Pittswood Birds

The final visit of the month didn't produced any new species for the April list, although there is a small possibility of seeing something this evening as I look from my window out across the fields.

I spent a couple of hours over at the lakeside scrub this afternoon, the weather has become cool and windy, and birdsong was much reduced, however the BLACKCAPS and CHIFFCHAFFS bucked the trend, they just keep on singing! As I sat and listened for that elusive Garden Warbler, a pair of LONG TAILED TITS came past me, feeding as they went, and with them was a COAL TIT and a GOLDREST, a bit of an Autumn moment :-) Apart from that, not much else to note there today.

I walked home through the Tree Nursery, and saw the COMMON WHITETHROAT, as well as hearing the LESSER WHITETHROAT, and a YELLOWHAMMER was singing from its favoured Oak branch. It's interesting watching the toing and froing of the STARLINGS at this time of year, they fly out to the fields and paddocks at Migrant Alley, then come back with a beakfull of food for their young, which are hidden in the nooks and crevices of the rooves of the houses along Ashes Lane, whenever you look up there's a Starling either going out or coming back.

Another month passes, and more data is collected on the birds of my patch. This April has been very succcessful, highlights were the Red Kite, the Black Redstart, and 12 sightings of Wheatear, as well as all the expected returning migrants. Barnacle goose, and Hobby joined the Red Kite and Black Redstart as 'firsts', these species have never been recorded in any April before, taking the combined 9 years April list to 101. As mentioned yesterday the months species list reached 76 the highest ever April tally, beating last years record total by 3. The average number of species seen in april is now 68.5.

The year list, at 89, is still 4 behind what it was the end of April last year, and is still 11 short of my target of 100 species for the year, but last year was an exceptional one, I got my target of 100 species by the 17th May! That is a record that will hold for a long time!

I wonder what May will bring - hopefully those two later arriving migrants yet to be seen, the Garden Warbler and the Spotted Flycatcher, they are both species that are clinging on as a breeding bird on my patch, with just one pair of each.


Above : Goldcrest, and Below: Coal Tit