Pittswood Birds

I spent a pleasurable couple of hours over at the Lakes and Scrubby Woods this afternoon after work, mainly to try and find the 3 bird species that should already be on the May list, but have been very elusive, they being Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Coal Tit, I also wanted to see if any Garden warblers had arrived.

Upon reaching the woods, I saw something go scurrying past me, and saw that it was a Stoat carrying one of it's young, thinking it was probably relocating the whole litter, I sat and waited, and sure enough over the next ten minutes I saw it take 3 more young ones to a new whole, each time it managed to speed past me with the camera poised!

I checked out the lakes first, and found 14 CANADA GEESE, the family of 5 was now reduced to 4, I would be surprised if any more than two make it to adult hood. I also scanned the reedmace where the COOTS are nesting, for any sign of young, but none yet, just one adult was seen, apart from 2 MOORHEN and a pair of MALLARD that was it for the water.

In the Scrubby Woods, bird song was limited, but I heard CHIFFCHAFF, BLACKCAP, SONGTHRUSH, BLACKBIRD, WREN, ROBIN and CHAFFINCH, as well as TURTLE DOVE, of which 4 flew up from a clearing - quite a gathering for this species nowdays! I didn't find any of the target species though, the Garden Warbler may not arrive at all this year, just one pair bred here last year, and I may just have to be content with recording this species as an Autumn migrant :-(

I couldn't resist walking past the spot where the TAWNY OWLS were yesterday, they had of course moved, but I relocated one of the adult birds further in the woods - thats it below :-)


After 90 mins or so I moved off to check out the Tree Nursery, finding this Immature/female Blue Damselfly before I left, not sure what species it is, but Dean or Greenie will :-)

Just as I was exiting the Wet Woods to cross the field to the Tree Nursery, I heard the call, then the song of a TREECREEPER (56) so at least I did get one of the target species today!

In the Nursery the only bird of note was the KESTREL, which I watched successfully catch a vole. I spent more time chasing the Brown Argus butterflies that I found yesterday, and as promised here are the photo's of them, plus the other species I found.

Above and below a freshly emerged Brown Argus, looks like a male

Below is a Holly Blue

The last two photo's are of a Small Copper