Pittswood Birds

I seem to be over the worst of my cold now  :-)  So it was off to work again this morning, in rain, dark and wind  :-(

By the time i'd got home again, the sun had broken through the cloud, and although a bit on the windy side, it was an ok afternoon. I headed off over to Migrant Alley first thing, and immediately saw both a KESTREL and BUZZARD up over the fields and paddocks. At least 6 MEADOW PIPITS, and 2 SKYLARKS were in the sheep pasture, there were probably more hidden up amongst the grass, but I didn't flush them out just to count them. The GOLDFINCH flock of around 25 birds flitted around the edges of the paddocks, feeding on the thistle heads, but there were only 4 LINNETS seen out there today. I scanned the fence lines and posts, and was pleased to find another WHEATEAR, I wont find many more of these lovely passage birds, I think most have gone through already. That will also be true of the HOUSE MARTIN and SWALLOW in two more weeks, although today small but regular flocks of both passed overhead all afternoon.

I moved on to check out the bushes and brambles at the Greenhouse Complex, finding another WHITETHROAT there, this now becomes the latest Whitethroat recorded on my patch. Not much else of note was here, so I walked over to the Tree Nursery, which was pretty quiet, apart from MAGPIES and GREEN WOODPECKERS, nearing the run off pool at the bottom end of the nursery, I could here CHIFFCHAFFS calling, upon reaching the area I counted at least six feeding in the surrounding bushes.

The Maize in the Pub Field, which is adjacent to the Tree Nursery, has started to be cropped, a 5 meter swathe had been cut around the perimeter of the field, but it wasn't being cropped when I was there, I always try my best to be there as the last of the crop gets cut, as this is where anything using the maize as cover ends up, then when the last piece of cover has gone a whole array of wildlife runs/flies for the nearest hedge!

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Wheatear