Pittswood Birds

Back to work today, but a nice surprise on the walk in this morning. As I got over the stile, to cross Migrant Alley, a COMMON SNIPE (55) was heard, I strained to try to locate it against the eastern sky but failed. This is a decent species to get on my patch, as they only ever just pass through, and it's not every year I find one for the year list.

This afternoon I wondered which part of my patch to visit, knowing that the lake would be frozen solid after another hard frost last night, it seemed a waste of time going there. However I am a glutton for punishment, and off I set through the small holding and wet woods then onto the lake - which was frozen solid with not a thing on it :-) It wasn't all a waste though, I did find NUTHATCH, COAL TIT, TREECREEPER, GOLDCREST and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER on the way. I keep scanning the tree's in the wet woods for that Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but without luck so far, it's these rarely seen birds that I'm going to have to find if I'm going to beat last years total of 109!

By now the temperature had dropped below freezing, and it was only 15:00hrs, I could feel the cold biting into my cheeks, I thought i'd set off for Migrant Alley, to see if anything would flyover. Not a great deal did! Two Meadow Pipits, a few STARLINGS, a JAY, and a few FIELDFARE, a scan of the far sheep pasture revealed a lone LAPWING and an even farther scan of the Tower at hadlow village (off my patch) showed that the Peregrine was sunning himself on the warm side of the tower.

Just a couple of photo's today, above yet another Treecreeper, they are the only birds that are showing well enough to photograph!

Below: Well you'll have to have good eyes to see this, if you look at the right hand side of the tower, where it steps down from the top, right at the edge you may be able to see a spec. - that's a peregrine that is!