Pittswood Birds

No complaints about the weather this morning, it was sunny and warm, with little or no wind - just perhaps, a touch too warm :-)

All the good weather didn't help the species list for the day get any better than yesterday though, but it was a much more enjoyable walk as everything was singing and calling.

As usual my pencil couldn't keep up with the species being recorded as I left the house, WOODPIGEON, JACKDAW, BLACKBIRD, MAGPIE, STARLING, SWALLOW, CHAFFINCH, ROBIN, STOCKDOVE, COLLARED DOVE, GREENFINCH, WHITETHROAT and WREN all got scribbled down in the first 50 yards of walking along Ashes Lane.

It all calmed down a bit as I entered the Tree Nursey and walked the Hedgerow along the Pub Field towards Migrant Alley, just four new species went on the list, those being COCKOO, BLUE TIT, HOUSE SPARROW and GREAT TIT.

At Migrant Alley there were 27 GREYLAG GEESE and 6 CANADA GEESE grazing on the sheep pasture, and the noisey Juv. Starlings were present in good numbers, also seen were LINNET, SKYLARK, ROOK, PIED WAGTAIL and a SONG THRUSH called from the north end scrub.

A circuit round the College Grounds and gardens produced GOLDFINCH, LONG TAILED TIT, CHIFFCHAFF, HOUSE MARTIN, MOORHEN, MALLARD, GOLDCREST and PHEASANT, but best of all was seeing the SPOTTED FLYCATCHER with a mate, lets hope they breed successfully here.
Crossing the College sports pitch, I saw a dozen SWIFTS high up, and saw two HERRING GULLS perched on the floodlights. The final species added from the first half of my walk was a LITTLE OWL, that was seen on the Green Houses.

Next up was the Wet Woods and Lakeside Scrub area, the former gave me both the WOODPECKERS - GREAT SPOTTED and GREEN, and the latter, despite being full of song only gave me BLACKCAP, TURTLE DOVE, MISTLE THRUSH, BULLFINCH, and JAY. A quick scan of the lakes was had, where a GREY HERON went on the list, the 46th species for the day, but it was frustrating not to find the Lesser Whitethroat, or Garden Warbler, or indeed not being able to locate Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Yellowhammer and Kestrel. The last species on the day list went to the SPARROWHAWK which flew over Marchants field, next to the Tree Nursery as I was walking home.

So no new species for the month or year list, and with 3 full patch walks left in May I still need 3 new species to beat last years record May haul. The year list remains 7 short of my 100 target.

Below are 3 photo's of the Spotted Flycatcher, the best pics ive got of them so far, you can even see the spots on thier breasts :-)

Below is one of the Herring Gulls that was perched on the floodlight at the Sports pitch.