Pittswood Birds

It was good to get out a do a full patch walk today, the first for 6 days, and the 60th this year. It was cool, windy and grey, the vegetation was still wet from a combination of fridays heavy rain and an overnight dew, so conditions were not exactly summer like :-)

Non the less, a very good tally of 49 species was recorded, the numbers of birds singing is slowly declining, as most are busy bringing up youngsters now, but a CUCKOO called from the Lakeside Scrub, quite late for them to be calling now, just 3 BLACKCAPS sang from the same area, as did a TURTLE DOVE, 2 CHIFFCHAFF, and a WHITETHROAT, but that was it for the migrant species, I couldn't find a Lesser Whitethroat, or a Garden Warbler today. One pleasing sighting was a SPOTTED FLYCATCHER holding territory in a large garden just of Ashes Lane, so thats two possible breeding pairs on my patch now - very nice!

In the Wet Woods both TREECREEPER and NUTHATCH were seen, as well as a few of the more common species -JAY, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, a calling STOCK DOVE and a mixed flock of recently fledged LONG TAILED, GREAT, and BLUE TITS.

Late in my walk the sun decided to come out, and it warmed up a bit, but he cool wind did it's best to keep things chilly. I decided to go and check the skies over the Tree Nursery and Migrant Alley, which proved to be reasonably successful, SKYLARKS sang, PIED WAGTAILS whizzed to and fro feeding fledglings, and the KESTREL put in it's daily appearance, hunting over the Greenhose Complex. There is no sign of any sparrowhawks, but two COMMON BUZZARDS soared over Migrant Alley, and as I sat on my seat a KINGFISHER shot just over my head, giving it's shrill call as it did so, this is the second time this month one has flown past me whilst ive been on farmland.

I took a few pics today :-

Below is a DUNNOCK that sang from the Tall hedge behind my skywatching seat.
A little further down the hedgrow this Whitethroat was singing, one of the few birds today really going for it!

Above is a recently fledged Great Tit and below is a recently fledged Blue Tit

I surprised this Black Rabbit, catching it out in the open with nowhere to hide

The grass didn't quite do the job, and I took a couple of photo's before it ran for better cover!

I found this Orchid in the Lakeside Srub area, I believe it's a Common Spotted Orchid.

Finally, a couple of photo's from the garden - the first Great Spotted Woodpecker young have started to visit the peanut feeder

....and Large Red Damselflies continue to emerge from one of my ponds.