Pittswood Birds

Another cold day again today, with that nagging cold wind, I won't find any early migrants in this weather!

Back around the Wet Woods, Small holding and lake area again this afternoon, I wont find the likes of Skylark, or Meadow Pipit here, but Migrant Alley was just too windy and cold, and thats where they may be found, so the months list will have to wait for those two species!

I had quite a good birding afternoon anyway, I wandered around the Wet Woods until I located the area where the birds were feeding, and there were quite a few today. A flock of some 20-30 CHAFFINCH were feeding in the leaf litter, despite much searching through them, I couldn't find a Brambling amongst them, or indeed that much rarer and never seen bird ( on my patch) the Hawfinch, dream on! Above the finch's a dozen LONG TAILED TITS were flitting through the trees, and with them I found TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, GOLDCREST, COAL TIT, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and a pair of SISKIN, all either singing of calling, I stood and listened for ages, but the cold got to me in the end and I moved on to the lake area.

On the lakes there weren't any surprises, just the 8 CANADA GEESE, and 4 MALLARD, which were all males, maybe the females are on nests already ? They were joined by 4 MOORHEN and the COOT, still no sign of a Grey Heron for the month though.

After a quick look through the scrub area, finding BULLFINCH and small parties of REDWING, amongst other commoner species, I headed for another walk around the woods. On the way I came across one of the MARSH TITS, which I got a photo of. As soon as I reached the woods I saw a SPARROWHAWK go zipping through it, after that I couldn't find a thing!

I could feel the warmth draining from my body after a while, so i moved off home, stopping at the Small Holding, here, as usual, there was a flock of GREENFINCH and Chaffinch feeding on the floor of the alpaca enclosure, I once again scanned through, and this time I did find a BRAMBLING, no doubt the one thats been around most of this year, and visiting my garden. Also seen feeding with the finch's were around a dozen BLUE TITS, 4 GREAT TITS, 3 REDWING, a SONGTHRUSH and best of all a pair of LESSER REDPOLL. The male looked absolutely stunning, it was in full breeding plumage, his raspberry red forehead and breast were striking.

So it was a good birding afternoon really, I dont think I have ever recorded Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Brambling, Redwing and Fieldfare on the same day on my patch, all the common winter visitors together - nice.

I got home and had enough light left to watch the garden birds for 45 mins, and what turned up ? The Brambling, it must be the same bird as I saw earlier, the alpaca's enclosure is just 150 meters away, another good bird for my garden was seen - two Long Tailed Tits, they have been scarcer than Bramblings at the feeders this year, the Long Tailed Tits were the 21st species to visit the feeders this month.


Above: Marsh Tit.

Above: My Coot :-) Below is the ''Ornimental'' lake it has been residing on.

Lastly a photo not related to today at all, I thought i'd give Songbird a view of the Peregrine that lives on the tower, I took this photo in April 2008, I just love the reaction of the Corvids in the Tall hedge.

Oh...nearly forgot. The blind blue tit I captured and released yesterday. Well I got the information from my mate who ringed it. The bird was an adult male when it was ringed on the 31/12/2007. This makes it at least 3 years old, so it had an average life span.