywatch, gave me BLACK HEADED GULL and HERRING GULL, another (or the same ? ) Sparrowhawk and a couple of STOCK DOVES. I called it a day after being out for 5 hours, but I added GREY WAGTAIL to the day list, as it flew over and alighted on a house roof, and bird of the day was added as I reached home, a COMMON BUZZARD, soaring low over my house.

47 species were recorded in the 5 hours, and two more added from the window whilst eating lunch, the MARSH TIT, at my feeders and a flock of 17 LAPWING that flew over.

So still no new species for the month, depite seeing some scarce birds - for my patch! Lapwing, Marsh Tit, Common buzzard, Grey Wagtail, Siskin and Parakeet, are all good October birds.

Above and below: More foggy pics.

Below is a GOLDFINCH on my feeder, whilst watching the garden today I had a visit from the first Siskin to venture on to the feeders this Autumn.

below is the Ring Necked Parakeet. I don't think it will be seen again after its encounter with the Sparrowhawk.