Pittswood Birds

Monday morning, and back to work :-( The morning started well enough though, when I saw a BLACKCAP on the garden Elder berries as I ate breakfast, always a welcome visitor to my little oasis.

I dont usually take my camera to work, but as it was so sunny, and the migrants seem to be dropping in recently, I decided I would. This proved a good move, for as I stepped into Migrant Alley, and walked the tall hedge that borders the Greenhouse Grounds, I found it full of migrant species, WHITETHROAT, BLACKCAP, CHIFFCHAFF and a probable Willow Warbler, but that disappeared before I could say for certain. Best bird there though was my first SEDGE WARBLER (72) for the month, the low sun made for some great light to photograph it by. (below)

I had to drag myself away eventually, but as I passed through the paddocks I found a WHEATEAR, probably the same individual as yesterday, but who knows!

The walk home was made in sunny and warm conditions, but it soon turned cloudy, even as I walked through Migrant Alley the sun was disappearing, but on the brighter side, I found that this mornings Wheatear had been joined by another, excellent little birds these are !

I was back out around the Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley after lunch. I checked the tall hedge and the scrubby areas in the Greenhouse Grounds, finding once again WHITETHROAT, BLACKCAP and CHIFFCHAFF, as well as WRENS, ROBINS, DUNNOCKS, BLACKBIRDS, SONGTHRUSH, GOLDFINCH, GREENFINCH, CHAFFINCH, LINNET and even relocated the Sedge Warbler, it came out right at the top of a Hawthorn tree, the wind blowing it around and the totally different light made for a much poorer photo (below)

As I was fiddling around trying to get the Sedge photo, another bird caught my eye further along the hedge - A WHINCHAT! Brilliant! This may have been the one I saw yesterday, but again who knows!

Again the light was against me, but I still manged a record shot :-)

I left the tall hedge and walked a circuit of the pasture and paddocks in search of the earlier seen Wheatear, I found them quite easily, and got a couple of photo's, before retiring to my sky watching seat.

Above and below Wheatears, what a good run I'm having with these ;-)

My 40 minute sky watch didn't quite produce the Harrier or Osprey to round of the day, but both the KESTREL and the SPARROWHAWK were up hunting. Not much else went through, just HOUSE MARTINS and SWALLOWS, anyway the first spots of rain were now falling, so I moved off home, where I saw a HOBBY fly low over my rooftop, very nice!

One last photo. This Caterpillar was munching on the nettles, i'm sure someone out there knows waht butterfly it will turn into :-)