Pittswood Birds

My patch visit this afternoon was a rather quiet one, not helped by the cool blustery wind, but one or two interesting things were of note. In the Tree Nursery this KESTREL was up above me hunting, as I tried to find some Dragonflies or Butterflies, mostly unsuccessfully.

Only a couple of White Legged Damsels were seen, plus a few Meadow Brown butterflies and a single common blue. The only bird of note was the ever present WHITETHROAT, still singing away :-)

I decided to have a walk over to the lakes and Scrubby Woods. Here, on the ornamental lake were this GREYLAG GOOSE family, they have lost one of there young in the last week.

A family of CANADA GEESE were also present, plus both COOTS. On the main lake I struggled to see anything at all, just 2 MALLARD and two MOORHEN, one being an almost independent immature bird. Then, a flash of blue across my bins, and a KINGFISHER (63) was on the months list, it disappeared into the overhanging bank side vegetation, and I lost it.

A walk round the adjacent Scrubby Woods was as it has been for a week or so now, singing BLACKCAPS and CHIFFCHAFFS, a CUCKOO was still calling, and TURTLE DOVES were coming and going overhead, they must be feeding young now, all I've got to do is find some fledglings to confirm successful breeding for this year. A look around the Oaks for purple Hairstreak Butterflies was not successful, unsurprising in the windy conditions, but down on the floor a Large Skipper was seen, as well as a couple of Small Whites and a Red Admiral.

That was it for today! The Kingfisher takes the months list to 63, which is equal to the 2006 June total and is the 5th best June of the ten years recording.

Large Skipper