Pittswood Birds

A new month begins! September can be a bit of a mix on my patch, with the last sightings of many of the common summer birds, but also if i'm lucky, the first birds of Autumn and winter will appear.

I set off to work this morning, and duly started the months list, only 78 to beat! That's the record September tally achieved back in 2009  :-)  The first birds on the months list were the normal characters, COLLARED DOVE, WOODPIGEON, STARLING, BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT, CHAFFINCH, GOLDFINCH, DUNNOCK, ROBIN, BLACKBIRD, CARRION CROW and LINNET all seen as I walked along Ashes Lane. Crossing through the Greenhouse Complex, HERRING GULL and SWALLOW were added flying over, while CHIFFCHAFF, GREEN WOODPECKER and MAGPIE were found easily.

Out into the fields and paddocks of Migrant Alley, there were no exciting passage migrants seen this morning, except for the 5 maybe 6 YELLOW WAGTAILS that flew over calling. The ROOKS and JACKDAWS started to file in from the east, and a BLACK HEADED GULL came up from the south.

I added a few more common species to the list as I walked through the college grounds, GREENFINCH, GOLDCREST, LONG TAILED TIT, COAL TIT, HOUSE SPARROW, TREECREEPER, WREN, and PIED WAGTAIL.

The walk back home from work was made in warm and sunny conditions, but the birds had all hidden up! Only four more species were added, but they were nice ones, 3 raptor species, SPARROWHAWK, KESTREL and HOBBY were all out hunting in the blue skies, and best of all a WHINCHAT had turned up along the tall hedge dividing Migrant Alley from the Greenhouse Complex - very nice!

After a sandwich at home, I went back over to try and photograph the Whinchat, where to my utter delight I found two of them, another double Whinchat day!  It didn't make it any easier to photograph them though, and they stayed well away from me   :-(  Whilst there I saw a WHITETHROAT, they wont be around much longer.

I made a quick sortie into the Scrubby Woods and lake area, just to add some of the common species, but I didn't get many! Just NUTHATCH and BULLFINCH in the woods, whilst on the lakes were MALLARD, MOORHEN and a GREY HERON, which made me up to 39 species, an ok start to the month :-)

Below is an Immature Goldfinch seen with the Whinchats, it however didn't mind having its photo taken :-)

Below is the best I could do at getting both the Whinchats in the frame!

Below is one of the Whinchats on the tall hedge

Lastly, a Common Darter , not seen many of these this year