Pittswood Birds

Above is the 'Main lake' next to the scrub area, its quite small and desperately needs some work doing on it !

This afternoon I paid a visit to the above lake and scrub area, just in case something rare had dropped in, maybe a Coot or Tufted Duck :-) , but no such luck today, just 4 MALLARD and two MOORHEN were on it. The smaller, more ornamental lake next to it however, had a KINGFISHER on it, which alighted on a branch just 10m from me, I zoomed right in on it and pressed the shutter, nothing! I had inadvertently knocked the switch and turned off the camera at some stage, by the time I had turned the camera on and re aligned, the Kingfisher had gone , BLAST IT !!!!!!!

A quick look around the Scrub wasn't too exciting, but some of the species not seen yesterday were easily viewable, including BULLFINCH, COAL TIT, TREECREEPER and LONG TAILED TIT. A CHIFFCHAFF was also seen, the only one today.

I had a brief look around the paddocks and pasture at Migrant Alley, where MEADOW PIPITS, PIED WAGTAILS and LINNETS were seen, along with the many ROOKS and JACKDAWS, a STARLING flock of at least 250 birds was flushed up by a SPARROWHAWK. Over at the Tall Hedge bordering the Greenhouse Complex 2 YELLOWHAMMERS were seen, probably the same female and her offspring that I have been seeing for a few weeks now.

A Skywatch produced just 2 HERRING GULL, a KESTREL, a few local SWALLOWS and just 4 HOUSE MARTIN, as well as 4 SKYLARK that dropped into the pasture, giving that lovely trilling flight song.

The photo below is of one of the Yellowhammers in the Tall hedge, it was too dark really, but I tried :-)

Later on this afternoon I saw 2 Goldcrest in the garden, I managed this effort below.

As I was waiting for the Goldcrest to come into view, this female BLACKCAP dropped in - a very nice surprise, this may be the last one I see for some time now.