Pittswood Birds

The forecast rain stayed off until I had finished my full patch walk this morning, but it didn't help much! The four hour walk produced a measly total of just 39 species, a full dozen fewer than this time last week, the high point was hearing a YELLOW WAGTAIL fly over the College Grounds, where, interestingly, I heard a TREECREEPER singing, another was heard to sing later in the walk as I passed through the Wet Woods.

Summer visitors were few, with just two BLACKCAPS seen, one in the Scrubby Woods over by the lakes, and the other in the Greenhouse Complex Grounds, where the only WHITETHROAT of the day was also seen. CHIFFCHAFFS are still quite abundant, with 10 -12 birds still calling around my patch.

I'm still waiting to record the likes of Pheasant, and Mistlethrush this month, which is turning out to be a bit of a slow starter, with just 51 species recorded in the first four days...........Until this afternoon that is, when I had a quick 40 minute wander around the fields and paddocks at Migrant Alley. I had a suspicion that something may have dropped in during the rain earlier, and was proved correct, when not only my first two SANDMARTINS (52) 0f the month flew over, but also 3 WHEATEAR (53) were feeding in one of the paddocks. To round of the afternoon, 2 HOBBIES and a BUZZARD were also up hunting, plus a few HOUSE MARTINS were seen going over, taking the days list to a more respectable 44  :-)

Wheatears

The third Wheatear can just be made out, in the top right hand corner of the above photo, well half of it!

Wheatear

Wheatears