Pittswood Birds

The last of the holidays today, so I was determined to get out early and find something new, but it just didn't happen today. The weather was a touch cooler with a slight breeze, and remaining sunny, however the birds were playing hard to get!

I only managed to scrape up 43 species this morning in the four hour walk, with species like Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Sparrowhawk, Yellowhammer and long Tailed Tit, of which I havn't seen for a few days now, all keeping themselves hidden.

The recently arrived TURTLE DOVES and LESSER WHITETHROATS were singing from the wooded headland at Migrant Alley, those, together with the CHIFFCHAFF, and BLACKCAP made for a great summer sound. There are now three Lesser Whitethroat territories on the patch, with room for maybe one more at the Scrubby Woods :-) Talking of which, there wasn't a Cuckoo calling from there today, or a Turtle Dove, but the latter may have just been hiding up. Nesting activity continues from the Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps here, but the Garden Warbler hasn't arrived yet, however I found another WHITETHROAT, the first seen in the Scrubby Wood so far this spring.

On the lakes, all was quiet, with the male CANADA GEESE keeping guard over their respective nests, one COOT was seen again, but no sign of the other, or any fledged young yet, 3 MALLARDS and two MOORHEN were also seen whilst I strained to try and hear a passage Sedge or Reed Warbler, both a rare on my patch, especially in the spring.

Flyovers were few as well today, just KESTREL, LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL and SKYLARK went over. A rather dull visit today, but it will pick up again, and as there is more holiday coming at the end of the week ( due to some wedding somewhere) that will give me more chance to increase the months, if not year list :-)

I also found photo's hard to come by today, but the reliable Speckled Wood Butterfly came to the rescue!