Pittswood Birds

Everything is still very much as it has been all week on my patch. As most mornings this week a CUCKOO, COMMON WHITETHROAT and LESSER WHITETHROAT all sang as I left for work this morning, a nice trio to here together, whilst my afternoon search for a Garden Warbler over at the lakeside scrub, again proved fruitless. Whilst I sat and listened, enclosed by the brambles and young trees, a very rare thing happened, everything went quiet ! Exept for the birdsong, not a single thing was heard, no Mowers, Cars, light aircraft, chainsaws, hedgetrimers, grass strimmers, nor any yelling kids or golfers shouting 'Fore' from the nearby golf course! Such bliss, all I could here were the likes of Cuckoo, CHIFFCHAFF, BLACKCAP, TREECREEPER, GOLDCREST, and TURTLE DOVE, and the WRENS, ROBINS, DUNNOCKS, SONGTHRUSH and BLACKBIRDS were also giving their all, the weather was warm and windless, and I admit that just for a second I dozed off :-)

Having shaken myself from my sleepy state, I took a walk over to Migrant alley, the only thing noted on the way were a family of MALLARDS on one of the pools in the Wet Woods, and a short meeting with the Hadlow Farm manager, who was in the process of removing a dead lamb from a rabbit hole, it had somehow got its head stuck and suffocated, stupid animals, well thats one less to eat all the emerging hedgerows :-)

My walk and skywatch watch around Migrant Alley was cut short by a heavy shower, mercifully I might add, as it was absolutely desserted out there, except for the corvids, WOODPIGEONS, and a single singing SKYLARK - oh, and of course a SPARROWHAWK.

April is kind of fizzling out limply, but at least ive achieved the best April bird species total so far in the nine years of recording on my patch. Lets hope may is just as good!


The photo above might need a bit of scrutinizing ( or clicking to enlarge) to show whats there.

The closer view below shows the Mallard Ducklings more clearly. How well camouflaged are they!