Pittswood Birds

I was expecting rain first thing this morning, but it was a dense fog that caused the problems, then as that cleared a couple of hours later, the rain set in for the rest of the day !

So it was hard going to find much of note this morning, the highlight though was hearing two BRAMBLING (62) calling loudly as they flew low over the Lakes area. On the water itself it was back to normal, just 16 MALLARDS and 8 MOORHEN were seen, they were being observed by a perched KESTREL, as well as me. Whilst wandering through the Wet Woods, looking for that elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, I was serenaded by a MISTLE THRUSH, its clear loud song penetrated the dense woods, as it practised it repertoire for the coming spring from the highest point in the canopy.

Also in fine song were two SONG THRUSHES, they were heard in the college grounds, where they out performed the chattering of a group of REDWINGS that were feeding on fallen crab apples, with them were 5 FIELDFARE and at least 8 BLACKBIRDS. A little further on, a lone LESSER REDPOLL was feeding in a silver birch tree, a good bird to see on my patch.

Once the fog had lifted, I added a few flyovers to the list, 35 GREYLAG GEESE went over Migrant Alley, SISKIN flew over in ones and two's and four LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS went high over, only the second record of this species for the month, BLACK HEADED and HERRING GULLS were also seen going over at regular intervals.

There were some regularly seen species missing today, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, and Sparrowhawk, all eluded me, but I caught up with them all, apart from the Long Tailed Tit as they visited my Garden Feeders later in the morning, there were in fact two SPARROWHAWKS hunting in my garden, one of them was an old friend that I havn't seen since last winter, it was the individual that had been ringed from a garden down the lane from me 7 years ago, I thought last winters severe weather had done for him !!

No photo's today, in that gloom, not a chance !!!