Pittswood Birds

After saying yesterday that I thought the SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS had left already, I was instantly proved wrong, when two adults were seen in the College Grounds as I passed through on the way to work. Where have they been hiding ?

This afternoons walk took me to the lakeside Scrub, via the Small Holding and Wet Woods, the former had both GREAT SPOTTED and GREEN WOODPECKER as well as a JAY, a familiar trio here. The Wet Woods were dark and silent, as is the way this time of year, but once I got to the 'proper' habitat, of the Scrub, it all changed.

Passing the Lake I saw 17 CANADA GEESE, a single GREYLAG GOOSE and two MALLARDS, a SPARROWHAWK went low over - the same tatty moulting female that I saw the other day. In the scrub area, I could straight away here the a BULLFINCH calling and a TURTLE DOVE 'Purring', a single BLACKCAP gave some song, and whilst looking up for Purple Hairstreak Butterflies I saw two HERRING GULLS go over. As I walked further along, a family group of Blackcaps were seen, feeding on the first of the ripening blackberries, with them was at least one COMMON WHITETHROAT, and, at last, a sighting of a GARDEN WARBLER (61) the first recorded since May!

A small feeding group of birds were seen in a large Oak, including TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, COAL TIT, and GOLDCREST, but strangely not one Blue or Great Tit was with them.

After having my fill of the Purple Hairstreaks, I took a wander over to Migrant Alley for a skywatch, which gave me exactly the same birds as yesterday, KESTREL, HOBBY and another Sparrowhawk. Also a few GOLDFINCH feeding on the thistle seeds and three pairs of LINNETS associating with the Greenhouse Complex, where all the old raspberry canes have been thrown out.


Below is a photo of the Scrub area, showing some of the Willowherb, maybe a tempting place for a Marsh Warbler to visit ( In my dreams!)


I also took a photo of this young ROBIN, freshly into his winter red breast.


Below is a Treecreeper, this just about as good a view as I had of it and the other birds it was feeding with.

Back to the Butterflies again, and why not, they won't be aroung for ever :-)

Above and Below a Purple Hairstreak

Once again a Brown Argus was found

Also this Peacock Butterfly with attendant wasp.

This Red Admiral had seen better days, and was sunbathing on a fence post at the Greenhouse Complex Grounds.